Brett Weymark
Conductor and Artistic & Musical Director, SPC
Brett Weymark studied singing at the University of Sydney and conducting at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music under Mats Nilsson, John Hopkins, Henryk Pisarek and Patrick Thomas. He has more recently continued his conducting studies in England, Europe and America. During the 1990s he performed with Opera Australia, The Song Company and Musica Viva, amongst others, as well as lecturing in the Theatre Department of the University of Western Sydney. He was awarded a Centenary Medal in 2001, for services to choral music.
In 2003, Brett Weymark was appointed Musical Director of Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, whom he has conducted in performances of Bach's St Matthew and St John Passions, Christmas Oratorio and many cantatas, the Requiems of Mozart, Verdi, Duruflé and Fauré, Orff's Carmina Burana, Handel's Messiah and Jephthe, Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, The Tempest, Funeral Music for Queen Mary and Ode to St Cecilia, Tippett's A Child of Our Time and world premiere performances of works by composers such as Elena Kats-Chernin. He has also prepared the choir for concerts with such noted international conductors as Sir Charles Mackerras, Charles Dutoit and Sir Simon Rattle.
In 2010 Brett Weymark directed the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs in world premieres of works by composers including Peter Sculthorpe, toured with the choir to London to appear in the BBC Proms and conducted the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and the contemporary Indigenous ensemble Black Arm Band. Under his direction, the choir was awarded an 2010 Helpmann Award for it's part in Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex and Symphony of Psalms directed by Peter Sellars and was nominated for a 2010 Limelight Award for his production of Purcell's King Arthur. In 2011 he opened the Sydney Philharmonia season with Bach's St. John Passion and conducted the Sydney Symphony as part of the 2011 Sydney Festival in Midsummer Shakespeare with Australian actor John Bell.
Later this year Brett will be appearing as Guest Conductor at the following performances:|
· Die Fledermaus, WAPPA, Perth 15-22 Oct
· Messiah, Canberra Choral Society 17 Dec
