Astrid Jorgensen was on the verge of becoming an air traffic controller when a school called with an offer: run their choir on measly pay, for 500 teenagers who didn’t care. Not exactly a dream job, but she said yes anyway.  

Staring down that sea of bored teenagers, Astrid realised she knew exactly how to win a room — how to move, when to crack a joke, how to get even the most apathetic kids to sing.  

And if she could get kids to sing, could she do the same with adults? She turned up at a pub - lyric sheets in one hand, a pint in the other - and taught complete strangers to sing in three-part harmony.  

Pub Choir was born. And it exploded. 

But then COVID hit and live music collapsed overnight.

From Kate Bush sing-alongs to America’s Got Talent, Astrid is now one of Australia’s most successful live performers.  

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Astrid Jorgensen is the creator of Pub Choir and her book is Average at Best. 

Curveball features compelling conversations with leaders about life’s messy moments! It’s a production of Deadset Studios. 

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram. 

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This episode was produced by Unity Jackson-Muir, editing by Luci McAfee. Kellie Riordan is host and Executive Producer. 

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the Country on which this podcast is made, the Turrbal and Jagera people, and recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as Australia’s first storytellers. 

Astrid Jorgensen was on the verge of becoming an air traffic controller when a school called&nbsp;with an offer: run&nbsp;their&nbsp;choir&nbsp;on&nbsp;measly pay,&nbsp;for&nbsp;500 teenagers who&nbsp;didn&rsquo;t&nbsp;care.&nbsp;Not&nbsp;exactly a dream&nbsp;job,&nbsp;but she said yes anyway.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Staring down&nbsp;that&nbsp;sea of bored teenagers, Astrid&nbsp;realised&nbsp;she&nbsp;knew&nbsp;exactly&nbsp;how to win a room &mdash; how to move, when to crack a joke, how to get even the most apathetic kids to sing.&nbsp;&nbsp;
And&nbsp;if she could get kids to sing, could she do the same with adults?&nbsp;She turned up at a pub&nbsp;-&nbsp;lyric sheets in one hand,&nbsp;a&nbsp;pint in the&nbsp;other&nbsp;-&nbsp;and taught&nbsp;complete strangers to sing in three-part harmony.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Pub&nbsp;Choir was born. And it exploded.&nbsp;
But then COVID hit and live music collapsed overnight.
From Kate Bush sing-alongs to&nbsp;America&rsquo;s Got Talent, Astrid is now one of Australia&rsquo;s most successful live performers.&nbsp;&nbsp;
+++&nbsp;
Astrid Jorgensen&nbsp;is the creator&nbsp;of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pubchoir.com.au/">Pub Choir</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;her&nbsp;book is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com.au/books/Average-at-Best/Astrid-Jorgensen/9781761634208">Average at Best.</a>&nbsp;
Curveball&nbsp;features compelling conversations with leaders about life&rsquo;s messy moments!&nbsp;It&rsquo;s&nbsp;a production of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.deadsetstudios.com/">Deadset Studios</a>.&nbsp;
Keep up to date with&nbsp;Curveball&nbsp;by following @_deadsetstudios on&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/_deadsetstudios">Twitter</a>&nbsp;and @deadsetstudios on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/deadsetstudios/">instagram</a>.&nbsp;
Sign up to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/curveball-6745938675223425024/">Curveball&rsquo;s&nbsp;LinkedIn newsletter</a>&nbsp;or suggest&nbsp;a&nbsp;Curveball&nbsp;guest by visiting&nbsp;<a href="http://www.curveballshow.com/">www.curveballshow.com</a> &nbsp;&nbsp;
This episode was produced by Unity Jackson-Muir, editing by Luci McAfee. Kellie Riordan is host and Executive Producer.&nbsp;
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the Country on which this podcast is made, the&nbsp;Turrbal&nbsp;and&nbsp;Jagera&nbsp;people, and&nbsp;recognise&nbsp;Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as Australia&rsquo;s first storytellers.&nbsp;

The human experience is all about adapting. Whether it’s a CEO trying to ride out an international travel crisis, a surfer struggling against a monster wave while his floatation vest fails, or a media star whose whole life changes in an instant, rarely do you get to glimpse what’s really going on during a someone's darkest hour.

In these revealing, personal conversations with a range of successful people, Curveball host Kellie Riordan gets the lowdown on how people grow in extraordinary times. 

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios.com on Twitter and @deadsetsetstudios on Instagram. Find out more about the show or suggest a guest by going to www.curveballshow.com

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How do you turn a pub full of strangers into a choir in 90 minutes? Astrid Jorgensen does it. And now she’s turned Pub Choir into a global phenomenon. 