Meet our conductors and artistic leaders here!
Our conductors and artistic leaders:
Born in Darwin, Australia, Van’t Hoff came to prominence as the winner of the Grand Prize and Sir Charles Moses Trophy, along with the Triffitt Prize in the 2015 Symphony Australia ABC Young Performers Awards. He made his concerto debut in 2014, performing Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto with Orchestra Victoria and has since featured as a concerto soloist with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. A regular performer at chamber music festivals in Australia and around the world, Van’t Hoff has appeared as a chamber musician at the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, Musica Viva Festival and the Huntington Estate Music Festival in Australia, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival in the USA, the International Festival of Modern Music in Beijing, the Menhuin Festival in Switzerland, the Young Euro Classic in Germany, the Grafenegg Summer Music Festival in Austria, and the Banff Centre in Canada.
Van’t Hoff is a founding member of the award-winning Australian wind quintet, Arcadia Winds. In 2015, the ensemble was announced as Musica Viva Australia’s inaugural FutureMakers, performing at major chamber music festivals all around Australia, touring mainland China and making an appearance at the BBC Proms Australia Chamber Music series. The ensemble have demonstrated their commitment to fostering new music by Australian composers, establishing the Arcadia Winds Composition Prize, whilst commissioning and premiering dozens of new works by Australian composers such as Andrew Ford, Lachlan Skipworth, Elizabeth Younan and Kate Neal. In 2017 the ensemble released their debut eponymous EP, Arcadia Winds, in collaboration with ABC Classic.
Alongside the New York based, Australian pianist Lisa Moore, Lloyd is a founding member of Crux Duo, a duo project exploring, arranging, and presenting recent and new commissioned musical works alongside traditional and modern classics. This cross-continental Australian-born duo have performed diverse and powerful programs in New York City, New Haven, Detroit, Del Mar CA, Melbourne and Brisbane and Sydney – bringing audiences music that ranges from acoustic chamber works to songs, and mixed media works with backing tracks and visual projections – in addition to trio collaborations with guest artists. In 2025 they release their debut album My Place on the ABC Classic label.
As a recitalist, Van’t Hoff has performed at the Sydney Opera House, Melbourne Recital Centre, City Recital Hall, Elder Hall and will make his Carnegie Hall debut in 2023. He collaborates regularly with some of Australia and the world’s leading chamber music ensembles and musicians, including the Australian String Quartet, Goldner String Quartet, Flinders Quartet, Omega Ensemble, accordion virtuoso James Crabb, pianists Tamara Anna Cislowska, Lisa Moore, Dejan Lazic and Lambert Orkis, principal flutist of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Emily Beynon and the clarinet virtuoso Michael Collins.
He has appeared as principal clarinet with several Australian Orchestras, including the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria, as well as performing as principal bass clarinetist of the Opera Australia Orchestra, Queensland Symphony Orchestra and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.
In 2022 Van’t Hoff was appointed as the Director of the Australian Festival of Chamber Music’s Winterschool where he oversees the development and running of the Festival’s Winterschool and Winterschool Outreach programs. He has served as causal teaching faculty at Melbourne University and the Yale School of Music, has been a guest artist in residence at the Karlstad Universitet Muikhogskolan Ingesund in Sweden, and has conducted masterclasses and teaching residencies in the USA, Canada and throughout Australia. Currently, Van’t Hoff serves as Head of Woodwind at the University of Adelaide’s Elder Conservatorium.
As a recording artist, Van’t Hoff has appeared on the ARIA Award winning album Conversations with Ghosts alongside Australian singer-songwriter Paul Kelly, recorder virtuoso Genevieve Lacey, composer James Ledger and the students of the Australian National Academy of Music. In 2021, Van’t Hoff self released his debut solo album, Johannes Brahms: Music for Clarinet and Piano, in which his performance of the Clarinet Sonatas by Brahms were described as “Interpretations [that] live in the memory for their verve and deep musicianship.”
Van’t Hoff completed his undergraduate education with Honours at the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University, studying under the tutelage of Paul Dean and Floyd Williams, and was a winner of the university’s Postgraduate Award. He furthered his study at the Australian National Academy of Music, learning from principal clarinetist of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, David Thomas and winning the institution’s Director’s Prize for Most Outstanding Student. In 2021 Van’t Hoff commenced a Masters of Music degree at the prestigious Yale School of Music studying under the mentorship of David Shifrin. Whilst studying at Yale he was a recipient of the university’s Keith Wilson Scholarship.
Lloyd was appointed Artistic Director of Adelaide Youth Orchestras in June 2026.
Lloyd Van’t Hoff is a Buffet Crampon and Légère Reeds endorsed artist.
From 2001-2016, Keith Crellin OAM held the positions of Head of the String Department and Conductor-in-Residence at the University of Adelaide’s Elder Conservatorium of Music. Since May 2016 he has concentrated on his role as Artistic Director of the Adelaide Youth Orchestra which he took up in 2003. Keith retired as Artistic Director with AdYO in 2025 however continues to work with AdYO ensembles, as well as further pursuing performing, conducting and composing.
