Meet our MC

Nicholas Hamilton -Emerging Artist MC

Nicholas is a year 11 drama student at the Hunter School of performing Arts. Nicholas is an active part of the Newcastle theatre community and has worked with companies including Young People's Theatre, National Theatre Company, Pantseat Productions and Hunter Drama, for which he was nominated for a CONDA for his role in The Little Mermaid. He currently studies singing with Rachelle Schmidt at the Voice Studios and was most recently in the National Theatre Company's sold out production of Jesus Christ Super Star. Nicholas is currently starring in the Young People's Theatre production of Beauty and the Beast and next month will be performing as a backing vocalist in Starstruck.

Meet the band #7

Jamie Pollock - Violin aficionado

Jamie performs throughout the Newcastle/Hunter/Sydney regions with the String Trio Ensemble ARC. Jamie has studies at various institutions including the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria and Power River in British Columbia, Canada as well as private lessons with well-known teachers such as Carrie Dennis. In addition to orchestral playing, Jamie is the violinist with Hudson Arc, performing original songs by Gareth Hudson and touring around Australia, Germany and the Netherlands.

Meet the band #6

Andrew Wallace - (all about that) Double Bass

Wal is a local multi-instrumentalist and teacher. He currently teaches music at HSPA while maintaining his long standing professional music activities in the region. A sought after double-bassist, he has forged a reputation for creativity and originality as an accompanist and band leader. He regularly performs on the double bass with Fish Fry, The Terence Koo Trio  and The New Wobbly Boot,  on the trombone with Pow Wow and The Pornskas and on the alto saxophone and snare drum with The Liars. A regular dep for the Milestones on electric bass, he also has an upcoming tour with Si Cranstoun (UK) in June.

Meet the band #5

Vincent Parmeter - Pianist extraordinaire!

Vincent is a Newcastle-based pianist, piano teacher and accompanist.  He has performed with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and  regularly plays piano with local groups Scots Kirk Baroque Band and Choir V. He was awarded the LMusA before undertaking studies at The University of Sydney under Neta Maughan as well as with a number of leading jazz pianists. Vincent was a finalist in the ABC Instrumental and Vocal Competition and was the featured accompanist in the inaugural Opera by the Ocean in Coffs Harbour in 2014.

Meet the band #4

Jason Nelson - Trombone

This amazing man will delight audiences in one of the amazing concerts next weekend! Jason has a Masters Degree in Interdisciplinary Arts and a passion for improvisation and performance. He has worked with all sorts of phenomenal musicians during his 16 years in Victoria and has been to Germany to workshop ideas with Karlheinz Stockhausen. Jason plays with a number of different band varying from  jazz to Afro fusion, swing and sexy jazz funk as well as composing groundbreaking electronic music.

Meet the band #3

John Kellaway - Trumpet

John began his music career at the tender age of 8 with Frank and Dora Simm in the Newcastle Police Boys Club Brass Band. He has toured Australia, New Zealand, Britain, Belgium, Switzerland, Sweden, Italy and the USA. John lectures in trumpet at the University of Newcastle and is also a senior brass examiner with the AMEB.

Meet the band #2

Rob Coxon 

Rob plays a whole lot of different styles such as rock, jazz, blues and musical theatre in venues such as cruise ships, nightclubs, pubs, festivals, concert halls and for television. 

He has worked with a wide variety of national and international acts including Tommy Tycho, Tony Barber, Daryl Sommers, Vanetta Fields, Dick Emery, James Morrison, Barry Crocker, Brian Cadd, John English, Colleen Hewitt, Normie Rowe, Simon Gallaher, Lucky Starr, The Platters, The Drifters, Johnny Young and the Young Talent Team, Chad Morgan, Smokey Dawson, Johnny Nihol, Gregg Arthur, 4 Trax (later known as Human Nature) and Ian Turpie!!

In his various groups he has supported acts such as Albert King, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Canned Heat, Little Charlie and the Night Cats, Lonnie Mack, Mick Taylor (ex Rolling Stones), INXS, Mondo Rock, Midnight Oil, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Mental as Anything, Swanee, Misex, The Swingers, John Paul Young, Russell Morris and Rita Coolidge. 

He has played at festivals including Jazz in the Vines, Jazz in the Pines; Norfolk Island, Wollongong Jazz Festival and the East Coast Blues Festival as well as at venues in Newcastle, Dubbo, Morpeth, Moonan Flat, Central Coast, Wollongong, Goulburn, Bimbadgen, Thredbo and Lord Howe Island.

Rob is also a teacher, visual artist and author; including the book Art from Uranus - fine art dumbed down for the general populationI and a number of articles published in international music magazine Modern Drummer.