Bronwyn Calcutt

Bronwyn Calcutt is a highly experienced singer-songwriter who teaches for the ACMF at two Melbourne schools – Seaford Park and Sunshine Harvester Primary schools. Bronwyn specialises in choir and ukulele, and is also a talented piano accordionist!

Bronwyn started her professional career working in professional theatre, after graduating from Sydney University with a BSc (Architecture) specialising in design for theatre. At the same time she pursued a musical career – performing one-woman shows that toured nationally, forming and directing choirs, producing eight CDs, as well as facilitating creative workshops for business and community groups and engaging young people in music in disadvantaged and special needs schools.

In 2008 Bronwyn was awarded an International Women’s Day Award for her work in enhancing women’s well-being through singing, largely through her groundbreaking work with the Expressive Women choir. The other choir she leads – Shaking the Tree – has performed at many national music festivals, with two highly regarded CDs to their credit. Both choirs are driven by a strong commitment to issues of social justice and equality, and to giving voice to those whose stories should be told.

Bronwyn started working for the ACMF in 2012, teaching ukulele, singing and choir at Seaford Park Primary School. The choir quickly went from strength to strength and in March last year sang at the Celebration Charity Concert at her Majesty’s Theatre in Melbourne, conducted by renowned musical director Peter Casey. This led to them featuring on a CD Peter produced of the song Wings of Love and then, with Bronwyn at the helm, recording their own CD Hidden Treasures, which included several of their own songs.

In the middle of last year Bronwyn started teaching at Sunshine Harvester Primary school, together with fellow ACMF teacher, Mark Grunden, and is working towards establishing a school choir and developing a school song.

On June 25^th, 250 students from five of our Sunshine primary schools (Albion, Albion North, Ardeer, Dinjerra and Sunshine Harvester) will be performing together, along with the Seaford Park choir, at the Good Day Sunshine Combined Schools Concert in Melbourne’s Federation Square. Bronwyn has played an integral part in planning and producing this concert, alongside her fellow ACMF musicians Simone Lang, Mark Grunden and Phil Collings. The concert will feature students from the more than 40 different nationalities who attend the schools, singing, playing percussion and drumming. It’s a wonderful opportunity for the students, the schools and the community to come together to celebrate the magic of music.