Highly respected mezzo-soprano and arts leader Fiona Campbell has been appointed Creative Director of Perth Symphony Orchestra from 18 January 2023.
A dynamic performer and creative in the arts industry for 25 years, Fiona has held roles as the WA State Manager for Musica Viva Australia, Artistic Director for the Government House Foundation of WA and is a founding member of the exciting new vocal quartet with Katie Noonan in the Australian Vocal Ensemble AVÉ. As one of Australia’s most recognised and admired mezzo-sopranos, Fiona has worked extensively with orchestras and ensembles locally, nationally and internationally.
Fiona expressed great joy at the appointment “I am so delighted to take on the role of Creative Director for Perth Symphony Orchestra. I have greatly admired this adventurous and dynamic orchestra for many years and pay tribute to Bourby Webster in founding the organisation and charting a path which has had a significant impact on the musical and wider arts ecology here in Western Australia. I am excited to work with CEO Catherine Henwood and the musicians, staff, board, and stakeholders to build on the great foundations that have been laid”.
CEO Catherine Henwood said “I am absolutely thrilled that Fiona will be joining Perth Symphony Orchestra as our Creative Director. Fiona brings with her a wealth of experience as a musician, arts administrator, and highly respected cultural leader. I’m really excited about what we are going to achieve together!”
Board Chair Philip Thick reflected “Fiona was selected from a highly competitive field of candidates which included interstate and international candidates. The extremely high calibre of applicants is reflective of the exceptional musical experiences that Perth Symphony delivers and the brand that we have become known for, “Music for Everyone”.
Fiona succeeds Bourby Webster, who founded Perth Symphony Orchestra in 2011. Holding the roles of both CEO and Creative Director, Bourby was the sole leader of the organisation until February 2022 when Catherine Henwood was appointed CEO as part of a clear strategic succession plan, at which time Bourby took on a purely artistic role as Creative Director.
Board Chair Phil Thick paid tribute to Bourby’s contribution “We acknowledge Bourby’s tireless commitment to Perth Symphony and the artistic vibrancy of our state. She is a champion of the arts and will always be celebrated as the Founder of Perth Symphony”.
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About Fiona Campbell #
A significant contributor to the arts industry for 25 years, Fiona has worked as a producer, ABC guest presenter and served as the WA State Manager for Musica Viva from 2019-2022 helping take music to over 25,000 children in the state annually and strongly advocating for music to be part of the ‘whole child’ development in our schools.
As Artistic Director for the Government House Foundation of WA from 2019-2021 Fiona extensively expanded the program to include jazz, children’s opera, dance, and headline Indigenous artists.
In 2020 Fiona became a founding member of the exciting new vocal quartet with Katie Noonan in the Australian Vocal Ensemble AVÉ.
Fiona is known as one of Australia’s most versatile and awarded singers – winning the national Limelight Award for Best Solo Performance, ABC Young Performer of the Year Award (voice) the ASC Opera Awards, multiple Helpmann Award nominations and producing an award-winning show for Fringeworld.
As a principal artist Fiona has performed with all the major ensembles and orchestras in Australia, and her international collaborators have included the Brodsky Quartet, Tokyo Philharmonic, Manchester Camerata, Prague Chamber Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic and Glyndebourne Festival Opera. She was Associate Artist for José Carreras in Japan, Korea and Australia and for Barbara Bonney in Tokyo and London.
Fiona comes to the role with a broad knowledge of musical genres and a philosophy of ‘all good music’ encompassing everything from Mozart and Mahler to Amy Winehouse and Kendrick Lamar and is excited to be part of this organisation who is known for breaking all the rules.
About Perth Symphony Orchestra
Since the Orchestra was founded in 2011 it has performed to over half a million people across WA, playing a huge range of music across a wide range of genres
Perth Symphony provides work for up to 300 musicians a year and collaborates with a diverse range of artists and organisations across WA. Providing work and showcasing the many gifted WA musicians that live here enables our state to retain our vibrant local talent.
Perth Symphony’s Community Engagement programs have reached 20,000+ children, and the Women on the Podium program is unique in the Southern Hemisphere, contributing significantly to opportunities for aspiring female conductors.
Perth Symphony began from a desire to reach every Western Australian with the magic of orchestral music bringing communities together and demonstrating how exciting, relevant and meaningful a symphony orchestra can be in the world today.
In 2023 Perth Symphony will present a ground-breaking new program in Narrogin where we work side by side with the local community to create musical ensembles which will culminate in a performance in an arena of haybales.