Jem Herbert : Associate Artist
Photo: Sandra Lee Photography
Jem Herbert is a composer, pianist, conductor and singer,
currently based in Sydney, Australia. As a child, Jem was a
chorister in the Australian Boys Choir, also learning the cello
and piano. Attaining the rank of 'Leader' in the Choir, Jem went
on at aged 13 to study voice and piano at the Victorian College
of the Arts Secondary School (VCASS) where he began composing.
Jem graduated from VCASS with the Premier's Award for VCE Music
Investigations, the Ian Harrison Composition Award and the school
Principal's Award.
In 2020, Jem began a Bachelor of Music (Piano performance) at the
Melbourne Conservatorium of Music under Head of Faculty,
Professor Ian Holtham. He also took private orchestration and
composition lessons with Carl Vine AO and conducting with Dr.
David Kram AM. Jem sang with the Choir of Trinity College,
Melbourne throughout his time at the Conservatorium, eventually
becoming the choir's Conducting Scholar. Here, he worked with the
Director of Music, Christopher Watson and regularly conducted
services. Also commissioned by the choir as a composer, works
included One Star-lit Night (2022), with words also by the
composer, and Eve and Mary (2024), with text by theologian and
poet, Dorothy Lee.
In 2022-2023, Jem completed his final year as an undergraduate at
Durham University (UK). Here, he sang with the chapel choirs of
Hild-Bede College and Hatfield College, writing music for the
latter. He also worked as Resident Tutor at the Chorister School,
Durham where he supported the choristers of Durham Cathedral in
their daily music-making. While in the UK, Jem sang in many of
the country's finest Cathedrals and Abbeys including St Paul's
Cathedral (London), St George's (Windsor), Durham Cathedral, York
Minster, Hexham Abbey, Ely Cathedral, St John's College and
Trinity College (Cambridge) and Westminster Cathedral.
In 2024, Jem returned to Australia to undertake a Graduate
Diploma in Opera as a répétiteur at the Melbourne Conservatorium
of Music. Here, he co-wrote a mini-opera for the Opera students
called Eulogies and Entanglements (2024). Other commissions from
this time include a song cycle for children's choir, narrator and
piano called the Little Grey Bird (2024) which was premiered by
the Geelong Youth Choir, as well as a secular choral piece for
the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School Choir, Give us
Cause (2024).
Jem currently holds a full-time position at Opera Australia in
Sydney as the Young Artist répétiteur.
Biography provided by the composer — current to January 2025