When, at only six, Joseph Averte was selected to attend the audition of the National Boys Choir of Australia during their visit to his primary school, he folded up the invitation into a tiny piece of paper, and stuck it in the top of his bag so his mother Effie Papaioannou would never find it.

It was pure luck that she did on the day of the audition. Not that Joseph was accepted at the audition or that he wanted to be.

But what did change was his attitude. Once he received the rejection letter, it became a challenge, and a privilege to become a member of the choir. Within the year, he was in.

Now 12 and a half, Joseph Averte has been member of the National Boys Choir for five years and is one of its performing choristers.

“I never even considered the choir,” Joseph’s mother Effie Papaioannou tells Neos Kosmos.

“He liked it straight away. I think it suits his character – it completely changed him. It turned him into a much better person, more disciplined, focused. The first year at the Choir was a lot about stopping them from fidgeting and rubbing their nose, to teach them to stand perfectly still; if your mum is waving from the audience not to smile back. The difference has been incredible. One year they even did Christmas songs in 7 different languages – Joseph was only 9 years old then. It’s a big commitment,” says Mrs Papaioannou.

Involvement in after hours school activities, such as choir, helps children manage their time well, teaches them responsibility, commitment and discipline.
The discipline at the National Boys Choir is such that after every performance, one of the teachers checks the 160 choristers before they leave the premises – just to make sure their cufflinks are still done, and their belts are in place. And with areas of education being changed to suit the modern world, the one very special thing that as a young mother Effie Papaioannou appreciates about the choir, is the fact that it’s one of few things that hasn’t been adopted to kids of the new age.

“Now you have to make everything fun for kids. In the Choir, they haven’t changed anything. It’s the way they would teach in 1960, that they teach now – it’s a discipline that has stood the test of time.”

This year the National Boys Choir of Australia is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

Founded in 1964, it has established itself as one of Australia’s finest treble choirs, made up of close to 200 boys aged between 7 to 15 and trained in the traditional bel canto style. Their repertoire ranges from early motets to contemporary commissioned works and fully staged children’s operas, as well as musical comedy, art and folk songs from around the world.

During his time in the Choir, Joseph has had the privilege to sing at the Australian consulate in New Zealand at the age of ten and to record with Anthony Callea. He has sung at the men’s and women’s final of the Australian Open, at the Boxing Day test, and recently in The Lord of the Rings performance with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

“Sometimes it can be tiring and sometimes fun. It’s not like your typical sort of fun, like going to the park and playing, but it’s fun because I get to see all my friends,” Joseph tells Neos Kosmos open-heartedly.

“It’s tiring sometimes when we have weekend rehearsals and homework, which piles on with my school homework. But the thing I like most about choir is travelling. And of course, being able to perform at such special places like the Rod Laver Arena, Myer Music Bowl, the MCG – where normally I wouldn’t get to go on stage there. It’s a real privilege,” Joseph says with excitement.

As a chorister who has followed all the rules, committed to all the rehearsals and only missed choir if he was on his deathbed, as he characteristically puts it, Joseph Averte is now determined to become the prefect of the Choir though he is not certain if he will come back to the Choir once his voice breaks. Few days after our interview, I get the news that Joseph was elected in a Leadership position for the Choir, out of over 160 boys.

“There is a Man’s Choir for all the boys who want to come back and continue singing once their voice breaks. When I leave the Choir, I want to focus on my studies and then I may come back,” Joseph concludes.
This year, past and present choristers, staff, family, and friends of the Choir will celebrate together 50 years of music and memories. To join the celebration on Saturday 3 May, visit http://nationalboyschoir.com.au