Drill Hall
239 A'Beckett St
Melbourne, Victoria 3000
ABN 55 980 662 321
239 A'Beckett St
Melbourne, Victoria 3000
ABN 55 980 662 321
Music Director and Chief Conductor
Andrew Wailes began his musical studies as a flautist and a chorister in various Royal School of Church Music choirs and later studied advanced conducting with the late Robert Rosen, voice with David Ross-Smith and choral conducting with international choral specialists including including Simon Halsey, Jo-Michael Scheibe, Stephan Parkman, Rodney Eichenberger and John Rutter. He has gained a reputation as one of Australia's leading young conductors specialising in symphonic choral repertoire, and enjoys a busy performing and teaching schedule in Melbourne and around Australia.
Andrew assumed the role of musical director and chief conductor of the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra at the end of 1998, making him one of the youngest people ever to hold that position in almost 150 years. Andrew's other posts include: artistic director of the Australian Children's Choir; principal conductor of the Australian Classical Players, and music director of the Melbourne University Choral Society, Box Hill Chorale and the Vivaldi Chamber Orchestra.
With these and other ensembles Andrew has conducted an impressive list of major works, including Carl Vine's Choral Symphony, Philip Bracanin's Choral Symphony, Haydn's The Creation, Handel's Messiah and Judas Maccabaeus, Mozart's Requiem and 'Great' Mass in C minor, Morten Laurisden's Lux Aeterna, Rachmaninov's Vespers, Brahm's Ein Deutsches Requiem, Orff's Carmina Burana and Verdi's Requiem. He has also commissioned and conducted numerous first performances of new works by young Australian composers.
"The night's most convincing performance, however, came in the Mozart C Minor Mass ... From the opening Kyrie, the combined forces displayed much comfort in their work ... this concert once again gave evidence both of the willing spirit infusing both choir and orchestra and also the organisational prowess of their young conductor."
Mozart Mass in C Minor, The Age
In 1999 Andrew was the winner of the Australasian International Choral Conducting Competition in Brisbane and appeared with the Candomino Choir from Helsinki, Finland. He has also appeared with major choirs from the USA, Sweden, England, South Africa, Ireland, Canada and New Zealand as guest conductor. He has been guest conductor of the State Orchestra of Victoria and in 2001 made his international debut with the Christchurch Sinfonia (New Zealand) and also assisted Maestro Valery Gergiev as backstage conductor and extra chorus director for the Kirov Opera and Orchestra's performance of the The Fiery Angel for the Melbourne International Festival.
""Wailes was clearly on a mission to strip away the grime accumulated over two centuries on this monumental work ... The orchestra was whisked along briskly, with no space to wallow in sentiment ... there is a clarity about this approach which turns the oratorio into an attractive set of familiar musical landscapes, avoiding the heftiness and joyless style of interpretation that can inform the score with ponderous Victorian religiosity."
Handel Messiah, The Age
Andrew has prepared choruses for many Australian and international conductors, for major works including Britten's
War Requiem, Mahler's Second Symphony and Eighth Symphony, Verdi's Requiem, Bizet's Carmen,
Brahm's Ein Deutsches Requiem and Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky. He has been engaged as a chorus master for
various Australian Intervarsity Choral Festival Choirs in Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Sydney and Hobart. Most recently
he assisted French conductor Maestro Diego Masson as Chorus Director of the Australian Youth Orchestra's performance of
Schoenberg's Gurrelieder for the Perth International Arts Festival.
At the end of 2003 Andrew led the Australian Children's Choir on a major concert tour of Europe and the United Kingdom, directing performances by the ACC and various European ensembles in Vienna, Salzburg, Prague, Edinburgh, Cambridge and London. In early 2004 Andrew will return to Perth to conduct and chorus master several concerts for the Perth International Arts Festival, the Australian Intervarsity Choral Festival and the West Australian Symphony Orchestra.
Andrew Wailes has taught or conducted at the University of Melbourne's Faculty of Music, the School of Music Conservatorium at Monash University, the Melba Conservatorium of Music and the Australian Catholic University. In 2003 he will be guest conductor of the victorian College of the Arts Symphony Orchestra. He has directed choirs for many major televised events, including five AFL Grand Finals, the opening of Stadium Australia and the AFI Awards, and is in demand as a session conductor for recordings for film and television. He has appeared as a backing singer or as a conductor with many leading Australian and international performers, most recently with the legendary rock band Kiss and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra at the Telstra Dome.
"Wailes, who cuts a dapper, self-possessed figure on the podium, showed an impressive compulsion, driving his forces along with insistent power. It is hard to recall when this oratorio has been treated with such attention given to its dramatic potential!"
Handel Messiah, The Age
Andrew also has great experience as a singer. He made his professional operatic debut with the Australian Opera as an
apprentice in Die Meistersinger von Nuernberg and has since appeared with ensembles including Opera Australia,
IHOS Opera, Past Echoes Early Music Group, the National Youth Choir of Australia and numerous professional recording
ensembles. He is also a regular soloist in concert and oratorio performances and is frequently engaged as a guest
conductor and teacher at various summer schools and festivals around the country.
Andrew is artistic director of Music Glenelg and the 'Take Note' Concert Series in South Western Victoria and South Australia and for the past few years has been the national president of the Australian Intervarsity Choral Societies Association.
