Cabonne Council is pleased to announce that George Ellis will be the Australia Day Ambassador in 2022.
George Ellis is one Australia’s top musical directors and conductors and has presented concerts in Paris, London, Vienna, Venice, Florence, Rome, Amsterdam, Brussels, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Athens, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta, and performed in every capital city in Australia.
Stage and screen credits include conducting Stravinsky’s ‘The Rite of Spring’ in Bruce Beresford’s film, Mao’s Last Dancer; Man of La Mancha, starring Anthony Warlow and Caroline O’Connor; and The Secret Garden for The Gordon Frost Organisation. He has also been credited in Sugar: Some Like It Hot for The Production Company, and The Adventures of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie, for Belvoir Street Theatre, directed by Neil Armfield.
Mr Ellis has also been Assistant Conductor to Simone Young for Opera Australia’s production of La Traviata. He was Musical Director of university productions of Into the Woods, West Side Story, Guys and Dolls, Grease, Little Shop of Horrors and Hot Mikado. He provides orchestral soundtracks for many television shows including, most recently, The Bachelor Series 2.
Classical credits include conducting the Sydney Symphony Orchestra at the Opening Ceremony of the Sydney Olympic Games 2000, the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, the Queensland, Tasmanian and West Australian Symphony Orchestras and Orchestra Victoria in concert.
Mr Ellis was Musical Director of the Orchestral Proms concerts at the Sydney Opera House for many years and has conducted world premieres of many Australian works including Matthew Hindson’s Violin Concerto broadcast on national radio.
His orchestral work includes working in combination with classical artists David Hobson, Simon Tedeschi and Diana Doherty and popular artists including Megan Washington, Sneaky Sound System, Guy Sebastian, Art vs Science, Deborah Conway, John Williamson, Augie March, Steve Kilbey and The Church.
George Ellis is also an award-winning composer. Later this year, he will conduct the opera, Little Women, for the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
Australia Day Questionnaire with George Ellis
What is your favourite thing to eat on Australia Day?
I love a barbecue on Australia Day – mainly because of the company around the barbie as well as the good food.
What’s your most memorable Australia Day experience?
Serving as an Australia Day Ambassador in beautiful rural NSW these last three years has been my favourite Australia Day experience. I have met some incredibly inspirational and selfless people who love to help others.
If you had to pick just one, would you choose a sausage roll or a party pie?
That’s very difficult to choose. Sausage roll, no, wait – party pie. No, sausage roll. Actually, party pie it is. No, wait . . .
Australia Day events will be occurring across the Cabonne shire in 2022. Keep an eye out for your local events which will be announced soon.
