My whole life has been filled with singing, singers and songs. I first learnt songs from my mother and the melodies of her Celtic folksongs weave through all my music. I sang driving in the car with my family, walking to school and around campfires. I trained as a contralto and loved learning classical technique. After school I started a music degree in classical voice, but dropped out after a few weeks. I needed to travel my own path.

Instead I found work in children’s theatre, as an acoustic singer/songwriter, and in a punk band. From the time I met my beautiful hubby Emlyn, we made music together. We wrote an electronic music album and sang in a jazz ensemble, before developing our acapella repertoire of trad and roots folksongs which we have performed and taught around Australia. I adore Emlyn’s rich baritone voice and have composed much music for him over the decades.

In the early 2000’s I began singing in, directing and writing for choirs, vocal ensembles and community music programs. I developed an enduring passion for working with people of different ages and backgrounds to find and use their voice, and undertook a Masters in Kodály pedagogy to develop my approach to this work.

My life changed in 2016 when I foolishly sang through a nasty illness, including a regional opera tour and damaged my voice. I found the way through my heartbreak and disorientation by collaborating with the wonderful singers I’d worked with to compose bespoke music for them. Then, while I was sleeping in a tent at a particularly wild folk festival I dreamt about magical beings playing shining silver instruments. I woke to discover this was the sound of the Irish music jam a couple of tents over. I realised I could write the instrumental side of my music inspired by the feel and sounds of folk musos.

This has led to a blossoming of new works, opportunities and directions.

I have worked with the most stunning singers and instrumentalists. My lifetime of singing and working with singers has given me a deep understanding of how to write for voice, and a passion for creating and setting text for singers and audiences. I love words and telling stories. Ive had the great pleasure of writing for a number of theatre productions and have taken up acting training to hone my craft in the performance aspects of vocal composition.

In 2022 Emlyn and I moved into a stunning ex-church in the country town of Burra, 160ks north of Adelaide, where we have been relishing the acoustics - creating and recording music in the beautiful space. In our new town, we put together the world’s first Farty Bard Festival, with musicians and actors celebrating the sillier side of Shakespeare. Alongside composing, I work with Lullaby Project Australia, writing lullabies with families for their babies, and continue to provide a range of consulting and training in singing and music education.