Renee Heron is a dynamic music educator and choral conductor who founded and currently serves as the Artistic Director of The Yarra Voices. Through her leadership, The Yarra Voices has become renowned for its dedication to nurturing young talent and fostering a love of choral music. Renee is also a choral and singing teacher at Camberwell Girls Grammar and regularly lectures at ACU and Monash University.
A leading practitioner of the Kodály music education philosophy in Melbourne, Renee has served as President of the Victorian Branch of the Kodály Music Education Institute of Australia. She attended the Kodály Institute of the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music in Kecskemét, Hungary, in 2016-17, and received an award for excellence in Australian Kodály-inspired Music Education in 2022. Renee holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Queensland, an AMusA in Violin, and a Master of Teaching from the University of Melbourne.
In addition to her work with The Yarra Voices, Renee is a core member of Polyphonic Voices, one of Australia's leading chamber choral ensembles and serves as the Artistic Director of Alta Collective. Under her direction, Alta Collective has gained recognition for its innovative approach to chamber vocal music, collaborating with international groups like Sjaella and The Gesualdo Six. Their recording of Earth-Shaped Hearts was nominated for Choral Work of the Year at the 2024 APRA AMCOS Art Music Awards.
TIMOTHY MALLIS
Accompanist & Rehearsal Tutor
Tim Mallis is a Melbourne-based musician specialising in composition and piano accompaniment. Tim is a passionate advocate for music education and bringing new Australian compositions to life. Tim is a graduate of the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music specialising in organ and composition. As an award-winning composer, he has written for some of Australia’s finest ensembles and is frequently commissioned for works by local arts bodies including Arts Centre Melbourne in their ‘5x5x5’ program, and Choral Edge in their award-nominated ‘Stories from the Choir’.
As a former member of Young Songmakers Australia and former student of the Franz-Schubert-Institut, Tim is in high demand as an accompanist, organist, and conductor. He is the current Associate Director of Music at St Andrew’s Anglican Church in Brighton and has held positions as Director of Music at both St Bartholomew’s and St Stephen’s Anglican Churches in Richmond. As part of his ongoing relationship with the Australian Boys Choral Institute since 2003, Tim is involved both as a Teacher-in-Charge and member of The Vocal Consort. Tim is also employed by Opera Australia, Victorian Opera, and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra as a surtitle specialist since 2014.
Peta Rust is an experienced Music teacher, accompanist and choral conductor who has been working in Primary School settings and with children’s choirs for over 10 years. She holds degrees in Keyboard Performance and a post graduate degree in Education, specialising in Primary Teaching. Peta also holds qualifications in both the Kodály teaching method and Orff Schulwerk. She is currently Campus Head of Music for Malvern Campus, Caulfield Grammar. As a performer, Peta has enjoyed performing solo recitals in some of Melbourne's finest venues including the National Gallery of Victoria, St. Michael's Uniting Church and The Edge, Federation Square. She has had the privilege of performing live broadcasts of solo and chamber works on 3MBS.
Peta has a particular passion and interest in Music teaching, and has taught both in schools and for community organisations since 2012. She takes great pleasure in seeing what a profound effect Music Education can have on a child's total development. Peta has worked at a number of community choirs including Choir Victoria, Sing Australia and Yarra Voices as both an accompanist and a conductor.
PETA RUST
RENEE HERON
Artistic Director
YV Kids Conductor & Rehearsal Tutor
CIARA McCOPPIN
Rehearsal Tutor
Although primarily a string musician and teacher, Ciara has a lifelong passion for choral and chamber music after having spent over 20 years singing in ensembles such as Young Voices of Melbourne, Exaudi Youth Choir and more recently, Alta Collective. Ciara works as an violin/viola teacher at Caulfield Grammar and Trinity Grammar schools, directing a variety of ensembles and teaching students from a range of year levels. Ciara holds a Bachelor of Music and Secondary Education (Hons) from Monash University and has also received her AMusA with distinction in viola.
Ciara has worked as a sight singing tutor both with Yarra Voices and Young Voices of Melbourne for a number of years, and is passionate about helping young singers develop their aural and notation reading skills. Ciara has a particular affinity for collaborating with fellow musicians in a chamber music context to convey depth in emotion and meaning through musical interpretation.
MARJORIE BUTCHER
Rehearsal Tutor & Choreographer
Marjorie is a skilled artist and educator with a Bachelor of Music specialising in vocal performance from The University of Newcastle. She is sought after as a soprano soloist and ensemble singer, having worked with prestigious groups like the Song Company, Divisi and Alta Collective. Marjoire has worked as an actor, in Sydney, Newcastle, and Melbourne and her training at the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) Actors Studio strongly influences her teaching style. Marjorie currently teaches privately at her studio in Brunswick and draws on her career as an actor and performer to cultivate confidence in her students by exploring stage presence and performing techniques.
As a choreographer and Alexander Technique BodyMinded practitioner, Marjorie works with ensembles to add accessible, free and easy physicality to music. This focus on physical awareness encourages vocal freedom and health whilst creating elevating and engaging performances. Marjorie is dedicated to nurturing confidence, creativity, and a love for music in young performers. She combines her unique blend of movement, education, performance experience, and pedagogical expertise to encourage and embolden the next generation of performers.