Pub Choir leader Astrid Jorgensen’s OAM for musical community service

Astrid Jorgensen has transformed herself from a frustrated music teacher into a charismatic choral colossus capable of charming rock stars and beer-swilling punters alike.

Astrid Jorgensen, founding director of Pub Choir, at her home in Brisbane. Picture: Jacob Morrison

In the space of six years, Astrid Jorgensen has transformed from a frustrated music teacher into a charismatic choral colossus capable of charming rock stars and beer-swilling punters alike.

As the energetic conductor and arranger of Pub Choir, Jorgensen has become a lightning rod for human connectivity by teaching crowds to sing in three-part harmony over a few drinks.

For service to the community as a musical director, the Brisbane-based choirmaster is named as a recipient of a Medal (OAM) of the Order of Australia.

On learning the specifics of her citation, Jorgensen, 33, said: “That is lovely that it’s extended to its impact on the community, because I feel like that is Pub Choir’s greatest strength: it makes people feel connected with each other, in a tangible way.”

After co-founding the event in 2017 with two friends, Pub Choir grew rapidly in its first year from a casual dive bar debut before about 70 people to a sold-out gig where 800 voices sang Powderfinger’s My Happiness, with the band’s bassist John Collins joining in on acoustic guitar.

Astrid Jorgensen performing at The Fortitude Music Hall in Brisbane. Picture: Jacob Morrison

What began as a grassroots Queensland success story has since become an international phenomenon, thanks to the life-affirming and widely shared performance videos posted online after each gathering.

In recent years, everyone from British art-pop singer Kate Bush to Australian musician Paul Kelly has been singing Jorgensen’s praises.

After watching a video of a teeming Pub Choir crowd singing her song Running Up That Hill last year, Bush wrote to Jorgensen: “It’s utterly, utterly wonderful! Thank you everyone. You sing it really beautifully. I’m incredibly touched by your warmth and all your smiling faces.”

Kelly, too, was won over by Jorgensen’s spirit when he made a guest appearance to perform his song Leaps and Bounds at an event in January 2020. “Watching you work was a ­revelation and a joy,” he emailed her. “It was such a lift, singing with all those voices.”

With more than 120 song performances under her belt, Jorgensen and her small team have a national tour booked in July and August, followed by a run of ­British and US dates through to September.

As a choirmaster, one of her favourite things is to watch a crowd of strangers working ­together to create something beautiful as a team.

“People can have a real ­moment of clarity when they get the opportunity to express themselves freely, without judgment,” she said. “It’s a nice thing to offer people a place to do that.”