Category: Timpani

Australian Hometown: Brisbane
Education: Queensland Conservatorium of Music

PROFESSIONAL BIOGRAPHY
Tim studied Timpani/Percussion at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music under Alan Cumberland, from the Royal College, London and Timpanist – London Philharmonic Orchestra and perhaps his greatest influence. On graduating, he was appointed Tutti Percussion with Queensland Symphony Orchestra and in 1998 was appointed Principal Timpani.

Career highlights include guest appearances with the London Philharmonic Orchestra in 1992 and The Australian World Orchestra in 2013. Tim has also worked with the Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa, Japan and the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra.

Last updated 2023

Australian Hometown: Melbourne
Education: Australian National Academy of Music

Guy du Blêt was born in Melbourne. He has worked and studied extensively all over the continent and has been playing with Orchestra Victoria since 1998. He has worked with all the major symphony orchestras across Australia, as well as the Malaysian Philharmonic, the Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa (OEK), Synergy, Libra Ensemble, Speak Percussion, Ludovico’s Band and Latitude 37.

He has toured internationally with the Australian Youth Orchestra, Elision, the Malaysian Philharmonic and OEK. He is inspired by the Berliner Philharmoniker (he trained under Rainer Seegers there) and his favourite pieces of music are Mozart’s operas and Tchaikovsky’s ballets. He counts performing Wagner’s Ring Cycle under Pietari Inkinen for Opera Australia and Bella Figura for The Australian Ballet under Nicolette Fraillon as two of the highlights of his career. His advice to aspiring musicians? “Work harder than everyone else.”

Last updated 2022

Australian Hometown: Sydney
Education: ?

PROFESSIONAL BIOGRAPHY

After studying classical guitar for six years, Brian Nixon became more interested in hitting things than plucking them.

While still in high school, studying under Richard Miller and playing with the Willoughby Brass Band (where he is now a life member) and the Sydney Youth Orchestra, Brian was chosen to represent Australia as a percussionist in the first Asian Regional Youth Music Camp held in Manila, the Philippines.

Since then, as a much sought after freelance drummer, timpanist and percussionist, Brian has worked through a very wide spectrum of the music industry. As a drummer, he has backed many local and international rock and club acts. He has been Principal Timpanist with the Australian World Orchestra working with Simone Young and Zuben Mehta and has played with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra as a percussionist and/or Timpanist, in a casual or contract role every year of his professional life. He has been the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s Principal Timpanist since the 1980’s and Brandenburg’s Principal Timpanist/Percussionist since 2000.

Brian has performed with the Orchestra of the Antipodes and Pinchgut Opera since their inception. He has also played extensively with the Opera Australia Orchestra and performed with some of the world’s greatest singers including Sutherland, Domingo, Pavarotti, Kaufmann and more recently Netrebko.

He has toured the United States of America, Europe, Japan, Taiwan, China and Italy with the SSO; Japan, USA and Europe with the ACO and Europe with the ABO.

As well as the major orchestras, Brian has performed with and/or recorded for such diverse groups and performers as the Australia Ensemble, Sydney Dance Company, Synergy Percussion, INXS, Neil Finn, John Williams, Marvin Hamlisch, Natalie Cole, John Farnham, Harry Connick Jr. and Silverchair – just to name a few. As a session musician, he has performed on over one hundred and fifty albums and has worked on countless radio/TV and cinema jingles, documentaries and film scores, from Hanna-Barbera cartoons to feature films such as Happy Feet 1 & 2, Australia and the Lego franchise.

Brian has also composed percussion solos and adjudicated for many NSW and national competitions. He has examined for the AMEB, NSW Brass Band Association, NSW Conservatorium and Canberra School of Music and has been involved in the Australian Youth Orchestra’s program of workshops and national auditioning. Brian started and directed the percussion program at Barker College, Hornsby until 2009.

Last updated 2018