To celebrate the influence of African rhythms across many music cultures, Adelaide joined with 17 UNESCO Creative Cities of Music for the global music project Voyage of the Drum. Adelaide’s program included Bortier Okoe, a master drummer from Ghana, West Africa, and his band African Soul.
Andrew Walker has worked in arts and entertainment for over 30 years. His business, Buxton Walker, with partner Michelle Buxton, provides management and administrative services for touring artists, fringe and community events, record labels and festivals. Buxton Walker manages comedians and produces TV through its partnership in Buxstock, and co-owns Ticketing Australia, Head Records (inc Jazzhead) and The Garden of Unearthly Delights. Andrew served as Board Member for AIR for 18 years, on The Melbourne Jazz Fringe Committee for 7 years and helped establish Music Victoria serving as its founding President and later as Treasurer. Andrew is a lover of the diversity of the arts and the stories it only can tell.
Amanda has had a long career in media, arts, communications and management roles. She is currently CEO of multidisciplinary arts, technology and hospitality enterprise, Light Adelaide. She was Publishing Director for Opinion Media where she managed and edited the iconic Adelaide masthead The Adelaide Review until its recent closure, and has been Publisher of Solstice Media, and also worked as a freelance feature writer and sub-editor for a number of publications. Amanda was CEO of the philanthropic arts organisation the Helpmann Academy and remained on their Foundation Board until 2017. She has been Deputy Chair of Music SA, Chair of The Mill, a multi-arts NFP in Adelaide, and is currently a director of NFP health charity CanDo4Kids. Amanda has broad experience in communicating complex issues in terms that are accessible to all, dealing with all levels of government and the business community and achieving outcomes that benefit all involved.
Tracey is a marketing executive and business leader with a focus on media news publishing, public programs and major events. Her expertise is strategic marketing, focusing on audience engagement and growth of large-scale exhibitions, programs and events.
She is currently serving as Council Member of National Museum of Australia, and Member of Board of Directors with Solstice Media.
Vince has been actively involved in classical music for almost 30 years. He studied piano and musicology at the Elder Conservatorium of Music at the University of Adelaide, and has held senior arts administration positions around Australia, as well as working as a journalist. Vince is the convenor of the Music Education Roundtable and a member of the Executive Committee of the Arts Industry Council of South Australia, for which he is also Treasurer.
Maria Amato is the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Independent Record Labels Association. Amato has long been passionate about the arts and not-for-profit sector and has over 25 years of experience working in the industry, specialising in finance and business management through her consultancy firm, Results Management.
Maria is currently a board member for the Anchor – Reeperbahn Festival International Music Award, and also a board member for the Worldwide Independent Network as treasurer and member of its Executive committee.
Former positions held by Maria include Chair of the Creative Industry Advisory Board and member of the Board of Directors for the Australian Institute of Music, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the Melbourne International Film Festival, and board member for Music Victoria.
Douglas Gautier AM is the Chief Executive Officer and Artistic Director of the Adelaide Festival Centre, South Australia’s principal arts venue. He came to the position in 2006, on the back of leading one of the world’s great arts festivals – the Hong Kong Arts Festival – and with an impressive portfolio of international experience across media, tourism and the arts.
Since joining the Adelaide Festival Centre, Douglas has grown audiences and positioned it as a hub for Asian-Australian cultural entertainment. His program-led strategy has included innovations like Adelaide Guitar Festival and OzAsia Festival, and he was a key driver in the bid for Adelaide’s accreditation as a UNESCO Creative City of Music. Under his tenure the Centre recently completed a redevelopment of the historic Her Majesty’s Theatre – the most significant infrastructure project since it opened in 1973. In 2016, Douglas was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for services to the arts and the community.
Jessy Khera is a City of Adelaide councillor having been elected in 2018. A passionate advocate for live music, Jessy initiated the City of Adelaide’s ‘Live music backline incentives scheme’, which assists music venues in providing larger music equipment items for local performing musicians. He is keen on seeing the City of Music designation being utilised to foster Adelaide’s unique music culture to greater advantage for audiences and musicians.
Jessy is a qualified solicitor, having experience working at the regulatory body in New South Wales which investigates conduct allegations against lawyers, as well as working in private legal practice. He is also a member of the City of Adelaide Public Art Round Table.
Graeme is an Australian composer and music educator. He is best known for his orchestral and ballet scores, and is one of the Australia’s leading compositional figures, gaining increasing attention internationally. Currently the Director, Elder Conservatorium of Music The University of Adelaide. He is a Professor of Composition at the University of Adelaide and was awarded a Doctorate of Music from the University in 2002.
He was Chair of the Australia Council Music Board and a member of the Australia Council from 2002 to 2009. In recognition of his contribution to Australian music, Koehne was awarded the Australian Government’s Centenary Medal in 2001 and the Sir Bernard Heinze Award from the University of Melbourne in 2004.
Rebecca Pearce is the Chief Executive Officer of Adelaide UNESCO City of Music. In her role, she has helped to successfully initiate several international projects and artist residencies, and has represented Adelaide UNESCO City of Music as a speaker on international panels.
An experienced arts manager, Rebecca has worked for more than two decades programming and producing projects across the creative fields of music, dance, theatre and visual arts. She has extensive experience working on Festivals including as Program Director with Brisbane Festival (2013-2017), and international festivals in Singapore, Ireland, and the UK. Rebecca has most recently worked as Associate Director Programming at the Adelaide Festival Centre.
Rebecca has also received an Asialink residency with the Singapore Arts Festival, conducted a secondment with Quaternaire in Paris; and been a Helpmann Award Panel member for Contemporary Music and Cabaret.
