After 17 years as General Manager and Managing Director of the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) and two years as ANAM Program Manager, Nick Bailey has announced that he will be stepping down from this role at the end of March 2026.
“It is difficult to step away from what I am fond of describing as the ‘best job on the planet’. ANAM is something precious and unique, and the generous music of our musicians is more necessary than ever in this hard and cacophonous world.
“However, as the organisation approaches its return to the South Melbourne Town Hall (SMTH) and the many opportunities which this transformational moment will unleash, I know that ANAM will benefit from new vision and energies to write the next part of its story, a chapter that I know has the potential to light up the world. I am proud of the role that I have played in ANAM’s adventures over the past 19 years, and I leave knowing that this very special institution is in a safe place and ready for the hands of others to take forward”.
Nick is not leaving ANAM, so much as moving sideways. He will now focus his full-time energies on delivering the refurbishment of the SMTH and developing ANAM’s new business to hire out the renovated spaces for performances and events.
Bach Suites, 2011. Photo by Pia Johnson
“I am grateful to have had the opportunity of meeting many remarkable people over this almost twenty years at ANAM, including board directors, faculty members, musicians, supporters, incredible donors, guest artists and my tireless administration colleagues. In particular, it has been a privilege to have worked alongside our four artistic directors – Brett, Paul, Nick and Paavali – whose cumulative impact on the Australian music scene has made it infinitely richer and stronger. My great sadness is that I will not have the opportunity of working day to day with the wonderful Anna Goldsworthy, who commences in the AD role in 2027. I look forward to following as Anna shapes ANAM to her vision and hearing the music that emerges,” added Nick.
ANAM Chair John Daley said, “Nick has managed ANAM for over half of its 30-year history. He rescued ANAM from near-death when he took on the role as General Manager in 2009, and as he leaves that role, ANAM is one of the world’s leading classical music performance academies. He has defined ANAM’s uniquely supportive culture and its now crucial place in the Australian musical world. His work has made a difference to generations of Australian musicians and audiences. The Board is looking forward to working with Nick to deliver the SMTH project, which is vital to the future of ANAM and the South Melbourne community.”
ANAM Artistic Director Paavali Jumppanen said, “Nick is a true force of life, and how lucky are we all that music is his great passion! People who know him know that Nick clearly envisions a boundlessly creative and profoundly impactful Australian music life and spends every day to make it real. It has been a privilege and joy to work alongside him at ANAM. The Town Hall project is a tremendous opportunity for ANAM to be a leader in summoning futureproof musical knowledge and values, and it is fantastic that Nick can now dedicate his full capacity in this enormously important venture!”
Kate Mazoudier, currently ANAM’s Director of Philanthropy, has been appointed as ANAM’s Managing Director through to the end of December 2026. John Daley said, “The ANAM Board is delighted that Kate is stepping into this role, and we look forward to working with her and Paavali Jumppanen to deliver ANAM’s training program in its 30th anniversary year.”
Nick added, “At times it’s been a wild ride these almost twenty years, but I wouldn’t have missed a moment of it. Collecting friends, memories and experience along the way, the musical highlights of these decades number in the hundreds, all of which have left me changed in some way. Thank you to everyone who has been with me on the journey”.
Nick Bailey with Sir Simon Rattle, ANAM Quartetthaus at Melbourne Museum 2023