Duo de Graaf Connie

Soprano : Christelise de Graaf

Guitar: Meredith Connie

Duo  de Graaf Connie delights in presenting fine performances of art song for the combination of soprano and guitar, bringing the wonderful historical compositions to light, as well as presenting Australian premieres and world premieres of new works for the ensemble.  As a duo, they are passionate about sharing music with audiences who might be new to the world of classical art song. They commit to producing programs that are varied and easily appreciated, regardless of one's previous experience with classical music.

They are dedicated to performing works by women composers and Australian composers.  The duo also engages with other musicians to bring chamber works that have soprano and guitar as their core instrumentation.

Over the last two years they have premiered works by Annette Kruisbrink, Laurie Randolph and Meredith Connie, bringing their works to new Australian audiences.

As Connie Chamber Collective, Meredith Connie and Christelise de Graaf form the core members of a network of musicians collaborating to perform new compositions.

Christelise de Graaf became enamoured with the singing voice as a young girl – frequently bursting out with the famous (and ear-splittingly high!) Queen of the Night aria or nonchalantly firing off a cadenza from The Phantom of the Opera. 

Her vocal skills are varied and wide, with her love for musical theatre, jazz, contemporary and classical music creating a performer who is versatile and skilled. 

 Having performed and worked with the likes of Victorian Opera and Gertrude Opera; Christelise also has a passion for making classical music accessible to new audiences. This has resulted in her producing, curating, and being involved in various recitals, concerts and productions in Melbourne. 

Alongside her work as a voice teacher, she is a member of Duo de Graaf Connie, and has also founded and received funding for a new choir for adults which is beginning in 2023. 

Meredith Connie is a storyteller who uses the medium of music. I am composer, performer, classical guitarist, educator, Alexander Technique teacher and creator of “narrative guitar” storytelling. These elements are combined to explore the intersection between narrative and music, between live performance and recorded soundscapes, and include overt inclusion of interrogations of place, conception and realization. I spent my early years in Australia, before relocating to the United States for further study, where I spent nearly twenty years as an educator and performer (and gained the second of two Masters in music). I returned to Australia in 2018, relocating to Melbourne. At that time I became a composing member of the Australian Music Centre and my identity as a composer intensified, taking its place alongside my love of performing in chamber ensembles.