About the Conductor

Barry Singh, Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Northern Rivers Symphony Orchestra, was born in 1959 and currently resides in Stokers Siding, New South Wales. He completed his secondary education at Murwillumbah High School where he was, at the time, the only violin student. He also proved his talents as a singer in many school musical productions.

Barry continued his musical education at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music in Brisbane, but his father's death forced him to return to the Tweed area where he taught Violin and Viola. He had always harboured a wish to someday conduct an orchestra of his own, however - a wish which became a reality in October 1993. He began by conducting a Chamber Orchestra of eighteen players; combining local adult players with a group of his own pupils.

Since 1993 Barry has relentlessly pursued the artistic development of the orchestra he founded, ably supported by the dedicated members of the Orchestra Committee and other volunteers who share the load.

In 2001, Barry was awarded the prestigious Individual Regional TOAN (The Orchestras of Australia Network) award for fostering excellence in an orchestra in a regional area.

Ten years since the inception of the Orchestra, Barry continues to lead a hectic life. He conducts most rehearsals and all performances, prepares the musical programmes for each year's concerts, and remains heavily involved in the management of the orchestra's activities. At the same time, he continues to teach Violin and Viola in the Lismore, Tweed and Gold Coast regions while remaining fully dedicated to the continuing artistic development of the orchestra he founded. He also conducts the Camerata, a chamber orchestra sub-group of the NRSO.