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Sharon Thorburn QSM, Founding Chair Kotuku Choir
Sharon Thorburn QSM is the Founding Chair of Kotuku Legacy Music Academy and the celebrated Kotuku Music Academy Support Trust, based in Wellington, New Zealand. A Winston-Churchill Fellow, Sharon developed an early intervention program designed to help children and youth overcome PTSD, addiction, and domestic violence by fostering leadership through music. Her research with El Sistema and Schola Cantorum de Venezuela has provided her with valuable international professional networks that have greatly benefited Kotuku and its wider initiatives.
Sharon has spearheaded numerous innovative projects, collaborating across government, corporate, community, and education sectors in countries including Scotland, England, the USA, Canada, Venezuela, Kenya, Brunei, Australia, and New Zealand. Her extensive work connects youth and elderly individuals through writing and composition programs, resulting in published works and recordings. She has directed large-scale music festivals featuring massed choirs and led master classes for teachers at national educators’ music conferences, while also being invited as a guest speaker at institutions such as the New England Conservatory of Music Doctorate Programme in Boston, USA.
In 2009, Sharon walked the length of New Zealand, carrying her "Light a Candle" song—later recorded as a global hope anthem in Tennessee—and taught performing arts from 2011 to 2020 in Far North Queensland, Australia, building strong Australian-New Zealand networks. Over her 25-year teaching career on four continents, her students and teams achieved remarkable successes:
The Machans Beach State School Choir in Cairns, Australia, led by Sharon, won the Cairns Junior School Eisteddfod’s choral section for the first time ever, and went on to represent Cairns at principal conferences and tourism events focused on the coral reef. The Kotuku choir in Wellington, New Zealand, continues to pioneer new approaches for developing young leaders through music, with their achievements reflected not only in awards but in the positive impact on the lives of Kotuku youth.
Sharon is also the proud parent of two children and six grandchildren.
Sharon has spearheaded numerous innovative projects, collaborating across government, corporate, community, and education sectors in countries including Scotland, England, the USA, Canada, Venezuela, Kenya, Brunei, Australia, and New Zealand. Her extensive work connects youth and elderly individuals through writing and composition programs, resulting in published works and recordings. She has directed large-scale music festivals featuring massed choirs and led master classes for teachers at national educators’ music conferences, while also being invited as a guest speaker at institutions such as the New England Conservatory of Music Doctorate Programme in Boston, USA.
In 2009, Sharon walked the length of New Zealand, carrying her "Light a Candle" song—later recorded as a global hope anthem in Tennessee—and taught performing arts from 2011 to 2020 in Far North Queensland, Australia, building strong Australian-New Zealand networks. Over her 25-year teaching career on four continents, her students and teams achieved remarkable successes:
- Winner of Secondary School Regional Choir Competition – Kenya
- Top New Zealand music university scholarship award
- Winner of National New Zealand Barbershop Secondary Schools Quartet Competition
- Winner of New Zealand's Pacifica Beats National Secondary School Rock Band Competition
- Winner of Commonwealth Essay Competition – Enrichment English class, Kelburn, NZ
The Machans Beach State School Choir in Cairns, Australia, led by Sharon, won the Cairns Junior School Eisteddfod’s choral section for the first time ever, and went on to represent Cairns at principal conferences and tourism events focused on the coral reef. The Kotuku choir in Wellington, New Zealand, continues to pioneer new approaches for developing young leaders through music, with their achievements reflected not only in awards but in the positive impact on the lives of Kotuku youth.
Sharon is also the proud parent of two children and six grandchildren.
Music Academy Support Trust
Mino Cleverley
Mino has a diverse background in education, civil engineering, and management consulting. Of Samoan descent, he comes from a family dedicated to community service. His journey has now led him to pursue research focused on the societal impacts of climate change. He emphasizes the importance of Indigenous perspectives on this issue and aims to assist his community in developing effective adaptation and resilience strategies. Mino is driven by a commitment to make a
meaningful contribution to his community and the broader Pacific region. |
Wang Theng
Wang’s past work experience in the public and private sectors has a focus on advancing equity and community wellbeing. She has worked in the housing sector and in post-primary education and training, delivering programmes targeted at ethnic minority communities. Currently, Wang is employed with a non-government organisation in the mental health space, which primarily supports Pacific Island peoples. Her professional journey reflects a strong social conscience and commitment to improving access, opportunity, and outcomes for underserved communities.
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