Conductor

Guillaume Lemay-Yates

Living in Brisbane since 2018, Guillaume Lemay-Yates has quickly gained a reputation as a choral conductor, musical arranger, chorister and member of several ensembles. Guillaume is currently the music director of the Brisbane Apollo Male Choir; Associate Music Director for the Queensland University Musical Society (QUMS); Associate Music Director for the Scomodo Voce Singers and starting in 2023, conductor/musical director for the Serenata Singers.

Originally from Montreal, Canada Guillaume grew up playing violin and saxophone. After high school, he privately studied jazz piano and harmony with Ralph Télémaque and singing with Sophie Charbonneau. In 2012, Guillaume founded and directed a chamber choir, Harmony Parallax.

Upon relocating to Australia in 2018, Guillaume joined QUMS and rapidly immersed himself in the Brisbane choral world and is a regular member of several ensembles including the Scomodo Voce Singers, Fusion Vocal Ensemble, Brisbane Chorale and Canticum Chamber Choir.

Since June 2021, Guillaume has been the Music Director of the Brisbane Apollo Male Choir. Apollo is a community choir with a membership dedicated to retired men which performs (much as Serenata Singers) in community centres, aged care facilities and retirement homes. They also sing a wide variety of music from show tunes and musicals to opera choruses and folk songs.

Accompanist

Alison Siemon

Alison Siemon started playing piano when she was six years old, in Brisbane. She’s now in the over-fifties club! She graduated with an Associate Diploma in Classical Piano (WAAPA), and has a degree in Japanese and Tourism (Edith Cowan.) While studying for her degree she worked in the first CD store in WA – Wesley Compact Disc Centre, and was part of Wesley Classics becoming established as assistant manager. At night, she was music director for The Fantasticks at the UWA Dolphin Theatre, and did four shows with Playlovers – Baby, Pirates of Penzance, The Music Man, The Comedy of Errors (the first performance in Australia of Trevor Nunn’s work), and was lead keyboard at the Quarry Amphitheatre for Oklahoma. She has accompanied many friends in their classical and musical theatre auditions, competitions and performances.

On moving to Japan, Alison taught English through music and drama – working at kindergartens, private language schools, and a women’s university- where she ran a choir and theatre performance class for the students. She was in the Kobe Earthquake, but chose to stay in the country another three years so she could fall in love and get married. (Not that she knew that was going to happen.) 

On her return to Australia, she worked in Sydney organising homestays for International Students at a language school, while achieving her Certificate of Acting at the Actors’ Centre. She ran a playgroup for mothers, once again using a lot of music; joined a filmmakers group composing and recording the music for Short and Sweet entries, directing and acting as well. She became a mother, and taught seven students piano and voice from home.

Moving to Brisbane, she was the pregnant accompanist for the Serenata Singers, until there was a move to Singapore for her husband’s work. For five years she taught piano from home, published her children’s book, and studied meditation – travelling to Nepal, India, Bali, Thailand, and Hawaii – she is a qualified meditation teacher. Another promotion for her husband became five years in Wisconsin in the USA, teaching piano and voice, as she continued her writing.

After ten years living away from Australia she has returned to Brisbane, and is very happy to be accompanying the Serenata Singers once again. Of course, with other things in the works.  Happily married, with two great kids, an adopted cat, music, meditation, writing, and undoubtedly travel fill her life.

Office Holders

President:	John McCollow
Secretary:	Gloria Allen-Ross
Treasurer:	Nola Collins
Librarian:	Marilynn Reville
PR Officer:	Ken McKeon
Concert Booking Officer:	Desleigh Byrne
Choir Representatives:	Paul Beckmann & Ray Wiseman