Graham Sattler began his career as an orchestral trombonist, became a singer specialising in opera and music theatre, a conductor and artistic director, then commenced research in the field of community music activity and musical inclusion. He holds a Diploma of Operatic Art and Music Theatre, a Master of Performance (Conducting), PhD in Music Education and a Graduate Certificate in the Psychology of Risk. From 2001 to 2012, Graham was Director of the Orange Regional Conservatorium (NSW, Australia). During that time, he led multiple community music programs across aged, disability, disadvantaged and at-risk youth cohorts, and engaged in the design and delivery of the Associate Degree in Music Education program at Charles Sturt University. From 2014 to 2021 Graham served as Executive Director of Mitchell Conservatorium and casual academic with Central Queensland University.
Regularly presenting at international Music Education and Arts Health conferences, he has carried out community-focused fieldwork in Australia, North America and Bolivia, collaborated on community music development activity with groups in and from Armenia and designed and delivered multiple professional learning music courses for non-specialist teachers in Australia. He has worked as both trombonist and singer with the Australian Opera; vocal soloist with symphony orchestras in Sydney, Tasmania, West Australia, Auckland and Chengdu; and as a choral, orchestral and music theatre conductor. A 2011 New Horizons International Music Association fellow, Graham was a recipient of a 2019 Churchill Fellowship (NSW), which allowed him to investigate best-practice musical inclusion and community music leadership training programs in the US, Canada, England, Ireland, Scotland, Norway, Portugal and Armenia in early 2023. He is currently CEO of the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, Aotearoa New Zealand.
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