The A Cappella Academy
'There is no purer expression of music than using an instrument which is in-built.' – Timothy Wayne-Wright
Building skills in the precise art of a cappella singing is the vocal equivalent of preparing instrumentalists to perform chamber music. UKARIA is proud to support the development of South Australian, national, and international choral traditions and has appointed Timothy Wayne-Wright as Choral Consultant. Tim created the A Cappella Academy, which launched globally at UKARIA in April 2022 and featured Adelaide Chamber Singers and Aurora Vocal Ensemble directed by Christie Anderson, and Festival Statesmen Chorus directed by Jonathan Bligh. The A Cappella Academy returned in 2023 with The Gesualdo Six as Ensemble-in-Residence and was once again directed by Tim. The 2024 Academy marked the pinnacle of UKARIA’s three-year series, with the a cappella phenomenon VOCES8 returning to UKARIA for the first time since 2019.
In June 2025 we welcome Nobuntu as Ensemble-in-Residence; an outstanding vocal quartet from Zimbabwe who embody a new wave of female African artists dedicated to sharing their heritage and traditions through the universal language of music. This unique choral cultural exchange includes two public workshops and two concerts with Academy Voices, directed by Jonathan Bligh.
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Members of Nobuntu L–R: Duduzile Sibanda, Zanele Manhenga, Joyline Sibanda and Thandeka Moyo. Photo: Tswarelo Mothobe
Behind-the-scenes interviews and further reflections on the A Cappella Academy's past three years at UKARIA are featured in a story by UKARIA's Communications Officer Tahlia Williams.
Read the 2024 Review - The A Cappella Academy InReview
Read the 2023 Review – The A Cappella Academy CutCommon
Read the 2022 Review – The A Cappella Academy InReview
Timothy Wayne-Wright
Tim was a member of the GRAMMY award-winning a cappella vocal ensemble The King's Singers for ten years. During that time, he toured the world, singing over 1,500 concerts in some of the world's greatest venues, including London's Royal Albert Hall, Vienna's Musikverein, New York's Carnegie Hall, and the Sydney Opera House. Tim has taught over 500 masterclasses and workshops, imparting chamber music skills and techniques to choirs and instrumentalists across the globe.
Since leaving The King's Singers in 2018, he continues to thrive as part of the choral scene internationally. He was the Artistic Director of CHORALSPACE's Winter and Summer Festivals in Berlin, 2021–2023, and also manages an exciting roster of artists (including The Gesualdo Six) and holds consultancy roles with vocal ensembles in both the UK and Canada. In March 2021, Tim moved to New Zealand with his Kiwi wife and two children.
The Gesualdo Six
The Gesualdo Six is an award-winning British vocal ensemble comprising some of the UK’s finest consort singers, directed by Owain Park. Praised for their imaginative programming and impeccable blend, the ensemble formed in 2014 for a performance of Gesualdo’s Tenebrae Responsories in Cambridge and has gone on to perform at numerous major festivals across the UK, Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand.
The Gesualdo Six is committed to music education, regularly hosting workshops for young musicians and composers. The ensemble have curated two Composition Competitions, with the most recent edition drawing entries from over three hundred composers worldwide. The group recently commissioned new works from Shruthi Rajasekar and Joanna Marsh, alongside coronasolfège for 6 by Héloïse Werner.
VOCES8
'VOCES8’s gorgeous sound, impeccable ensemble and intense responsiveness to text, harmony and melodic shape is all of the highest quality. Hearing them sing is a joy.'
– BBC Music Magazine
Established in 2005 by brothers Paul and Barnaby Smith, GRAMMY-nominated British vocal ensemble VOCES8 epitomises the magic of a cappella singing. The ensemble’s reputation for world-class performances across a wide range of repertoire has grown exponentially, and in recent years, alongside their live performances, the ensemble has increased its global reach through high quality video production. Their ten LIVE from London festivals, created as a specific response to the pandemic through The VOCES8 Foundation, have sold over 250,000 tickets across the globe.