The Committee of the Star Chorale is very pleased to announce that Peter Bandy has been appointed as the Chorale’s new Music Director, with immediate effect.

Peter is a highly regarded international choral and orchestra conductor with many years’ experience in such diverse genres as choral, orchestral, opera and ballet music. His background as follows attests to this wide experience.
Whilst studying at the University of Western Australia, Peter conducted with the Western Australian Symphony Orchestra. At that time, he founded the 150-voice Perth Oratorio Choir which performed most major oratorios with professional symphony orchestras. He also studied conducting overseas at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.

Peter has held a range of important positions, from directing and conducting most professional symphony orchestras in Australia and New Zealand, to being a chorus master and conductor with Opera Australia. As an associate and resident conductor of the Australian Ballet, he has conducted most ballets in the company’s repertoire. He has toured with the company to New Zealand, conducting the Auckland Philharmonia in performances of Romeo and Juliet.
Peter has worked with a diversity of artists such as James Galway, Dame Joan Sutherland, Richard Bonynge, David Helfgott and Peter Schickele (aka P.D.Q. Bach). He has been Music Director of the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Society as well as with the Melbourne Youth Orchestra. He is currently Artistic Director and conductor of the Heidelberg Choral Society, the Australian Conservatoire of Ballet and Cantate Singers. For several years Peter has been a presenter for Radio 3MBS and his Wednesday afternoon Intermezzo programme is not to be missed by lovers of classical music.

We welcome Peter Bandy and look forward to working closely with him to ensure the Chorale’s professional standards and reputation are maintained and enhanced. Peter is professional, witty and erudite – and determined to ensure that choristers in choirs he conducts produce music of which they can be proud. We are fortunate to have secured the services of such an outstanding Music Director.

Dianne Vale, President 12 March, 2021