Artistic Team
Want to know more about our wonderful artistic team? See information about our incredibly talented artistic team below.
Jonathon Welch AM
Founding Artistic Director
Jonathon Welch AM is a multi award winning singer, conductor, teacher, songwriter and recording artist with a career spanning over thirty years. Making his debut with Dame Joan Sutherland at the Sydney Opera House in the ‘Merry Widow’ 1988 Jonathon has over sixty stage roles to his credit and has performed extensively in Opera, musicals, G&S and in concert alongside many of the world’s greatest singers, directors and conductors including kd Lang, Baz Luhrmann, and Richard Bonynge to name a few.
In 2007, Jonathon’s work creating choirs for the homeless and disadvantaged in Australia was the subject of the internationally acclaimed ARIA, Logie and Helpmann award winning TV documentary ‘Choir of Hard Knocks’, also creating the ‘Jailbirds’ documentary in the Victorian Women’s Prisons and was a Judge on the highly successful ‘Battle of the Choirs’ TV series for Channel 7.
Jonathon has been recognised for his outstanding thirty year commitment to the music industry, youth music education and his work with marginalised and homeless communities with the Australian of the Year Local Hero 2008, ANZAC of the Year 2009, an Honourary Doctorate and an Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2009 and an Honourary Fellow of the Australian Council of Educational Leaders.
In 2009 Jonathon created and launched ‘Social Inclusion Week’ making Australia the only country in the world to celebrate Social Inclusion nationally, and in September 2012 launched his vision for the future of arts, cultural and wellbeing programs and training for those experiencing homelessness and disadvantage with the ‘School of Hard Knocks’ and 'Play It Forward' in 2018.
Alex Morris
Music Director - Choir of Opportunity, THECHO!R & Voices of Footscray Hospital
Alex completed a Bachelor of Music (Composition) at the University of Western Australia in
2009. An accomplished composer, arranger and choral director Alex is in demand around the world as a vocal coach, teaching classes and running workshops with regular appearances as faculty at the Barbershop Harmony Society Harmony University. In 2022 Alex was inducted into the Barbershop Harmony Australia Hall of Fame.
Alex is currently the co-Musical Director of Laneway City Singers – an exciting new chorus based in the inner north of Naarm. Lanway City Singers made their Barbershop Harmony Australia debut in Canberra in 2025, taking home the silver medal with a record-breaking score.
Alex is the former Music Director of Vocal Evolution, leading them to three Barbershop Harmony Australia gold medals, as well as former Music Director with Geelong Harmony Chorus (Sweet Adelines Australia, shOUT Youth Chorus and the cult choir sensations Shania Choir and The Shanties Choir.
Performing regularly as Bae Marie, Alex has used queer performance art to develop interactive experiences for children and adults alike. Alex has made a name for himself as a DJ spinning high-energy sets with a presence behind the decks to match. In December 2021 Alex launched Sunday School which is a monthly performance platform for emerging queer DJs in Naarm.
He has a passion for education and loves nothing more than to share the joy of music.
Adam Przewlocki
Co Music Director - Voices of Moonee Valley &
Accompanist
One of Australia’s leading show choir directors, Adam founded the first of his choirs, the Divine Divas of Sunbury in 2007. He has enjoyed an illustrious career as concert pianist, chamber musician and accompanist. He has performed as recitalist throughout Australia, USA, Europe, Taiwan, Korea, China, Japan and New Zealand. Adam was Musical Director, pianist and vocalist with renowned cabaret group ‘Pot-Pourri’ for 10 years, undertaking more than 15 overseas concert tours with the 5-piece group. Adam’s dedication and service to the Hume community has been acknowledged through being named ‘Hume Citizen of the Year’ in 2009, as well as being a National Finalist in the 2009 Herald Sun ‘Pride of Australia’ medal for services to the community. During Adam’s competitive career, he amassed over 200 prizes in Eisteddfods throughout Australia, including the City of Sydney Eisteddfod Piano Scholarship. He was also a finalist in the Stravinsky International Piano Competition for Young Artists in Illinois, USA in 1990 and 4th prizewinner in the Ettlingen International Competition for Young Pianists in Germany, 1991. Adam is also a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth Study Grant and is a Churchill Fellow. He also studied on full scholarship at London’s Royal Academy of Music from 1992-1996. He has performed in master classes conducted by Andras Schiff, John Lill, Peter Donahue, Alfred Brendel, Pascal Roge and Imogen Cooper.
