Our Guest Speaker on August 13 was Patrick Pickett, Music and Artistic Director of the Queensland Pops Orchestra.
Patrick Picket accepting a certificate of appreciation from President Chris Muir
Patrick took us through a rollicking journey tracing his creative life from humble beginnings as a member of his school pipe band through joining the army as an apprentice musician to becoming Director of Music - Army and organising a string of musical spectaculars in and out of Australia. During that time he saw overseas deployment in Bouganville, East Timor, the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, the celebrations for the Sultan of Brunei's 80th birthdays, the 90th anniversary of Gallipoli and elsewhere. He also talked about his life and goals outside the army, including a stint as CEO of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra and current assignment as Artistic Director at the Queensland Pops Orchestra. He also talked about ongoing work to provide stable work for musicians at the Australian Musicians and Orchestral Services. Thank you, Patrick for a most entertaining insight into the things that go on behind the scenes in the production of musical spectaculars.
