Meet some of the people who help make us great…

Patron

Bill Tweddell

Artistic Director

Theodore Kuchar

Management Committee 2024/2025

The following committee was elected at the AGM on 21^st April 2024.

President	Prof. Stephen Boyle
Vice-President	Judy Hunter
Secretary	Lily Horn
Treasurer	Neil Renison
Committee:	Nita Vasilescu
	Ioana Bowden
	Noel Price (Logistics Officer)
	Angela Summers
	Janet Askern
	Rianta Belford

Orchestra Manager

Jessica Winton

Life Members

Annette Elliss

Life member since June 2020

Annette Elliss had the role of Treasurer from 2004 until 2015. In that time she ...

Carol Dall'Osto

Life Member since July 2010

Carol has been a leading figure in music performances in Townsville for many ...

Donna McMahon

Conductor / Life Member

Donna has been a leader in the Townsville music community since she arrived in ...

Jacinta Payne

Life Member

Jacinta has been part of the Orchestra from the beginning when she played 1st ...

Jenny Carr

Life Member since July 2010

Jenny Carr came to Australia from Scotland in the early 70s and instantly ...

Simon McConnell

Life member since June 2020

Simon McConnell agreed to be President in 2006 when the Orchestra was in danger ...

Stephen Frewen-Lord

Life Member since 2015

Stephen has been involved with the Barrier Reef Orchestra since its inception; ...

Suzanne Darrigan

Life member since June 2020

Barrier Reef Orchestra stalwart Suzanne Darrigan was excited to be in the first ...

Guest Conductors

Richard McIntyre OAM

Conductor

Richard McIntyre, OAM, BMus (University of Sydney) has maintained a long and ...

Joshua Dos Santos is a Venezuelan-Portuguese conductor forging a vast international career. Dos Santos made his debut at 16 with Cavalleria Rusticana and has since conducted all major Venezuelan orchestras.

Richard Davis

Conductor

Richard Davis is presently Chief Conductor and Head of Orchestral Studies at ...

Craig Johnson

Conductor

Lieutenant Colonel Craig Johnson, born and raised in Sydney, NSW, joined the ...

Peter Morris

Conductor

Professor Peter Morris is a distinguished conductor and educator whose career ...

Gwyn Roberts

Conductor

Gwyn Roberts has had a very active career as a cellist, conductor and music ...

Gyula (Jules) Cseszkó

Conductor

Gyula Cseszkó (Jules) kindly agreed to conduct our August concert because of ...

Mark Shiell

Conductor

Mark has guest-conducted ensembles including the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, ...

Carolyn Watson

Conductor

Originally from Sydney, Carolyn Watson is Music Director at the La Porte ...

Andrew Ryder

Conductor

Andrew has conducted the Barrier Reef Orchestra for several concerts, ...

Sean O'Boyle

Conductor

Sean O’Boyle is a composer, arranger and conductor with a particular interest ...

Theodore Kuchar

Conductor

The multiple award-winning conductor Theodore Kuchar is the most recorded ...

Mark Eager

Conductor

Mark Eager is an exciting and passionate conductor with extensive knowledge ...

Patrick Pickett

Conductor

Patrick Pickett is owner, Artistic Director/Conductor of the Queensland Pops Orchestra...

David Lawrence

Conductor

David conducted the Barrier Reef Orchestra with the Spirit of the Voice Choirs in a performance of Beethoven's 9th Symphony in 2011.

Mario Dobernig

Conductor

Mario Dobernig is Conductor in Chief and Artistic Director for the Art of Sound ...

Raymond Yong

Conductor / Piano

Raymond Yong was born in Malaysia, emigrating to Australia at the age of two. ...

Donna McMahon

Conductor / Life Member

Donna has been a leader in the Townsville music community since she arrived in ...

Warwick Potter

Conductor

Dr Warwick Potter is one of Australia’s leading conductors, equally at home directing a youth choir as he is a professional orchestra.

John Hopkins OBE

Conductor

Professor John Hopkins OBE was involved with the Orchestra from its earliest ...

