AGQ Committee

PATRON

Piers Lane

BMus (Dist) ARCM (Hons) Hon RAM LMusA

See article on Piers Lane

PRESIDENT

Dr Robert Manley

PhD BMus(Hons) LMusA(Dist) LMusA AMusA(cello)

Dr Robert Manley is a piano accompanist, cellist, and recorder player. Rob recently completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at the University of Queensland. His sociological research explores audience engagement for classical music in regional Australia and arts/cultural policy frameworks for local government. Rob has worked as a pianist at Queensland Ballet since 2015 and thrice as official accompanist for the Australian Concerto and Vocal Competition. Rob joined the committee of the Accompanists’ Guild of Queensland in 2021, playing a key role (pardon the pun) in composing official letters, designing surveys, and instigating social gatherings. Elected President one year later, he aims to enhance the Guild’s industry profile by maintaining strong relationships with key institutions, reviewing engagement strategies with internal/external stakeholders, and fiercely upholding the professional and artistic integrity of Queensland accompanists.

Rob studied the piano with Veronica Berry in Rockhampton, Joyce Skelton in Brisbane, and later the cello with Howard Penny in Melbourne at the Australian National Academy of Music. As a cellist, Rob has worked with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, and Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra. Rob has performed in the Queensland Music Festival and BrisAsia Festival in recent years. In an earlier life, Rob performed a Vivaldi recorder concerto with the QSO, after studying with virtuoso Dr Barnaby Ralph for several years. No stranger to innovative work contexts, Rob recently co-created and premiered the first work for recorder and whipper snipper (2021) in an apple evaporator shed in Franklin, Tasmania. N.B. No grass or apples were harmed in this cutting-edge performance.