Danielle Matthews
Co Music Director - Voices of Moonee Valley
Danielle is an Australian/Vanuatuan singer, cabaret and recording artist. Most recently performing in the 2024/2025 Australian tour of Jesus Christ Superstar. Other Music Theatre credits include: Urinetown, Showboat, The Mikado, The Silent Anzac, Respect the Musical, and The Art Centre Melbourne’s Morning Melodies. Danielle has appeared in concert throughout Australia and performed with celebrated composer Stephen Sondheim.
Danielle performs the National Anthem for many large-scale sporting events. Most recently, to a sold-out crowd at the MCG for the Geelong vs Adelaide AFL preliminary final.
She is the inaugural winner of the Rob Guest Endowment Award and Co-Artistic Director of the Logie, ARIA and Helpmann Award-winning Choir of Hard Knocks. She is best known in the theatre industry for her portrayal of Shirley Bassey. During the pandemic lockdowns, Danielle became a popular content creator and entertained millions around the world with her eccentric musical parodies.
TV credits: The Voice Season 10. Appearances on Studio 10, Sunrise, The Morning Show and GMA. Danielle has released two albums and has sung in the in-game soundtracks of major computer game franchises, Assassin's Creed and Skull and Bones.
Liane Keegan
Vocal Coach
Successes in the roles of Erda, First Norn and Waltraute (Die Walküre) in the Ring Des Nibelungen in Adelaide have confirmed Liane Keegan as one of Australia's finest dramatic contraltos. A highly sought after artist both in Europe and Australia, Liane received scholarships from the Opera Foundation Australia and Shell Royal Opera House Covent Garden Scholarship, which enabled her to study at the National Opera Studio in London. In 1997 Liane won a Bayreuth Bursary from the Wagner Society of Great Britain. She came to the attention of both critics and public alike performing with numerous Orchestra’s and Opera companies including; English National Opera, Theater Hagen, Deutsche Opera Berlin, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. Concert appearances have included recitals at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, BBC Proms, Edinburgh Festival and Sydney Olympic Arts Festival. Liane Keegan is Play It Forward’s very own Vocal Consultant.
Claire Patti
Co Music Director - Only Women Aloud
Claire Patti is a versatile and passionate musician who has carved herself a career as a performer, choral director, arranger and educator. An award winning singer and multi-instrumentalist, she has toured extensively with her Celtic vocal ensemble Co-cheòl and sassy jazz a cappella quartet The Velvetones, who are causing quite a stir on the Australian a cappella scene. In addition to traditional Celtic music and jazz, she regularly performs genres such as soul, funk, pop, classical, and traditional Swedish and German folk music with various musical outfits. These broad interests have led her to perform internationally with artists such as Bobby McFerrin (her hero), the Rolling Stones, the Australian Chamber Orchestra and James Morrison.
After several years directing choirs of all types in schools and the community, she now freelances as a choral director for major choral projects around the state. She directed the Women’s Chorus for the 2018 Melbourne International Singers Festival, and You’re the Voice (for Play It Forward) and the Festival of 1000 Voices (Yarrawonga), all featuring choirs from around the state.
Dr Nela Trifkovic
Co Music Director - Only Women Aloud
Nela is a Bosnian-Australian artist whose multi-faceted practice includes the disciplines of music, theatre, performance and installation art. She moved to Australia during the Yugoslav war in 1990s and trained at WAAPA and VCA, where she completed her Doctorate in 2013.
A recipient of several grants and scholarships, Nela has performed and conducted research in Australia, Asia, Europe and USA.
In the realm of folk music, Bosnian Sevdah and Sephardic Jewish songs are Nela's greatest passion. They have been an integral part of her life and upbringing. These musical genres have inspired the formation of the ensemble Saray Iluminado, allowing Nela to gather a curious bunch of like-minded musical travellers and pursue life away from home by finding a home in song.
