Andrea Taylor

Born into a musical family, Andrea Taylor began cello lessons at the age of twelve, and was inspired early on by a tour to Europe with the Melbourne Youth Orchestra. The wealth of historical knowledge, art, architecture and music she encountered made a great impression, and after initially embarking on tertiary studies in drama and dance, Andrea switched her focus to music at the University of Melbourne under the tutelage of Henri Touzeau. Andrea joined OV in 1979. She later continued her instrumental studies with André Navarra in Vienna. Andrea went on to complete a Master of Music Performance with honours, also at the University of Melbourne, under Nelson Cooke. As well as her extensive experience with opera and ballet music, Andrea has a particular interest in larger string chamber works, and says her career highlights include playing the sextet from Capriccio with Gustav Kuhn in 2000. Other memorable performances include Britten’s Billy Budd with Richard Hickox, Victorian Opera’s production of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, conducted by the late Richard Gill, and Opera Australia’s recent performances of Wagner’s The Ring Cycle and Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, with Pietari Inkinen.