Tania de Jong
Encyclopedia
Tania de Jong AM, is an Australian soprano
, social entrepreneur, business woman and motivational speaker
. She is the co-founder and artistic director of entertainment
and event company Music Theatre Australia. She is also the founder and a performer in the musical group Pot-Pourri
and has released 6 albums with Pot-Pourri, as well as an improvised relaxation and meditation CD with ex-Buddhist monk, Dorje. De Jong has performed with the Victoria State Opera and has performed in over 40 countries.
with a Bachelor of Law with Honours, and the Victorian College of the Arts
. She also attended college
in the USA on a tennis
scholarship.
In November 2008 she founded not-for-profit organization Creativity Australia], to encourage creativity and innovation through With One Voice wellbeing choir programs bridging social capital between business government and community.
De Jong has developed Creative Universe and Inspiring Minds to improve wellbeing, engagement, innovation and productivity in organisations through creative thinking, innovation and leadership programs. She also works with a number of disadvantaged migrants and communities and is on the Board of Child Abuse Prevention and Research Australia.
De Jong was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in June 2008 for service to the arts as a performer and entrepreneur and through the establishment and development of music and arts enrichment programs for schools and communities through The Song Room.
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
, social entrepreneur, business woman and motivational speaker
Motivational speaker
A motivational speaker or inspirational speaker is a speaker who makes speeches intended to motivate or inspire an audience. In a business context, they are employed to communicate company strategy with clarity and help employees to see the future in a positive light and inspire workers to pull...
. She is the co-founder and artistic director of entertainment
Entertainment
Entertainment consists of any activity which provides a diversion or permits people to amuse themselves in their leisure time. Entertainment is generally passive, such as watching opera or a movie. Active forms of amusement, such as sports, are more often considered to be recreation...
and event company Music Theatre Australia. She is also the founder and a performer in the musical group Pot-Pourri
Pot-Pourri (group)
Pot-Pourri is an Australian opera/musical theatre group who perform a blend of opera, music theatre, cabaret, magic, didgeridoo and comedy both within Australia and internationally...
and has released 6 albums with Pot-Pourri, as well as an improvised relaxation and meditation CD with ex-Buddhist monk, Dorje. De Jong has performed with the Victoria State Opera and has performed in over 40 countries.
Education
De Jong is a graduate of the University of MelbourneUniversity of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
with a Bachelor of Law with Honours, and the Victorian College of the Arts
Victorian College of the Arts
The Faculty of the VCA and Music is a faculty of the University of Melbourne, in Victoria . VCAM is located near the Melbourne central business district, on two campuses, one - the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music - on the Parkville campus of the University of Melbourne, and the other - the...
. She also attended college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
in the USA on a tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
scholarship.
Not-for-profit activities
In 2001, de Jong created The Song Room, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to providing access to music and arts programs in Australian schools and communities. Since 2001, The Song Room has reached over 200,000 disadvantaged children, enhancing their education, personal development and community involvement and engaging them in a passion for creativity and lifelong learning.In November 2008 she founded not-for-profit organization Creativity Australia], to encourage creativity and innovation through With One Voice wellbeing choir programs bridging social capital between business government and community.
De Jong has developed Creative Universe and Inspiring Minds to improve wellbeing, engagement, innovation and productivity in organisations through creative thinking, innovation and leadership programs. She also works with a number of disadvantaged migrants and communities and is on the Board of Child Abuse Prevention and Research Australia.
Discography
- 1995: Rhythm of Life - Pot-Pourri
- 1997: Something Familiar!, Something Peculiar! - Pot-Pourri
- 1999: This is the Moment - Pot-Pourri
- 2001: Friends for Life - Pot-Pourri
- 2003: Chanson d'Amour - Pot-Pourri
- 2004: Soundsations - Dorje and Diva
- 2006: Nella Fantasia - Pot-Pourri
Recognition
In 2006 de Jong received the Ernst and Young Australian Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award for her work with The Song Room charity. De Jong's other awards include the "Outstanding Individual Contribution to Australian Culture" (1998) and the Accessibility Award in The Melbourne Awards (2005). She was a finalist in the Telstra Business Women’s Awards (2001) and studied overseas on a Churchill Fellowship in (1996). She has recently been inducted into the AGSE Entrepreneurs Hall of Fame at Swinburne University. De Jong was named Brainlink Woman of Achievement 2009.De Jong was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in June 2008 for service to the arts as a performer and entrepreneur and through the establishment and development of music and arts enrichment programs for schools and communities through The Song Room.
Newspaper articles
- Tania de Jong mixes a love of singing with management by Morris Kaplan, The Australian, 23 January 2010
- With a song in her briefcase by Lorna Edwards, The Age newspaper, 9 March 2009