Guest Artists

Benjamin Martin

Piano

Identified by Newsday NY as an 'Excellent craftsman', The New York Times as ...

Arthur Athan

Piano

Arthur Athan is a pianist and teacher from Melbourne, Australia. He currently ...

Stefan Cassomenos

Piano

Melbourne pianist, conductor and composer Stefan Cassomenos gives regular solo ...

Ji Won Kim

Violin

Ji Won Kim began playing the violin at the age of four and attended the Yewon ...

David Wakeham

Baritone

This Australian singer has established an international reputation with ...

Megan Billing

Oboe

Born in Korumburra, Victoria, Megan studied music from an early age, first with ...

Adam Lopez

Vocal

Adam Lopez’s exceptional vocal artistry has paved opportunities to perform ...

Jennifer Bradstreet

Flute

Jennifer Bradstreet completed a Bachelor of Music with Honours at the Sydney ...

Rebecca Chan

Violin

Kim Kirkman

Tenor

Kim gained a Post-graduate Diploma in voice from the Queensland Conservatorium. ...

Domenico Taraborrelli

Accordian

Domenico is one of Brisbane’s most experienced and versatile multicultural ...

Siobhan Patrick

Soprano

Siobhan is a lyric soprano with a Graduate Diploma of Music (Opera) from the ...

Blair Harris

Cello

2010 winner of the Australian Concerto & Vocal Competition, Melbourne-based ...

Sally Walker

Flute

Flautist Sally Walker was Grand-finalist in the Leonardo de Lorenzo Internati...

David Hudson

Guitar & Vocal

David Hudson is a proud Ewamian/Western Yalanji man of North East Qld. He is ...

Yoshika Masuda

Cello

Born in Kobe, Japan, Yoshika Masuda first started to play the cello at ...

Jeremy Sun

Pianist

Pianist Jeremy Sun has won numerous international competitions along with major prizes in Australia...

Gregory Moore

Singer

Gregory, a graduate of the QLD Conservatorium of Music, is in high demand as a ...

Rebecca Cassidy

Soprano

Rebecca is a fourth year Bachelor of Music (Adv. Performance) student at the ...

Jade Moffat

Contralto

At 21 years of age, Jade Moffat's career is just beginning. Currently in her ...

Nicholas Kennedy

Pianist

Pianist and scholar Dr Nicholas Kennedy performs with the Great Barrier Reef Orchestra after winning the Open Instrumental section of the Australian Concerto and Vocal Competition in 2023. Nicholas has appeared in Germany, the UK, the USA, and throughout Australia. Recent concerto engagements include Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Modést Orchestra, Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 with Sydney University Symphony Orchestra, and Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with East Sydney Chamber Orchestra. Besides his appearance with the Barrier Reef Orchestra, highlights of the 2025 season include Brahms’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with Sydney University Symphony Orchestra, a solo recital for Arts Bundanoon, and a duo recital on historical keyboard instruments with international historical performance specialist Neal Peres Da Costa.

Leah Li

Harp

Townsville based harpist Leah Xiang Li enjoys a diverse career as an orchestral ...

Alex Thomas

Tenor

Alex Thomas has been performing in Townsville for more years than he would like ...

Lyubov Dika

Contralto

Lyubov Dika became a full-time member of the Lviv National Opera of Ukraine in ...

Justin Ankus

Organist

Justin Ankus began playing the electronic organ as a teenager and by the age of ...

Bruce Grice

Piper

Bruce Grice's musical journey commenced at the age of 12, when he discovered ...

Bronwyn Douglass

Mezzo-Soprano

Bronwyn is a Mezzo-soprano who comes from Milton on the coast of NSW. She ...

Sarah Calderwood

Singer

Sarah is a multi award-nominated singer and storyteller who unites storytelling ...

James Morrison

Trumpet

Kevin Higgins

Irish wooden flute and uilleann pipes

Kevin hails from Downpatrick, County Down in the north-east of lreland. He took ...