Michael Fulcher

Michael Fulcher is currently Director of Music at Christ Church, South Yarra and Vice-President of the National Council of the Australian National Choral Association (ANCA). Before coming to CCSY in June 2013, Michael was Cathedral Organist at St John‘s Cathedral Brisbane. He also had a busy vocal coaching practice, working at the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University and the University of Queensland School of Music, as well as having many private clients. In 2012 Michael conducted the Machin Opera scenes in a programme of Mozart excerpts in the Conservatorium Theatre and was guest vocal coach at the Lisa Gasteen National Opera School. He is in demand as a freelance vocal coach, conductor and choral workshop clinician. 

After completing his BMus in Organ Performance at the University of Queensland, he studied with the late David Sanger in London. He later studied orchestral conducting with John Curro (QYO), David Porcelijn (ABC Young Conductors Mastercourse), Robert Rosen (Opera Australia), and Sir Charles Mackerras and Sir Mark Elder in the UK.

In 1997 Michael relocated to London where he studied conducting and vocal coaching, working for 3 years in Janice Chapman’s international singing studio.

Michael lived in Milan in 2000 studying Italian language, completed the blue ribbon Repetiteur’s programme at the Guildhall School of Music in London in 2001, and lived in Paris 2002-2004 where he worked as a repetiteur and accompanist. He has conducted Productions for Opera Queensland, the Guildhall School of Music (London), Victorian College of the Arts, and the Queensland Conservatorium Opera School (L’elisir d’Amore, Elijah the Opera, Pilgrim’s Progress, in the presence of Ursula Vaughan Williams). He has conducted performances of Billy Budd (1993 Brisbane Festival), Don Giovanni (1996 Victorian State Opera season) and La Traviata (touring production of Grange Park Festival Opera UK).

In 2004 Michael was appointed Organist and Director of Music at Wellington Cathedral of St Paul and Music Director of the Wellington Orpheus Choir. In 2008 he toured the Wellington Cathedral Choir to England and Paris, singing at venues including Westminster Abbey, Westminster Cathedral, St John’s College Cmabridge and Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris.

In 2010, Michael prepared the massed choirs for a performance of Mahler’s Eighth Symphony for a NZ International Arts Festival, conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy. The Wellington Orpheus Choir and Choristers of Wellington Cathedral featured, as did the Christchurch City Choir, the NZ National Youth choir and Voices NZ (the NZYC alumni choir).

As an organist Michael has given recitals at the town halls of Wellington, Dunedin and Brisbane, in the Anglican cathedrals of Brisbane, Melbourne, Wellington, Auckland and Dunedin and in the churches of St George’s and La Madeleine in Paris.

Positions Michael has held include Organist & Director of Music, Wellington Cathedral, NZ (2004-2011); Music Director, Wellington Orpheus Symphonic Choir (2004-2011); Organist, St George’s, Paris (2003-2004); Repetiteur, English National Opera (2000-01); Young Artist Conductor, Opera Queensland (1998); Young Artist Conductor, Victorian State Opera (1996); Director of Music, Trinity College, Melbourne, (1994-1996); Assistant Organist St John ‘s Cathedral, Brisbane (1985-86, 1987-1993) and Conductor of Queensland University Musical Society (1987-93).

Banner photo credit: Tobias Titz