The first violist to win the ABC Young Performers Award in 1972, Keith quickly established himself as one of Australia’s leading soloists and chamber music players. He was appointed Lecturer in Viola and Chamber Music at the Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music, Director and Principal Conductor of the Conservatorium Orchestra and Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Tasmanian Youth Orchestra.
In 1985, Keith became a founding member of the Australian String Quartet, based in Adelaide. He held the position for sixteen years, performing with the ASQ in many countries and making numerous recordings. As well, Keith has been conductor of the Australian Youth Orchestra’s Young Symphonists and tutor in the Australian Youth Orchestra’s Young Australian Concert Artists program on many occasions. He has attended numerous National Music Camps as tutor and conductor and now divides his time between teaching, performing and conducting.
Keith was awarded the Order of Australia medal for his contribution to music and education in 2008.
Born in Adelaide, Kate Mawson graduated with a Bachelor of Music (Jazz) from the Elder Conservatorium of Music (University of Adelaide) in 2004. She gained her education qualifications (Graduate Diploma of Education) from Monash University in Melbourne in 2006.
Kate is a conductor, secondary school teacher of music, arranger, and instrumentalist of over 20 years’ experience. She held the positions of Coordinator of Music (Curriculum) and Coordinator of Bands and Ensembles at Seymour College and currently works for the Department for Education, delivering wind programs to schools in the Southern Flinders Ranges. She has broad experience as musical director in theatre, conducting numerous secondary school productions over the past two decades.
Kate is the conductor of Symphonic Winds (Adelaide Youth Orchestras) and has appeared as guest conductor at the SA State Music Camp in 2021 and 2022.
Born in London, Martin Butler began learning to play violin at the age of 8. At 11, he received a scholarship to attend the Guildhall School of Music. After leaving the GSM, he studied music composition at Surrey University under Reginald Smith-Brindle and Robin Maconie, graduating with First Class Honours and a Master’s Degree. After graduation, Martin played keyboards in a rock band and worked as a violin teacher for the Inner London Education Authority.
In 1981, Martin moved to Portugal, where he was a violinist in the Teatro Nacional de Sao Carlos, Lisbon. During his eight years in Portugal, Martin pursued numerous musical interests, including arranging music for various ensembles and playing jazz violin. He was also an assistant teacher with Portugal’s Tibor Varga Academy.
After relocating to Australia, Martin assumed the role of conductor for the Burnside Symphony Orchestra (one of Adelaide’s community orchestras), a position he held for more than twelve years. Locally, he has also conducted at State Music Camp, workshops for the Australian String Teachers’ Association, Suzuki music camps, and many other schools around Adelaide. Martin has conducted his own arrangements for the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra’s Christmas Proms concerts, and regularly gives pre-concert talks for the ASO Masters concert series.
Martin is the director of the Junior Strings (a part of Adelaide Youth Orchestras), which he founded in 2001 following an invitation to form a string training ensemble from the founding director, Janis Laurs. In addition, Martin is Head of Strings at Concordia College.
Martin was awarded the Order of Australia in 2018, for his contribution to music and education.
Jessica Manning is a dedicated Music Director, Conductor, and Music Educator currently engaged in Education and Community Programming at the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra.
She holds a Masters in Conducting from the Royal Danish Academy of Music and a Bachelor of Music Performance (Flute/Piccolo) and Bachelor of Arts from the University of New South Wales.
Jessica has been teaching for over 10 years and has worked across Australia, the UK, and Europe, sharing her passion for music and nurturing the talents of aspiring musicians and performers.
Outside of her passion and work in music education Jessica has also worked as a musical director and conductor for Musical Theatre and Opera, including assisting at the Royal Danish Opera in Copenhagen.
Sami Butler joined the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra in 2022 as Associate Principal Percussion/Timpani, having previously worked with them as a guest musician since 2015.
Before this, he twice held the Percussion Fellowship with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra (2017 & 2018), and completed a Bachelor of Music with First Class Honours at the University of Adelaide’s Elder Conservatorium under Amanda Grigg.
He has appeared with the Sydney and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras, and at venues including the Sydney Opera House, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw and Beijing’s National Centre for the Performing Arts.
Sami directs the Adelaide Youth Orchestras Percussion Ensemble, a group he is extremely proud of. In 2023, he made his debut concerto appearance performing Jennifer Higdon’s Percussion Concerto with the Adelaide Wind Orchestra and Bryan Griffiths. His performance was noted for its ‘sublime musicality’ and his cadenza reviewed as ‘totally absorbing’. He is a previous winner of the MSO Snare Drum Award and is an alumnus of the Australian Youth Orchestra, including as Principal Percussionist of their 2016 International Tour.
Born in Adelaide, Sami began his lifelong involvement in music through his parents, who were both musicians in the ASO string section. After a short-lived and reluctant stint on the violin, he switched to percussion at age ten – much to the relief of all involved. Now residing in Fulham Gardens just down the road from where he grew up, Sami is a self-confessed ‘cricket nuffy’ who encourages anyone to engage him in conversation about Ricky Ponting’s pull shot.
Sami is supported by Zildjian cymbals and Vic Firth sticks.
