Biography
Mitchell Bartel is a composer, arranger, pianist, singer, and conductor from Adelaide, South Australia. He graduated with a Bachelor of Music (Composition) from the Elder Conservatorium of Music in 2014. Having learnt the piano from the age of 4 and composing his own pieces for just as long, Mitchell brings his own unique voice and expertise into his music.
Mitchell is a member, frequent arranger and composer, and former Assistant Musical Director for the Festival Statesmen Chorus, a national award-winning all-male a Capella ensemble. Among the many accolades that the Chorus has received since its inception in 2009 are the two-time Vocal Australia AUS-ACA national champions, Pick of the Fringe award in the Adelaide Fringe, and national gold medallists in the 2018 Barbershop Harmony Australia National competition, for which they received the highest score in Australian barbershop history. The chorus has twice commissioned new works by Mitchell - You and I Have Learned and Requiem, which were premiered at the 2015 Australian National Festival of Voices in Hobart, Tasmania and 2017 ANCA National Choral Festival in Brisbane, Queensland respectively.
Outside of the choral scene, Mitchell is a founding member, songwriter, and keyboardist for the four-piece funk/jazz band DayGlow Freaks. The Freaks released their debut EP in January 2021 and have more releases currently in production.
In 2015 Mitchell collaborated with up-and-coming producer/director Mitre Khammash to create an innovative new musical for the Adelaide Fringe Festival, Counting Bars: The Tale of the Singing Inmates. The sold-out opening season was met with rave reviews and was renewed for an eight-show Adelaide tour in January 2016, as part of the Out of the Square network. Many of the a Capella arrangements that Mitchell created for the show are available via the links on the Arrangements page.
When he's not writing or performing music, Mitchell works at the Australian Music Examinations Board and enjoys spending time with his wife and four young children.
Mitchell is currently available for commissions and arrangements, big or small, to suit your needs. To get in contact, simply send him a message here.