Profile Interview

Dr Kevin Cameron

Dr Kevin Cameron is an acclaimed music educator and conductor based in Adelaide, South Australia.

Kevin received his initial musical training at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music where he studied low brass and conducting. He has studied music in London, Perth, the United States, and finally Newcastle, where he was the first recipient of the award of Doctor of Philosophy in music at the University of Newcastle.

Dr Cameron has enjoyed a successful conducting career. His conducting teachers have included the eminent American conductor/composer Edward Applebaum, the Italian maestro Gian Luigi Gelmetti, and the world-renowned conducting teacher Gustav Meier.  Dr Cameron has appeared with the Sydney, Tasmanian, West Australian, and Darwin Symphony Orchestras, the State Orchestra of Victoria, the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, the National Orchestra of Ukraine, and many youth and community orchestras across Australia. He was the inaugural winner of the ABC's Young Conductor of the Year competition, which led to a year's study at Arizona State University (where he was Assistant Conductor of the ASU Symphony Orchestra), and he was appointed Assistant Conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra on his return to Australia. He has held a variety of musical posts, including Music Director positions at Murdoch University, Newcastle University Choir, and the University of Newcastle Symphony Orchestra. During his time in Newcastle, he was also founding Artistic Director of the Upper Hunter Conservatorium of Music. 

As an educator, Dr Cameron has held teaching posts in a variety of primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions. He is currently Director of Music at Pembroke School in Adelaide, where he directs the renowned Pembroke Symphony Orchestra and the Pembroke Chamber Singers.  He continues to pursue active research and performing interests. 

At the beginning of 1998, Dr Cameron was named the City of Newcastle's Young Citizen of the Year in recognition of his contribution to the artistic and cultural life of the Hunter region. He has maintained a passion for education and community music, and continues to assist the development of young musicians through his involvement in school and community music programs as a conductor, coach, adjudicator, advisor, artistic administrator, and teacher. 
 
Kevin's Biography:

"I started playing tuba and trombone when I was nine years old. My first band was Hills Music Academy (Mike Butcher), so A Grade first up!

I was invited to join Blacktown City in time for the band's 1987 New Zealand Nationals trip. Ken Smith was conducting, and it was an amazing experience. I remember our Farewell Concert with Willoughby - I am quite sure Blacktown may have won Nationals that year if they had gone to Tasmania. Coming last in New Zealand was very disappointing! The band fell on hard times after this trip, and only really made up the numbers at the Bicentenary Nationals in 1988.

I joined Holroyd in 1991 - great fun with Paul Cerezo. We won B Grade in a great showing at the Adelaide Nationals. My last gig with them was at the Sydney Nationals in 1992.

In terms of conducting, I started my own community orchestra/band organisation in 1988, and was MD of the NSW Railway Band for a year (1990), Burwood Band (1992-94), and was the 2IC of the NSW Naval Reserve Band (1992-4). I was also acting MD at Parramatta (my home town!) for six months in 1990. I had a fair few opportunities conducting the Conservatorium's Wind Symphony while a student there too.

When I was studying at the Sydney Conservatorium, I was awarded a scholarship by the Big Brother movements that made it possible for me to study in London for a couple of months. I attended the Royal College of Music and studied conducting there. I also sat for the ARCM diploma in band conducting (doing the exam with "The Band of Her Majesty's Welsh Guards" - quite an experience, and a very professional outfit. They made those old Chappell transcriptions come alive!!). I also played with John Laing Hendon Band (now amalgamated into another group, sadly) - a Championship Grade band under professional conductor Dennis Wick. It was a lot of fun – and to think that I was asked to stay and offered a job with Boosey and Hawkes and a permanent seat in the band...!

In early 1994, I left Sydney for Perth to study. My orchestral conducting career started at the Western Australian Conservatorium, and my first complete symphony concert as a conductor was with the Fremantle Symphony Orchestra - Elgar's Sea Pictures and Sibelius 1st Symphony. Shortly after, I was named ABC Young Conductor of the Year.

I lived in Arizona for a year whilst undertaking the DMA course in conducting there. I returned in 1996 to Newcastle, where I eventually completed my Ph.D - a music history biography tracing the life, career, and influence of Henri Verbrugghen (founder of the NSW Conservatorium) - a great story!  I was also Music Director of the University Symphony at Newcastle for three seasons, and MD of the Newcastle University Choir (Newcastle's big community choir). I conducted some some fine concerts with them, including some Christmas concerts in collaboration with Ron Grice and Waratah Mayfield. I also had time to start the Upper Hunter Conservatorium of Music, one of the regional Conservatoriums in New South Wales. 

I was also engaged by the ABC as a 'conductor-in residence'. This was nothing startling: it's very hard being an assistant conductor in organisations that don't need assistant conductors! There are too many 'wannabe' conductors sitting in bands and orchestras in this country - they certainly were not very helpful.

I stepped in to help out Waratah Mayfield when they were in between conductors, which was  good fun!

I left Newcastle at the end of 1999. I often say that my professional conducting experiences did much to prepare me for my "real" career - teaching. I was appointed to the staff of SCECGS Redlands, Sydney in 2000. It's interesting that I had no involvement in any sort of music for that year.

Broadway Spectacular, Pembroke Symphony Orchestra, Elder Hall, Adelaide

I came to Adelaide to become Director of Music at Pembroke School in 2001. It has been a challenging position - with two former Directors of Music of Pembroke on my staff when I arrived it was certainly never going to be a picnic! However, the students I work with are fantastic and we have achieved many things, e.g.:  the Symphony Orchestra is one of the best school orchestras in Australia and has just returned from a wonderful tour to China, the Concert Band received a standing ovation at the 2004 Nationals Gala Concert at Launceston, the Big Band discovered true fame during its tour to Penang in December 2004, and the Pembroke Chamber Singers have won both the Under 18 and Open Choral Championships at the National Eisteddfod for the last two consecutive years.

Dr Kevin Cameron with the Pembroke Chamber Singers, Canberra, 2005

Since being in Adelaide I have also directed two community bands: Hahndorf Town Band and Unley Concert Band. Both of these bands have grown considerably in strength. Unley particularly has a good contesting record: from a total of ten contest appearances in its history, the band has been placed first on seven occasions - pretty good for a band that would have struggled in D Grade as recently as 2001! Hahndorf has also had its fair share of success, including wins in D Grade and C Grade at the South Australian State Championships, an outright win at the 2003 Barossa Band Festival, and a couple of close results at the Royal South Street Competitions. Hahndorf is looking forward to celebrating the Band's 80th Anniversary next year.

Dr Kevin Cameron with members of Hahndorf Town Band - 2005 Band of the Year

I have done a lot of adjudicating, which I have enjoyed. I put a lot of thought into my comments and prize decisions - I sleep well at night!

At the moment, I won't be attending the 2006 Nationals as my bands won't be going, so I'm a free agent! I am looking forward to taking the Chamber Singers to Tasmania in July, where they will sing at the Australian National Choral Association's National Conference, and taking the Pembroke Symphony Orchestra to Melbourne in August.

Oh, and I also have a wife (Claire), a daughter (Louisa), three dogs (Rosie, Crystal, and Twiggy), two MGs (a 1962 MGB, and a 1949 Y Type tourer), and not much free time!"

We are indeed lucky to have such a highly experienced and educated gent here in Australia. It's wonderful that Kevin can still find time to dedicate to community bands despite his busy professional life. Well done Dr Kevin Cameron and we wish you all the best for all future pursuits.