The Choir Director Podcast

The Choir Director Podcast is the essential resource for choir directors, conductors and vocal leaders who want to build stronger choirs, run better rehearsals and create outstanding musical experiences.

Hosted by international conductor and festival producer Russell Scott, each episode shares practical strategies for rehearsal technique, vocal training, repertoire choices, choir recruitment, leadership, performance preparation and managing real-world community and amateur choirs.

Whether you lead a school choir, church choir, community choir or professional ensemble, this podcast gives you actionable ideas you can apply immediately — from improving blend and tuning to motivating singers and growing your choir.

Featuring expert interviews with leading conductors, vocal specialists, composers and choir educators, alongside solo coaching episodes packed with real solutions for real choir challenges.

If you’re a choir director who wants practical tools, musical insight and leadership strategies to help your singers thrive, this is the podcast for you.

Guest

Michael Joseph Barrett

Dr. Michael Joseph Barrett is a South African choral conductor, educator, and composer based in Pretoria. A long‑time faculty member and later Research Associate at the University of Pretoria, Barrett led the University of Pretoria’s acclaimed Tuks Camerata from 2013–2025 and earned a Doctor of Music (DMus) in Choral Performance. Known internationally as a guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator, Barrett is particularly respected for work in Southern African choral repertoire and for helping choirs pursue stylistic authenticity in rhythm, language, and performance practice. As a composer/arranger, Barrett has more than 40 published works (including titles with Santa Barbara Music Publishing and Walton Music) performed by choirs worldwide, and also serves as Executive Director and Co‑Producer of Capital Singers, a major South African community choir project.

https://australiasings.au/

Guest appearance on:

Ep #24: Michael Joseph Barrett: How To Programme Music From Other Cultures With Excellence And Respect