David Banney – Director of Music

Described by pianist Roger Woodward as ‘simply one of the best conductors in the country’, David’s musical activities include conducting, composing violin playing and teaching. A past student of the great English conductor Vernion Handley, David is Director of the Christ Church Camerata and the Newcastle Music Festival, David is a past winner of the ABC Young Conductor of the Year Award. He has conducted orchestras and ensembles including the Queensland Symphony, Queensland Philharmonic, Adelaide Symphony, West Australian Symphony, Opera Queensland and the Queensland Ballet. David has worked with many of Australia’s leading musicians as conductor, composer or chamber music partner, including William Barton, Deborah Humble, Roger Woodward, Simon Tedeschi, Tamara Anna Csislowska, Katherine Selby, Andrea Lam, Susan Collins, Tor Fromyhr, David Pereira and Sally Walker.

As a composer, David’s work includes music for orchestra, choir, chamber ensembles and film. His work with young musicians led to a CD of his arrangements entitled Tigers and Teapots – Music for Children, which has become a regular feature in the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra’s Education Program. His music is available through Fennicca Gehrmann and Blacknote Press. His Missa Pace was premiered to great acclaim in the 2022 Newcastle Music Festival, and his works include numerous masses and other liturgical pieces.

David’s strong interest in music education was triggered when he met Géza Szilvay, founder of the Kodály-based string curriculum, Colourstrings. David has worked closely with Géza Szilvay over many years, and received an honorary Diploma in Violin Teaching from Colourstrings International. He has contributed to the published material of Colourstrings, with further planned publications including a volume of duos and trios for young violinists, and a volume of concert pieces for piano and violin.

David is a past Vice-President of the Kodály Music Education Institute of Australia, and is a Lecturer in KMEIAs teaching certificate – the Australian Kodály Certificate. He has spoken and published research about music education, including lectures at International Kodály Symposia in Kecskemet and Brisbane. David is well-known to radio listeners of the region through ‘Banney’s Baton Banter’ – a weekly discussion with ABC 1233 host Paul Bevan about life and music that ran for more than 300 episodes.

In 2018 David founded, with Peter Guy and Jenny Pickering, the Newcastle Cathedral College of Music, based at Christ Church Cathedral and offering VET courses (Certificate IV and Diploma) in music.

David Drury – Organist-in-Residence

Born in 1961, David Drury is well known to Australian audiences as an organist, choral conductor and composer of choral music. A graduate of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, he is only Australian to win the ‘Tournemire prize’ for improvisation at the St Alban’s International Organ Competition (1987).

He has toured England, France, Germany, Canada, USA and New Zealand as a recitalist, and appeared as organ soloist with the Sydney, Adelaide and West Australian symphony orchestras, the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra.

He plays regularly with the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, the Australian Baroque Brass and early music group Camerata Antica. David has recently toured the UK, Paris and Italy as organist with the choirs of St Andrew’s Cathedral, Sydney and the Pilgrim Church, Adelaide. David is Director of Music Emeritus at St Paul’s College at the University of Sydney. His choral music is published by Crescendo Music Publications. For something completely different, David and his nephew Matthew Roberts form the ‘Salisbury Institute’, an EDM (electronic dance music) collaboration.