Australia’s arts and culture think tank, A New Approach (ANA), has announced Astrid Jorgensen, the founding director of Pub Choir, and acclaimed dancer and choreographer Daniel Riley, a Wiradjuri man, will join the ANA Board as Associates in 2023.
What is the industry expertise of the appointments?
Astrid Jorgensen
Astrid Jorgensen is a Brisbane-based conductor, composer, producer, and presenter. She is the founding director of Pub Choir and Couch Choir. Whether on stage, TV, radio, or online, Astrid’s approach to accessible music-making has been viewed by millions worldwide and has seen her collaborate with musical greats such as The Rolling Stones, Paul Kelly and Neil Finn.
Astrid Jorgensen was also a finalist for 2020 Queensland Young Australian of the Year and was named as one of the 40-under-40 Most Influential Asian Australians in 2021.
Daniel Riley
Daniel Riley, an Artistic Director of Australian Dance Theatre (ADT), has made his career as a dancer (Leigh Warren & Dancers, Fabulous Beast Dance Theatre, New Movement Collective, Bangarra Dance Theatre, Chunky Move, ADT), and choreographer (QL2 Dance, QUT, Louisville Ballet, VCA, Sydney Dance Company, Bangarra Dance Theatre, Dancenorth, ADT).
He has held positions as Associate Producer and Creative Associate at ILBIJERRI Theatre Company, and Lecturer in Contemporary Dance at the Victorian College of the Arts, conceiving and launching Kummarge, a First Nations mentorship and pathways program.
What do the appointments mean for ANA?
In 2021, A New Approach (ANA) launched the Board Associates initiative to nurture emerging leaders and board directors across the country. Associates are provided with mentoring and support throughout their 12-month term from ANA’s distinguished Board and staff.
ANA CEO Kate Fielding said Astrid and Daniel were exceptional leaders whose creativity and community-building initiatives highlighted the power of art and culture to bring people together. “Our research tells us that young Australians believe arts and culture are central to their lives – it is woven into their everyday experience of life,” Kate Fielding commented.
“Astrid’s and Daniel’s innovative and accessible creative thinking will support our vision for Australia to become a cultural powerhouse whose compelling creativity is locally loved, nationally valued and globally influential by 2035,” Ms Fielding further commented.
Ms Fielding thanked outgoing Board Associates Nina Fitzgerald (Northern Territory) and Julian Canny (Western Australia) for their contributions to the work of ANA and for making the inaugural program a tremendous success. “We have been lucky to have Nina and Julian help inform our work, making evident the opportunities of Australian arts, culture and creativity.”
