Dr Aleta King is director of the Conservatorium of Music at Avondale University, where she oversees the ensemble performance, musicianship and conducting programs. Aleta is the artistic director of vocal ensemble The Promise of Avondale. This award winning ensemble' recent accolades include two gold diploma performances at the 2024 World Choir Games in New Zealand, finalists in the Australian Open Choral Championships at the Sydney Eisteddfod in 2025, and an invitation to perform at the Australian National Choral Association's Choralfest 2026.
Aleta is a former lecturer at The University of Queensland and The University of Melbourne, and a former sessional lecturer at Queensland Conservatorium. She is a regular guest presenter for the Kodály Music Education Institute of Australia, the Australian National Choral Association for which she was appointed inaugural research chair, and the Australian Society for Music Education. Aleta's international guest presenter experience includes The Oxford Conducting Institute and The International Kodály Society.
As a recipient of the International Kodály Society's Sarolta Kodály Scholarship, the Kodály Institute's Sarolta Kodály Foundation Scholarship, and the Hungarian Government Scholarship, Aleta completed postgraduate studies in Hungary at the Liszt Academy's Kodály Institute. While based in Europe, Aleta accepted an invitation to become musical director of the London Adventist Chorale, which gave her the experience of performing at Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee celebrations at Buckingham Palace and the foundation for forming Brisbane Adventist Voices upon her return to Australia.
Aleta completed a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Conducting with Neil McEwan and Jennifer Rowley at Sydney Conservatorium, University of Sydney. She is an experienced guest presenter and workshop facilitator, composer and arranger, choral and orchestral conductor, and musical director for musical theatre productions.
Aleta's research interests include musicianship, conducting, music literacy pedagogy, ensemble performance, composing and arranging.
King, A. (2022). A critical analysis of Duruflé Requiem Op.9. Sing Out, 39(1), 25-27.
King, A. (2010). 30 Years of Pilgrimage: Australians at the Kodály Institute, Hungary. Australian Kodály Journal, (2010), 37-41. Retrieved from http://www.kodaly.org.au/assets/2010_Aus_Kodaly_Journal.pdf
King, A. (2008). Australians at the Kodály Institute. Bulletin of the International Kodály Society, 33(1), 48-51.
King, A. (2017). “That’s a lot of dots!” Investigating the role of musicianship through rehearsal and performance stages of a Bach cantata. In D. Forrest & L. Godwin (Eds.), Uniting Voices. Paper presented at the Australian Society for Music Education (ASME) XXI National Conference, RMIT University, Melbourne, 13-15 July (pp. 1-12). West Lakes, Australia: Australian Society for Music Education. Retrieved from https://aomevents.eventsair.com/QuickEventWebsitePortal/asme-2017/conference/Agenda
Jones, D., Fowler, R., Wilson, S., Ly, R., Roumanoff, N., Hoeppner-Ryan, A., ... Reid, A. (2016). Musicians as researchers - insight or insanity?. Paper presented at the International Society for Music Education 32nd World Conference on Music Education, Glasgow, Scotland. Retrieved from https://www.isme.org/other-publications/proceedings-ismes-32nd-world-conference-glasgow-scotland-2016
King, A. (2020). It is well [Recorded by The Promise of Avondale]. [CD]. Cooranbong, Australia: Avondale University College.
The Promise of Avondale. (2017). The Promise songbook [CD]. Wahroonga, Australia: Psalter Music.
The Promise of Avondale with David Pudney and Avondale Jazz Ensemble. (2014). Jesus: HIStory [CD]. Wahroonga, Australia: Psalter Music.
The Promise of Avondale. (2013). Give thanks [CD]. Wahroonga, Australia: Psalter Music.
King, A. (2021). Conductor as musicianship mentor [Doctoral dissertation, University of Sydney]. Sydney eScholarship Repository. https://hdl.handle.net/2123/25769
King, A. (2007). Australians at the Kodály institute: Reflections on the journey (Master's thesis). The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
