Andrew Wailes - Conductor
Q: How did you first get into music?
A: Through my parents. My dad was an amateur singer in church choirs. When I was about five, I was invited to sit at the organ console during a service — robes flying, stops pulled, pedals going — and I was hooked. Within a week I was singing Elgar’s Ave Verum around the house from memory. I couldn’t read music, but I had a good ear and picked things up quickly.
Q: What instruments did you play?
A: I tried the trumpet, clarinet, organ, and violin — which ended badly when I fainted one hot day and the violin fell out a second-story window. After that, I swore off violin forever and focused on the flute. I was good at it, but eventually returned to singing more seriously.
Q: Was music always your intended career?
A: Not at all. I studied law, politics, and sociology at Monash. Music grew alongside by accident — singing, conducting, filling in for people — until suddenly it was my main source of income. A cricket injury during my law studies made lectures difficult, and I quietly withdrew. One night a week of music had turned into a career.
Q: Did you always want to be a soloist?
A: No, I preferred ensembles — choirs, orchestras, chamber groups. I enjoyed the collective energy and got frustrated when people didn’t care. That passion for excellence drives me now: drawing the best out of amateurs as much as professionals.
Q: How did your involvement with the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic (RMP) begin?
A: In the early ’90s the RMP was struggling. I was already conducting the Melbourne Uni Choir, which had become very strong. I worked alongside Peter Bandy, then took over after he left. It was by invitation, not application — much of my career has been like that.
Q: What changes did you make at the RMP?
A: We modernised: proper auditions, younger membership, professional publicity, photography, and more Australian works. From just two or three concerts a year, we now do up to 12 plus ceremonies and recordings. The choir is seen as professional-standard, with a third of members holding music degrees.
Q: What challenges do you face now?
A: Venues. Costs have skyrocketed — Melbourne Town Hall quoted us $60,000 for a single day. People assume we’re wealthy, but we’re not. Every concert loses money, so we rely heavily on philanthropy and sponsorship. The irony is the choir and orchestra are better than ever, but survival is harder than ever.
Q: How did you start conducting smaller choirs?
A: At Monash, I joined the choir almost by accident when I couldn’t make orchestra rehearsals. When the conductor missed a performance, I stepped up to lead. That led to being asked to conduct regularly, then Melbourne Uni Choir, then others. For years I ran up to seven groups a week — plus lecturing — which gave me invaluable experience.
Q: What’s it like working on huge concerts with stars like Andrea Bocelli?
A: They can be exhilarating — seeing 40,000 people cheer an orchestra for tuning was surreal — but also stressful and unrewarding if under-rehearsed or badly organised. The best performances aren’t always the big ones; sometimes they’re in small churches where everything clicks.
Q: What do you enjoy outside of music?
A: Food and cooking — even chopping vegetables gives me joy. I love markets, travel, bushwalking, sailing, swimming, and just sitting by rivers. Travel is a passion, though I regret turning down overseas scholarships when I was younger. COVID also cancelled five international tours I had lined up in 2020.
Q: Do you have regrets about your career path?
A: A few. Opportunities overseas that I didn’t take, scholarships I turned down. But being in Australia gave me chances I might not have had elsewhere — like directing the RMP for more than 30 years.
Q: What do you see for the future?
A: Honestly, I’m not very optimistic about the arts right now. The administrative and financial pressures are draining, even as the artistic standard rises. I spend 90% of my time organising and 10% conducting. Still, I keep going — because without that fight, there’d be no music at all.