Owen Elsley

Owen is an Australian singer, composer, conductor, and pianist currently based in Cambridge, UK. Born in Newcastle, NSW, Australia, Owen moved to Sydney to study Science and Mathematics at the University of Sydney before moving to the University of Cambridge, where he completed his Master of Music in Choral Studies in 2020. During his time at Cambridge, Owen was a Choral Scholar and then Lay Clerk with the Choir of King’s College, where he was also Musical Director of The King’s Men, a close-harmony group formed of the choral scholars and lay clerks of the choir. He has sung as an ensemble member and soloist with many professional groups around the world including Voces8; the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and Choir; The Song Company; the Armonico Consort; the Choir of St Paul’s Cathedral; the Choir of St James’ Church, King St; Sydney Antiphony; Pinchgut Opera; and Cantillation. Owen is the Assistant Director of Music for Choirs at St Barnabas, Dulwich and Musical Director of the Chesterton Choral Society.

Prior to his move to the UK, Owen worked for Australia’s national youth choir Gondwana Choirs, including the Sydney Children’s Choir and the Gondwana Indigenous Children’s Choir, as a conductor, pianist, and operations coordinator. He has completed his A.Mus.A in Piano Performance and is also a prolific composer and arranger: his music has been performed by many ensembles, including the Vienna Boys’ Choir; Gondwana Choirs; the Song Company; the Choir of St James’ Church, Sydney; the Choir of Trinity College, Melbourne; the Choir of St Paul’s College, Sydney; and the Hunter Singers. He was awarded the 2018 UNSW Willgoss Choral Composition Prize and was the winner of the Liturgical Division of the 2016 ACU Isobel Menton Composition Competition. Additionally, Owen has a love of music-theatre and has been an actor, director, and repetiteur for numerous dramatic productions. He has worked with KJV as accompanist since before COVID, and in October 2023 started up The Chameleons, a new group for boys with changing voices.In his spare time, Owen loves to cook and is also a keen gardener.