About

Victoria Chorale

The Victoria Chorale was founded in October 1993 by Val J Pyers, OAM, after conducting the Melbourne Chorale for almost 30 years. When Val left Melbourne Chorale in 1993, Val still felt that he had a lot to contribute. He wanted to create a choir for all Victoria, not just the metropolitan area.

Thanks to Val’s determination and contacts, Victoria Chorale had many major engagements in those early years, including:

Israel in Egypt and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony for the 1994 Collins St Music Promenade.
Carmina Burana in the opening concert of the 1995 Melbourne Festival.
Verdi Requiem with Claudio Scimone for the 1995 Collins St Music Promenade. As a result of this concert, Maestro Scimone agreed to become patron of the choir.
Verdi Aida with Victorian Opera at Opera in the Bowl 1995
Berlioz Te Deum, Faure Requiem and Carmina Burana with the music department of Monash University.

In his 13 years conducting Victoria Chorale Val organised and conducted about 65 concerts in regional Victoria, of which more than half were in the central highlands region. Val also organised numerous invitations to sing at major music festivals at country towns throughout Victoria including the Castlemaine State Festival, the Port Fairy Festival and the Ballarat Organs of the Goldfields Festival.

Val Pyers was diagnosed with cancer in August 2006 and retired from that date. The period from this diagnosis to Val’s death in early 2007, was a trying time for all people involved with the choir and many long term choir members decided they could no longer sing with the choir. The choir did not start to re-establish itself until the two Val Pyers memorial concerts in 2007 after six months of uncertainty. Victoria Chorale then took quite some time to work out what was achievable without Val’s input.

Bruce Macrae was a caretaker conductor for a year during which time the choir sang Faure Requiem and an Easter program at Geelong and the two “Tribute to Val Pyers” concerts.

The choir started to blossom again under the baton of Matthew Toogood from 2007 to 2009, and there were many wonderful performances including Handel’s Israel in Egypt and Handel’s Solomon with Sally-Anne Russell. There were also successful collaborations with MonUCS and the University of Melbourne Faculty of Music choir, including Mozart’s Mass in C minor.

This growth continued under Raymond Yong in 2010 and 2011 with successful collaborations with Orchestra 21, Victorian Youth Symphony Orchestra and Stonnington Orchestra, a total of 6 concerts with orchestra. Highlights included Haydn Harmoniemesse and the 2011 Xmas concert performance of cantatas from Bach Christmas Oratorio with Orchestra 21.

Since 2012 under Mario Dobernig, the choir continued this growth and has had wonderful performances of Carmina Burana with Ballarat Wind Orchestra, as well as Faure Requiem, Haydn Nelson Mass and Handel Coronation Mass, not to mention our involvement in the Zelman Orchestra’s Mahler Symphony No. 8, Stonnington Symphony's Beethoven Ninth, and Mozart's Great Mass with the Sunshine Coast Oriana Choir.

Victoria Chorale Inc. is an incorporated association and a registered charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC). Further governance information and annual reports can be found on the ACNC website www.acnc.gov.au.

C o n d u c t o r - M a r i o D o b e r n i g

Mario is the Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Art of Sound Orchestra and the Victoria Chorale, Co-Artistic Director of the Albury Chamber Music Festival, and Director of Music at St. Andrews Brighton.

He has conducted, among others, the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra, Kapfenberger Symphoniker, Orchestra Calliope, the Australian Romantic and Classical Orchestra’s YMS program, Geelong Symphony Orchestra, and performed at prestigious venues and festivals across Europe, the Middle East, China, and Australia. His discography includes online releases for ABC Classics, and he has been featured as a guest on various radio programs worldwide.

Mario was awarded his PhD in 2014 and holds Master degrees in Percussion, Conducting, and Musicology, as well as Bachelor degrees in Percussion and Music Education from universities around the world. He has been a guest lecturer at the University of Melbourne and Monash University, and serves as an adjudicator for the Belvedere International Singing Competition.

Mario has produced several highly successful festivals in both Australia and Austria and also organises unique exchange tours for cultural groups between Australia and Western Europe. He enjoys conversations in English, German, French, and Italian and has a keen interest in geopolitics.

Meet our Committee

Victoria Chorale is led and managed by a diverse skill mix elected by our Members. Our Conductor is an ex officio member of the Committee.

Anne Nelson

Anne has been running a bookkeeping practice since early 2007 and is a registered BAS agent and member of the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers. Prior to this she was a payroll specialist for a range of businesses.

Her singing passion extends back to school days. She sang with a regional choral society and performed in a joint concert with Victoria Chorale. Anne joined the altos in Victoria Chorale in 2016 and has been Treasurer since 2019.

Jonathan Sanders

Until recently, Jonathan was CFO and company secretary for a small IT company after a career in investment banking, mining, biotechnology and the university sectors.

Chorally Jonathan had a classic English cathedral choir school training, singing evensong six days a week plus matins and eucharist on Sundays. After a long break, Jonathan returned to singing in Melbourne 25 years ago. After stints with MONUCS, Melbourne Chorale and MSO Chorus, he now enjoys singing with the basses in Victoria Chorale.

Kate White BA MA PhD

Kate is an Adjunct Associate Professor at Federation University Australia. She is an academic researcher and mentor and the author/editor of 18 books. Kate's interest in choral singing extends back to school in regional Victoria and then singing with community and church choirs before joining the altos in Victoria Chorale in 2000.

Emma Dernelley

Emma is an experienced quality leader in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry - currently Senior Director with BeiGene - Swinburne University of Technology.

After a varied musical background, including studying the flute at the Conservatorium, her family and corporate career intervened. Emma was delighted to find her way back to singing, joining the sopranos in Victoria Chorale around 2014.

Dr David Ranson B Med Sci BM BS LLB FRCPA

Recently retired as a Forensic Pathologist and Deputy Director of the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine, David is a Clinical Professor at Monash and also continues teaching medical law at La Trobe University.

David's choral background is primarily in choral societies and English Anglican church choirs, including St Mary's in the Lace Market Nottingham. After migrating to Australia David joined Victoria Chorale singing as a Tenor.

Jeremy Payling

Jeremy is a Chartered Accountant and has been CFO and Company Secretary of several companies in the health and engineering sectors as well as a strategy consultant with one of the big-4 accounting firms.

He began choral singing at school and after a break returned to singing in the early 2000s and has sung with the Melbourne University Choral Society, Star Chorale, Sounds of Southgate and his local church. He joined Victoria Chorale at the start of 2025 as a bass.

Eleanore Kostiuk

Eleanore is an experienced Producer in continuing education, specialising in legal professional development. She delivers high-quality programs and events for the legal profession, with a strong focus on execution and audience engagement.

With a love for music, she studied piano before teaching it as a hobby. Later, she developed a passion for singing as an alto, performing with several prominent Melbourne choirs. In 2019, she rejoined Victoria Chorale transitioning to soprano. She continues her vocal training with one of Melbourne’s leading tenors and has most recently performed with Melbourne Opera, balancing artistic pursuits alongside her professional career.