Tim Maddren
Music Director, School of Hard Knocks Choir - Port Macquarie Hastings
Tim is most well known for being a member of the children’s group Hi-5 from 2009 until 2013. With the group he filmed 135 episodes, released 3 albums with Sony Music Australia and toured internationally. Whilst in Hi-5 he was nominated,
along with the rest of the group, for two TV Week Logie Awards, two ARIA Awards and an Asian Television Award. Tim completed 26 episodes and his first of three series’, playing the lead role of Logan in The Fo Fo Figgily Show. Filmed
in Abu Dhabi, this television show is due to be launched throughout Europe, Asia and North America.
Tim’s theatre credits include Dream Lover – The Bobby Darin Musical, the principle role of Lucas in The Addams Family, Brad Majors in the 2014 Australian Cast of The Rocky Horror Show, Fiddler on the Roof (Fyedka) and the original
Australian cast of Altar Boyz (Luke) 2008.
In 2016, Tim played the role of Prince Charming in Bonnie Lythgoe’s Cinderella.Tim trained at the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), Music Theatre course – 2005 Graduate. From 2007- 2008 Tim studied post-grad in
voice at the Queensland Conservatorium under the guidance of Irene Bartlett. Also a screenwriter, Tim’s feature-length screenplay, which is set in Lake Cathie, ‘One and Another’ was shortlisted in the 2015 Australian Writers Guild
‘What Happens Next’ competition, it was recognised as one of the top three screenplays of the 2015 Lorne Film Festival and internationally in the 2016 Blue Cat Screenplay Competition, where there were over 5000 screenplay entries.
In late 2016 Tim and his wife Stephanie started up their own production company Got Ya Back Productions.
Caroline Crawford
Music Director - YES I CAN! Gippsland Choir
Caroline Crawford is an established musician, teacher and composer from the Latrobe Valley, in Victoria. Caroline studied a Bachelor of Music (majoring in piano) and Diploma of Education at the Australian Catholic University in Melbourne. She has composed a variety of music for piano and also smaller instrumental ensembles.
Caroline spent many years involved in the Latrobe Theatre Company, directing and accompanying shows. She has continued to teach, accompany, conduct and perform in her local area of Gippsland and thoroughly enjoys sharing her love of music with everyone.
Caroline is very passionate about teaching piano and singing, and is delighted to have joined the Play It Forward team as conductor of the Yes I Can! Gippsland all abilities choir. “Conducting this choir is one of the biggest highlights of my week. Bringing people together to make music and seeing everyone laugh and smile is the absolute best!”
Storm Collis
Accompanist
Storm Collis is a Melbourne based pianist hailing from Aotearoa, New Zealand. They have a background in choral, educational and community music settings. Storm holds Grade 8 piano from the ABRSM and has over 15 years of accompanying and arranging experience.
Storm is the accompanist for ShOUT, an LGBT youth choir, where they have also previously served as Assistant Musical Director. They have accompanied for the Melbourne Pride Chorus, Low Rez Choir and Footscray Community Choir, and have supported instrumental students through AMEB and ABRSM examinations.
As a performer, Storm has appeared at music and community festivals across Victoria, including Melbourne Fringe Festival, Melbourne Writers Festival, Midsumma Festival, Chill Out in Daylesford and Out in the Open in Shepparton.
Storm is passionate in music’s power to build community and create a place for self-expression. They believe that everyone has a voice worth hearing and find deep purpose in fostering confidence and connection through community choral singing.
Daniel Brinsmead
Accompanist and Composer
Daniel Brinsmead is a graduate of the School of Music at the Australian National University where he received a Bachelor of Music with Honours for performance studies in Classical Voice. His choral compositions and arrangements have been performed by school, university, community and professional choirs in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia. He was selected as 1 of 8 winners from 918 worldwide entries to record his composition Come Sleep for the Abbey Road Anthem Competition in 2011 to celebrate the studio’s 80th anniversary. This recording was conducted and performed by Eric Whitacre and his singers. Since then he has been featured as the composer-in-residence at Border Music Camp and has been invited to conduct his music across Australia.
Daniel has been the choir master of several choirs in Canberra, Australia, a singing and piano tutor, baritone soloist, accompanist, composer, arranger and orchestrator. He holds a Master of Music majoring in choral conducting from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama,