We’re very excited to introduce our regular mentor for Season 2: conductor and friend of The Talent, Patrick Burns.

Each week from Episode 2, Patrick will be joining the show’s host Teddy Darling and weekly guest mentors to hear and give feedback to some of Melbourne’s finest young musicians.

To find out more about Patrick, please see his bio below.

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Patrick Burns was born in Sydney, Australia and studied French Horn and Conducting at the Melbourne and Queensland Conservatoriums. In Australia, he is the chief conductor and music director of the Ipswich City Orchestra and XL Arts Inc and has been recently appointed as the Artistic Director for Lyric Opera Melbourne for their 2022 season.  

In 2018 and 2019, he served as the Hephzibah Tintner Conducting Fellow with the Australian Ballet, Opera Australia, and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and The Robert and Elizabeth Albert Conducting Fellow with The Australia Ballet. Patrick has conducted performances for the Australian Ballet with Orchestra Victoria, The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, and The Australian Opera Orchestra. He has also conducted Orchestra Victoria in a regional performance and acted as Assistant Conductor to Simone Young with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. In 2019 he served as Assistant Conductor to Andrea Molino in Opera Australia’s production of Wozzeck. 

Internationally he has made guest appearances with the National Theater of Serbia (Otello), State Opera of Bulgaria Ruse (Rigoletto, Nabucco, Turandot), and the Pazardzhik Symphony Orchestra in Bulgaria. In 2017, he was the assistant conductor with British Youth Opera and conducted the covers performance with the Southbank Sinfonia.  He won the Jury’s Prize at the 2015 Blue Danube International Opera Conducting Competition in Bulgaria and the Orchestra’s Prize in 2016 Black Sea Opera Conducting Competition in Romania.  

Aside from his professional engagements, Patrick has always had a passion for community music-making. From 2010 to 2014 Patrick was the Music Director for the Monash University Choral Society, and from 2011 to 2014 was also the Music Director for the Victorian Youth Symphony Orchestra. He has twice led the Queensland Wind Orchestra to win first place in the A Grade Australian National Band Championships in 2007 and 2014. He has worked with numerous community groups in Victoria including the Ballarat Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Citi Opera, Melbourne Opera, Opera Studio Melbourne, Preston Symphony Orchestra, and Stonnington Symphony Orchestra. In 2017 he started working for the inspirational School of Hard Knocks Association, working with several of their choirs across Melbourne. In 2018 he was the music director for the 69^th Annual Intervarsity Choral Festival held Melbourne, which saw participants from university choral societies across come together to perform at the Melbourne Town Hall with the Melbourne Opera Orchestra and guest soloists. 

For more information visit: www.patrickburnsconductor.com 

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Listen to Episode 1 of The Talent at 7pm next Tuesday! Tune in on 103.5FM or stream the broadcast live at 3mbs.org.au.