Guillaume Lemay-Yates is an emerging choral conductor. Guillaume is currently the Music Director of the Queensland University Musical Society (QUMS), the Brisbane Apollo Male Choir and the Serenata Singers. Since February 2025, he is the Accompanist and Senior Choral Tutor at Australian Girls Choir, working with the Performing Choir in the Brisbane branch. He was guest conductor for the Noosa Chorale in 2023 and Associate Music Director for the Scomodo Voce Singers from 2019 to 2023. He also sings with Canticum Chamber Choir under Emily Cox, AM. He is currently doing a PhD in choral pedagogy under the supervision of Prof. Peter Morris and Dr. Ron Morris.
Originally from Montreal, Canada Guillaume grew up playing violin and saxophone. His first conductorship came at the age of 14, under the tutelage of Marc Deschamps, with l’Orchestre à Vent du Collège Notre-Dame. After high school, he privately studied jazz piano and harmony with Ralph Télémaque and singing with Sophie Charbonneau. He completed a Master of Music Studies in choral conducting with Dr. Robert Stewart at the Queensland Conservatorium.
Upon relocating to Australia in 2018, Guillaume joined QUMS and rapidly immersed himself in the Brisbane choral world and is a regular member of several ensembles including the Scomodo Voce Singers, Fusion Vocal Ensemble, Brisbane Chorale and Canticum Chamber Choir. Guillaume also has regularly sung at Christ Church St Lucia under Christopher Wrench and at St Mary’s Anglican Church, Kangaroo Point under Dr. Phillip Gearing.
Since June 2021, Guillaume is the Music Director of the Brisbane Apollo Male Choir. Apollo is a community choir with a membership dedicated to retired men. The choir presents between 14 and 18 concerts every year in community centres, aged care facilities and retirement homes. Guillaume has been the Music Director of the Serenata Singers since January 2023. This mixed choir performs approximately 15 concerts per years in aged care facilities and retirement homes. Apollo and Serenata sing a wide variety of music from show tunes and musicals to opera choruses and folk songs alongside classical choral pieces.
In 2022, Guillaume co-directed the Queensland Premiere of Craig Hella Johnson’s contemporary oratorio Considering Matthew Shepard, alongside Music Director Joshua Blake and Staging Director Lucinda Shaw. The oratorio was performed by the Scomodo Voce Singers in June 2022.
Outside of singing and conducting, Guillaume is an arranger, transcriber, and producer of sheet music. He regularly arranges music for QUMS, the Scomodo Voce Singers, the Brisbane Apollo Male Choir and the Pro Musica Singers. In 2021, Guillaume scored the musical titled “Baby Boomer” written by Denny Lawrence and Clarry Evans and produced the sheet music on their behalf.
Education and Professional Development
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In progress at Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University
Supervisor: Prof. Peter Morris
Associate Supervisor: Dr. Ron MorrisThe Effects of Accent Method Breathing on the Singing Voice of Avocational Singers in the Choral Rehearsal
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Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University, graduated July 2024.
Choral conducting and vocal pedagogy under Dr. Robert Stewart.
Trained in Accent Method Breathing for singers by Dr. Ron Morris.
Singing lessons with Shelli Hulcombe.
Instrumental conducting with Prof. Peter Morris.
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28 hours of professional development with South African conductor André van der Merwe and Australian conductor Christie Anderson
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Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University, completed June 2023
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University of Queensland, graduated 2019.
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Université de Montréal, graduated 2015
Music Director and Conductor
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Music Director since January 2024
Associate Music Director from January 2019 to December 2023
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Accompanist and Senior Choral Tutor since February 2025.
Working with the Performing Choir in the Brisbane branch of Australian Girls Choir.
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Music Director since January 2023
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Music Director since June 2021
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Guest Conductor for Term 2 and 3 of 2023
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Associate Conductor since August 2019