About Isabella a cappella

Isabella a cappella is a Lismore institution.

Founded in 1984 by the late Isabel Atcheson, Isabella a cappella was created to give students and staff at The Northern Rivers College of Advanced Education (now Southern Cross University) a chance to sing and perform together. For forty years this vocal group has helped nurture and develop more than 150 singers and continues to flourish.

Currently directed by Grace Cockburn, the choir is an intergenerational, gender diverse reflection of the Northern Rivers community. The repertoire is an eclectic mix of blues, folk, soul and pop ‘a cappella’ arrangements, all of which are created or adapted by Grace for the group.

The choir established an association with Japan in 2000 when Tazuko McLaren, a Japanese language lecturer, was raising money to build a Japanese Student Centre at Lismore’s Southern Cross University. She invited the group, under the then directorship of Jude Magee, to tour Japan to raise money for the Japanese Student Centre. Isabella A Cappella raised over $50,000 for the centre, which on completion became known as the Father Tony Glynn Japan-Australia Centre.

Father Tony Glynn was raised in Lismore and is credited with driving the Australian post-war reconciliation movement with Japan. He worked closely with his brother Father Paul Glynn, who in 1963 successfully instigated the establishment of Lismore and Yamatotakada as the first Australian/Japanese sister cities.

In 2011, the group visited Japan only three months after the devastation of the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. “It was good to be in Japan doing something positive in the aftermath of the disaster,” said then musical director, Dylan Curnow. “Small gestures of music and friendship can be very comforting for people struggling to cope with terrible loss.” The group gave a concert for evacuees from tsunami-affected areas during the tour and raised over $5000 for tsunami and earthquake relief.

Two years later Isabella A Cappella returned to Japan to again tour and raise money for tsunami and earthquake relief. The group performed in Natori, Sendai and Fukushima, areas devastated by the 2011 tsunami, and received a warm reception and overwhelming hospitality from people who had lost so much. In November 2015 the group returned to the Tōhoku region, strengthening the bonds created in earlier tours. Isabella A Cappella donated all profits from the sale of their accompanying CD to this tour ‘Hana Wa Saku’ to earthquake and tsunami relief.

In it’s forty years, Isabella A Cappella has successfully toured Japan ten times, as well as USA and New Zealand. These opportunities for cross cultural connection and sharing the joy of music continue to drive the choir’s passion for creating.

Southern Cross University elected to cease funding Isabella A Cappella in 2021 following the Covid-19 pandemic. Ending the 37 year legacy of the choir at the university. Not staying down for long, the choir has now expanded to include diverse community members, reflecting the broader Northern Rivers region. Their resilience and continued success in adapting to challenges are a testament to the strength of the Lismore community.

Isabella A Cappella now rehearses at their new home of the Northern Rivers Conservatorium, is recording an album of all their original arrangements and hopes to continue the cross cultural legacy of the choir with an eleventh music tour to Japan.

If you would like to assist Isabella A Cappella in making this a reality, you can find out more and donate here: