Co-Musical Director

Andrew's homecoming to Melbourne marks a full-circle moment. Byrne has a long history with Astra – as a composer, a guest curator for the Rational Melodies (2022) and Patterns of Plants (2023) projects, and even a choir member. He sang in the choir in the 1990s while he was a student at La Trobe University. As the Artistic Director of Symphony Space and Festivals Director at Carnegie Hall, Andrew has programmed multidisciplinary events featuring legendary artists across genres. His programming has ranged across many fields – from Afro-Cuban jazz and Brazilian pop to American maverick experimental tradition and musical cultures of Berlin and Vienna.

Co-Musical Director

John has served as Musical Director of Astra since 1978, with other conductors in the role at times. He graduated in German Literature and Music (with Keith Humble) at the University of Melbourne, followed by studies and activity through the 1970s at the multi-art Folkwang School in the Ruhr, Germany–composition with Wolfgang Hufschmidt, organ with the contemporary interpreter Gerd Zacher, and work in the electronic music institute (ICEM), then being created by Dirk Reith. He was on the faculty of the Music Department at La Trobe University for much of its life, over the last quarter of the 20th century –a seedbed for composition and music technology in Australia.He also taught at the University of Melbourne and the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen. His own compositions have appeared on the Move label (Australia) and Cybele (Germany). He is also a translator of German and Romanian music text.

Administrator

Fergus brings to Astra a multifaceted background spanning theatre, publishing, and arts management. A kiwi raised between Melbourne and the US, he gained skills in grant-writing, marketing, and theatre production working with companies like Blackboard Theatre Collective and High Spot Literary Agency in New Zealand. Currently pursuing a Master's in Arts & Cultural Management at the University of Melbourne, Fergus looks after the operational back-end of Astra’s activities.