Biography

Tania de Jong AM is the inspiration, co-founder and artistic director of the internationally renowned singing group Pot-Pourri and Music Theatre Australia (MTA). MTA is a one stop entertainment consultancy and event production company, which specialises in corporate entertainment and productions in Australia, Europe and Asia. A graduate of the University of Melbourne (LL.B. Hons.), and the Victorian College of the Arts (Opera, Music Theatre and Voice), Tania is considered one of Australia's most talented sopranos who has performed as a soloist with various opera companies and orchestras. With Pot-Pourri she has performed throughout Australia, toured overseas on 40 occasions and released 6 CDs.

In 2006 Tania received the Ernst and Young Australian Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award for her work with The Song Room. The Song Room, a charity founded by Tania, has brought music and performing arts programs to over 100,000 disadvantaged children and communities throughout Australia. Tania’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. Tania is also on the Board of The National Research Centre for the Prevention of Child Abuse. She 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.

In addition to a busy schedule of performances, Tania is frequently invited to present keynote speeches and a song at conferences, breakfasts, lunches and dinners, for universities, corporations, schools, charities, community and other organisations. She also presents voice/harmony workshops for team building programs for executives and at leading health retreats and personal development seminars.

Tania loves being creative and writes articles for various industry magazine and other media. She also loves to travel and has written a number of stories on exotic destinations, health spas and challenging journeys.

She is involved in a number of solo projects including her recordings and workshops entitled Soundsations with ex-Buddhist monk, Chris Walker. She is currently working on an original contemporary CD and music theatre project with pianist and composer Stefan Cassomenos.

Tania has also recently founded Creativity Australia to bring wellbeing into the workforce and communities through creative thinking and leadership programs.

Trivia: Tania was one of Australia's leading junior tennis players and studied in the USA on a tennis scholarship and coached tennis for the National Tennis Centre.

Awards

Awarded Ernst & Young Australian Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2006 Click here to read more on the Ernst & Young site. Click here to read article in Entrepreneur of the Year Magazine 2006.
Dame Elisabeth Murdoch presenting award to Tania de Jong	Tania de Jong & Michael Gudinski
Inducted into the Australian Graduate School of Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame 2007 Click here to read more on the AGSE site.
Hall of Fame Awardees	Tania de Jong with her award
Honoured with the Accessibility Award in The Melbourne Awards 2005 Click here to read more on the City of Melbourne site.
Awarded Outstanding Individual Contribution to Australian Culture 1998

Memberships