In 2025, The Promise, the Avondale Conservatorium vocal ensemble, celebrates 20 years. Formed in 2005 by former Head of Music Dr Robb Dennis, the ensemble signifies the rich history of music at Avondale.
Dr Dennis had a vision to form a small singing group, so auditions began immediately and 8 singers were chosen for the ‘Avondale Vocal Octet’. An early highlight for the group was singing at St Paul’s Cathedral in Melbourne for the Commonwealth Games in 2006. Over the next five years, the group toured Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and Perth. “I was privileged to work with very talented and dedicated vocal students who gave up time and talent to appear with the group,” shared Dr Dennis. “That time and dedication led to recordings at the Adventist Media Centre, Loma Linda Broadcasting Network and the Sydney Opera House where the Promise and Avondale Singers appeared in concert with the Albuquerque and Colorado Youth Symphonies as part of the Youth Musicale.”
In 2012 Dr Aleta King was appointed Artistic Director of the ensemble and they became known as The Promise of Avondale. Their repertoire ranges from the classics to contemporary gospel and jazz. The Promise has six albums; with their latest release It is Well, a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As one of the finalists in ABC Classic FM’s Vocal Romp competition, The Promise performed as support for German a cappella ensemble Amarcord. It has also performed with multi-instrumentalist Adrian Cunningham and James and John Morrison and collaborated with Australian vocal ensembles The Song Company and The Idea of North.
Their performances over the last twenty years have taken them up and down the east coast of Australia, and out west to Perth. The Promise has been on three international tours in the United States of America (2011), New Zealand (2014) with the Institute of Worship, and recently in 2024 to the World Choir Games in Auckland, New Zealand. At the Games they were awarded a gold diploma for their performance in the Open Gospel Choir category and another gold diploma and winner of the Open University Choir category. In 2025, The Promise were awarded third place in the Sydney Eisteddfod small vocal ensemble category with an overall mark of 94/100 and invited to perform as finalists in the open choral championships of the Sydney Eisteddfod.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Promise, members from throughout the years returned to the Lake Macquarie campus on November 1, 2025. Members reunited to perform Richard Smallwood’s anthem Total Praise, a Promise favourite, in the 11am Avondale University Church Worship Program.
Alumni came together in the afternoon to reminisce and spontaneously sing through old repertoire together. “What started as 'singing for fun' quickly became a serious rehearsal moment in which they prepared a much-loved favourite Run to You (by Pentatonix) which became a necessary inclusion in the evening concert,” said Dr Aleta King, Artistic Director of The Promise.
That evening, the concert was opened with the current members of The Promise showcasing their musical and technical expertise; a poignant moment welcoming home the alumni.
David Pudney and the Avondale Jazz Ensemble performed some of their favourite repertoire and featured former Promise Alumni Oliver Doyle (2019), who had also been member of the Jazz Ensemble whilst at Avondale. David often composes and arranges vocal repertoire specifically for The Promise and the Jazz Ensemble has been a regular collaborator with The Promise over the past decade.
Dr Aleta King invited some of the original Promise members to share where life had taken them since their time in the Avondale ensemble. Ali Kingston Hiese (2005), an original member of the Avondale Vocal Octet, performed an original composition, a lullaby she wrote for the birth of her first child. She performed this with husband Leighton on piano, and her daughters on backing vocals. Krysten Rowe (2008) talked about the importance of the Promise legacy, it’s contribution to quality music education, and her full-circle moment when one of her former students, Elihon Taulapapa (2025) a current member, conducted the Promise alumni choir in which Krysten sang alto, in the church performance earlier in the day.
Many of the members have gone onto prominent careers in music, including Vivienne Caldwell McLaren who sang as a soprano with The Australian Voices; Benjamin Milis (2013) who is currently Director of Music at St Andrews Cathedral School in Sydney and Founding Director of Sing Praise and Sing Noel concert series; Jana Aveling Lombart (2012) went onto pursue a professional vocal career as a vocal tutor, performer, recording artist, and choral director. “This reunion weekend was quite an emotional moment for me personally,” commented Dr King. “I had not fully grasped the magnitude of the legacy that this ensemble has slowly but surely created over the 20 years of its existence; until that reunion weekend. To have alumni spanning right back to one of the original members in 2005, and all the way forward to the newest understudy members in 2025, and all on one stage singing together, was a unique moment in time. I feel very privileged to have been woven into the legacy of this ensemble, and look forward to many more years of legacy creation.”
