Board of Management

Keith Mortimer

Chairman

Keith has been a National Boys Choir member for the better part of his life, as a chorister and Choir Captain in 1985. He participated in numerous regional tours and was fortunate to enjoy two overseas experiences with the choir in 1979 and 1983.

Today, Keith is still very much involved with the NBCA. He has been a dedicated member of the Old Boys, performing with the Men’s Choir for more than 20 years and also chaired the 50th Anniversary committee of the Choir that conducted events to mark this milestone in 2014.

Keith’s other passions are for classic cars, having served for many years within the Jaguar and Rolls Royce Car Clubs in Victoria. He has also served as the President of the Association of Motoring Clubs, a peak body for motoring enthusiasts in Victoria. Keith continues his involvement in other arenas and is a past President and life member of the Box Hill North Football club where he still (occasionally) enjoys a kick.

Professionally, Keith is an Accountant who has spent the majority of his career in management within industries that deliver a social benefit, namely recycling, health and community services and currently as CEO of a state-wide disability support organisation. In all of his pursuits, he is supported by his family, wife Catherine and two adult children, Shannon and Justin.

Andrew Bainbridge

Vice Chairman

Andrew began his musical training as a boy chorister at St Paul’s Cathedral, Melbourne at the age of seven, and became a student at Trinity Grammar School, Kew the following year. He began piano lessons, and later studied the organ under Dr June Nixon and John O’Donnell. His piano teachers included Margaret Schofield and Mack Jost. After finishing school he went on to Melbourne University where he studied piano, organ, composition and voice. Andrew worked as a freelance soloist, teacher and keyboard player for several years, including three years as principal guest organist with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. He held the positions of Organist and Choirmaster at St John’s Church, Toorak and Camberwell Presbyterian Church, and in 1994 was appointed Choral Director and Head of Keyboard at Scotch College in Hawthorn, and Acting Musical Director of The Tudor Choristers.

In 2005 Andrew moved with his family to Hobart where he worked as a teacher at several schools. For several years he was Organist and Director of Music at each of the Anglican and Roman Catholic cathedrals, and was Assistant Chorusmaster of the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra Chorus for nearly 10 years, repetiteur for five years, and an occasional keyboard and continuo player. He was accompanist and, briefly, Musical Director of the Australian Rosny Children’s Choir (now sadly defunct) and Accompanist and Assistant Director of the UTAS Conservatorium Vocal Ensemble. For 10 years he was Musical Director of the Tasmanian Youth Choirs, and founding Musical Director of Tasmania’s leading chamber choir, Allegri Ensemble from 2013. He also performed on several occasions as a continuo player with Van Diemen’s Band, Tasmania’s world-renowned Baroque chamber orchestra.

Andrew is a Director of both the Organ Historical Trust of Australia (OHTA) and the Australian and New Zealand College of Organists (ANZCO). He returned to Melbourne in April 2019 to take up his appointment as Co-Artistic and Administrative Director of the National Boys’ Choir of Australia.

Jan Eldred

Board Member

Jan’s son was a chorister in the Choir for many years and over more recent years Jan has gained a wide experience in the Choir’s Administration. She is frequently called upon to accompany the Choir when touring interstate and overseas and is totally conversant with the special Management techniques required in planning successful tours.

Craig De Wilde

Board Member

Former Professor Craig De Wilde holds a Bachelor of Arts in Performance from Whittier College, California, a Master of Fine Arts in Music Composition from the University of California, Irvine, and a PhD in Musicology from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

A specialist in 19th and 20th Century art music and popular music history, he spent 3 years in Munich Germany on a Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD) Fellowship researching the early music of the German composer Richard Strauss (1864-1949).  He has published widely on the music of Strauss as well as on popular music topics in jazz history, protest music, and the commercial music industry. Professor De Wilde taught music theory and musicianship at the University of California, Irvine, and both classical and popular music history at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He also taught music history at the City Colleges of Chicago and the University of Maryland, Munich campus, Germany.

Professor De Wilde was the Vice Dean (Academic Programmes, Composition and Research) at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, National University of Singapore, from 2009 to 2020. Prior to this appointment, he spent 18 years at the School of Music – Conservatorium (now the Sir Zelman Cowan School of Music) at Monash University, including serving for 8 years as Head of School.

Craig has had a close association with the NBCA over the years, with both of his sons, Adam and Rhys, having performed as choristers. Craig’s wife, Karen, is a primary music teacher and choral conductor, who has also assisted with choir auditions and as an accompanist with the Junior Choir.