Professor John Daley AM
Strategy and Policy Advisor
Chair, ANAM Board of Directors (2020-present)
ANAM musicians have produced many memorable musical moments: 7 minutes of sheer magic on solo tambourin in the Abbotsford Convent gazebo; a virtuoso arrangement of Der Rosenkavalier for wind harmonie; and the ANAM orchestra in full flight, playing Stravinsky’s Firebird after just two days of rehearsals snatched in between COVID lockdowns.
One of my most treasured moments, though, was an act of leadership. A group of students came to me and laid out, clearly and calmly, that the ANAM Board had got it wrong in responding to COVID. A generation of third-year students had largely missed out on performing — the heart of ANAM’s training program. Out of that conversation grew “Seventh Semester”, a program tailored for those most affected by COVID, so they had opportunities to perform, to set up their own concerts, and to blossom as musicians.
Lots of wonderful music followed. But just as importantly, it showed that ANAM was growing leaders: musicians able to make things happen off stage as well as on stage. What we learnt about supporting Seventh Semester musicians to choose their own adventure has also reshaped ANAM’s training program, so there is more opportunity for musicians to curate their own programs.
ANAM's Seventh Semester musicians, March 2021. Photo by Pia Johnson.
That, in turn, has created its own delights, such as a concert aimed at proving that Mendelssohn is the under-rated chamber music composer of his generation. That’s a matter of opinion, but I now have an asterisk against any program that includes his Second String Quintet!
John Daley headshot by Laura Manariti, ANAM