Joshua Clifford

Joshua Clifford is a conductor, voice teacher, performer, and lyricist based in Meanjin/Brisbane. He holds a Bachelor of Music (First Class Honours) in classical voice from the University of Queensland, and a Master of Music Studies (with Distinction) from Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University majoring in vocal pedagogy, where he received an Award for Academic Excellence. Currently, Joshua works at Kenmore State High School and Centenary State High School as a specialist singing teacher and choral director. He manages an in-demand teaching timetable, and conducts treble choirs, advanced mixed-voice youth choirs, and an adult community group. In 2025, both the ‘Senior Choir’ at Centenary SHS and the Kenmore SHS ‘Chorale’ reached the Choral Fanfare Metropolitan South & North Regional Finals respectively. Joshua has led successful tours to the Australian International Music Festival (Sydney) and the Festival of Voices (Hobart). He is also the director of the Hillbrook Chorale, who produce their own concert series, and collaborate with a range of local performers and instrumental ensembles including QLD Wind and Brass and string quartets. They have presented Australian premieres arrangements and original works, including Joe Twist’s Wattle Sky. Joshua received the 2024 Sydney Symposium Choral Foundation Scholarship, allowing him to participate in workshops, conference, rehearsal observations and conducting lessons across the US and UK in 2025.  

For several years, he worked with Voices of Birralee as a senior musical assistant and with them toured to Canada, Austria, France, Croatia, Italy, and Slovenia. Joshua has also worked on Don Giovanni (2018) and Tosca (2019) with Opera Queensland and Il Trittico (2020) with the Cuskelly Summer School on the production team. Other musical collaborative work includes; accompanist for QLD Music Festival’s ‘Help Is On Its Way’ (2019) and ‘Absolutely Everybody’ (2021) choral projects, led by Dr Jonathon Welch; and audition repetiteur for QLD Theatre Company/QPAC’s new musical ‘Round The Twist’. Joshua regularly adjudicates vocal & choral competitions for schools and is an experienced presenter on vocal/choral pedagogy and conducting technique. He is also the current Editor of the Australian National Choral Association’s (ANCA) national choral magazine ‘Sing Out’.  

As a versatile cross-trained performer, Joshua straddles both contemporary and classical performance contexts. He performs as a jazz vocalist with the Jindalee Jazz Orchestra, and as a classical singer in choral masterworks with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra including Handel’s Messiah and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Joshua’s interest in writing has led to collaborations with composers including Joe Twist, Jenny Moon and Paul Jarman, whom he has written lyrics for in the creation of new Australian choral works. 

Josh’s appearance at Festival of Voices in 2026 is kindly supported by the Australian National Choral Association. 

Photo credit: Alastair Bett