geoff grey

Dr Geoff Grey is a leading Australian wind ensemble practitioner with 40+ years of professional performances to date. He has been described as an insightful, intelligent and inspirational leader, and is best known for his passionate and fresh approach to concert production, award winning recordings, unfailing commitment to excellence, and his understanding that any situation can be enhanced with good humour!

Country Victorian born Geoff won his first solo piano competition sometime in the last millennia, aged six (with a prize of 20 cents!), and has since toured nationally and internationally with numerous wind ensembles, orchestras, bands and choirs on cornet, trumpet, clarinet, voice, percussion, blues harmonica, trombone and, of course, baton. From conducting in the Sydney Opera House, the magnificent Swiss KKL Concert Hall and directing ‘Sunday Live’ concerts for ABC Classic FM, to playing outback tennis courts, remote indigenous community ovals and tropical Pacific Ocean jungles, his career as a professional artist has seen an exceptionally diverse spectrum of Arts delivery.

A direct descendant of pianist/composer/publisher Johann Baptist Cramer, his conducting life started with a choir in regional NSW before leading the award-winning Canberra Youth Wind Ensemble in the 1990’s. He is a past Commander and Director of the world-renowned Band of the Royal Military College – Duntroon, the tenth conductor to hold this prestigious post. Geoff was the Music Director for State visits of Kings, Queens, Premiers and Prime Ministers, including U.S. President Barack Obama, the Danish Royals, and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s final visit to Australia.

Geoff has performed with a diverse array of talent across thoroughly eclectic genres including (in no particular order) John Farnham, Missy Higgins, Ed Wilson, Emma Pask, Lee Kernaghan, Marina Prior, Killing Heidi, Guy Sebastian, Lorraine Bayly, David Dixon, Amelia Farrugia, Groove Terminator, John Paul Young, Barry Crocker, Lash, Ian Turpie, Beccy Cole, Silvie Paladino, Kamahl, Diana Fisher, Jane O’Toole, Paul Dempsey, Little Patti, Judith Durham, Gerry Marsden, Hayley Jensen, Peter Brocklehurst, James Morrison, Peter Cousens, Tenor Australis, Mark Vincent, Chops McNought, Mary Schneider, Jane Scali, The Choirboys, Ian McNamara and Col Joye. The rich tapestry of associates also includes so many personalities — too many to list — but be sure to ask him about the Ray Martin/Bill Clinton story, the Margaret Ollie missing painting yarn, or even how he met Princes Di!

Geoff’s performance recording credits include 13 albums, nine of which he has also produced and/or conducted. Notable successes include the Australian Jazz Awards nominated ‘Camouflage – Exposed’ which ranked number 1 on Sydney’s Jazz charts on debut and remained there for three months; being awarded an ARIA Gold Record for the much praised ‘Salute to the Aussie Digger’; and the double CD ‘A Century of Leadership’, a fascinating history of socially influential world and Australian music from 1911 to 2011. He also directed many of the recordings of Olympic anthems for ‘Sydney 2000’.

Geoff’s career as a professional conductor in the military paralleled his work in the community, developing his reputation as a creator of outstanding large ensembles. After many thousands of performances, being invested in the Australian Honours List (1998) and picking up an ARIA Gold Record (2008), Geoff co-created the Australian Wind Symphony in 2015 to fly the flag for live music, support living composers, and create a platform for graduate instrumentalists to flourish in a professional indie wind ensemble. In its short history performing contemporary classical art music, the orchestra has premiered many dozens of works, became the first wind ensemble to perform at an International Music Festival, is featured in a major US museum exhibition, has collaborated with iconic artists Ed Wilson, Emma Pask, Marina Prior and more, and recently launched its first three live albums.

Since 2015, Geoff has also been the Artistic Director of the Australian Defence Force ‘Arts for Recovery Resilience, Teamwork and Skills Program’, developing and delivering an arts-based residential program utilising music, rhythm, performance, visual arts and creative writing to provide long-term wellbeing outcomes for wounded, injured and ill defence force personnel.

Geoff’s PhD was in the Arts+Health field, examining the role of artist mentored, non-clinical creative engagement in the rehabilitation process. He lives in rural NSW with his wife – Flautist Sarah Nielsen and their two cats, Dexter Gordon and Pannonica Rothschild.