Stephen Taberner

STEPHEN TABERNER was born in Christchurch, New Zealand, where much of his early musical damage was inflicted in church. Escaping from the twin perils of eternal godliness and an academic career, he attempted to navigate a maverick horseswap into the bohemian waters of the Sydney jazz scene, only to be sideswiped by a world music choir. This choir, "Voices from the Vacant lot", exposed him to the more visceral and life changing pleasures of vocal music from South Africa, Georgia, Bulgaria, and almost everywhere else.

A secret desire to control things in general led to a blossoming career as small and large scale choirleader, and part of the collateral from this period was a diverse portfolio of interests in double bass playing/singing, songwriting. playback theatre, clown, and other pursuits.
Stephen's home territory is mostly wherever his work takes him, in Melbourne, NSW and UK, amongst other places. He's quite busy as choir and workshop leader, and sometimes as part of musical collaborations with Lucy Wise and others, but he is most known for, and most concerned with his ongoing work with as artistic director of the notorious Spooky Men's Chorale.

In THE BIG SINGLET all voices will be joined together in a wise and foolish exploration of mash ups, percussive bon bons and fragments of vocal anthems to make something that is beautiful, loud, and above all, human.

SUITABLE FOR EVERYONE