About Us
Founded in 1991 as the Novocastrian Arts Orchestra, with a name change in 1999, Orchestra Nova is the only symphony orchestra in the Newcastle and Hunter region to have rehearsed and performed continuously to the present time.
A mix of amateur and semi-professional musicians, and a wide range of ages are represented. Many members are also involved in local musical theatre groups, choirs and community bands.
Over the years Orchestra Nova has featured the talents of instrumental and vocal soloists (both emerging and established) from Newcastle and Hunter regions and has also premiered new works by composition students and established composers.
Orchestra Nova has collaborated successfully with a variety of musicians and groups resulting in novel and enjoyable concert programmes. Some of these collaborations have involved choirs of adults and children, a jazz band, jazz and folk singers and instrumentalists, classical ballet, Latin dancers, and highland dancers with piper and drums.
Each year, three formal concerts plus a Children’s Concert are presented.
Audiences at Orchestra Nova concerts are presented with a wide range of programmes often based on a particular subject or theme such as “A Day at the Proms”, “A Night in Vienna”, “Paris to Berlin”, “Enchanted Europe”, “Bohemian Splendour”, “Popular Concerto Movements”, “Dances from Around the World”, “Young Musicians In Concert”, “Not So Strictly Ballroom”, “Music From Stage and Screen”. Both audience and orchestra members are welcome and encouraged to suggest ideas and music for future concerts.
From classical music through the ages to jazz, folk, rock, pop, film music, musical theatre and beyond, Orchestra Nova aims to introduce and broaden the appeal of symphonic music to audiences of all ages.
Our Objective
and Purpose
Orchestra Nova is a community orchestra that provides an environment for quality orchestral musical experiences for musicians.
We promote the appreciation and enjoyment of orchestral music in the cultural life of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie regions through public performances.
Rehearsals
The orchestra meets weekly at Charlestown Uniting Church (24 Milson St, Charlestown NSW 2290), 7:30pm-9:30pm on Thursdays.
There is plenty of parking on-site and on surrounding streets, however we suggest arriving early to avoid walking uphill carrying instruments!
2025 Committee Members
President
Vice President
Treasurer
Secretary
Ordinary Members
Carolyn Mather
Alyssa Ayling
Andrew Hocquard
Leala Darby
Carolyn Wilson, Daniella Cahill, Van De Groot
Ex Officio
Musical Director
Assistant Conductor
Concertmaster (on leave)
Acting Concertmaster
Kevin Young
Stephen Aveling-Rowe
Elizabeth Young
Philip Hazell
Conductors
Musical Director
Kevin Young
Nearly 40 years have passed since Kevin graduated with a Bachelor of Music Education from the Newcastle Conservatorium of Music. He began his teaching career at Dubbo South High School, where he conducted the Concert Band, Big Band, Chamber Choir, and numerous smaller ensembles, all of which gained a strong reputation in the Central West. In 2000, Kevin was honoured as Citizen of the Year for his significant contributions to Music Education in the Western Region. For the past 22 years, he has been at Newcastle Grammar School, serving as the Director of Music Performance. Recently, he transitioned into semi-retirement to focus on composition and work with young musicians in the broader community.
While classroom music is Kevin's true passion, he has been fortunate to lead a variety of ensembles, from brass bands and big bands to vocal groups. Before stepping down from his role as Director of Music Performance, he directed the award-winning NGS Symphony Orchestra for over a decade—a position he cherished deeply. Kevin's journey as a composer began with the creation of "Peregrini Fortium," a piece for the orchestra's tour of the USA, which premiered in 2013 under the direction of Maestro George Ellis. The success of this work motivated him to continue composing for student ensembles, which has become the primary focus of his efforts. As George Ellis noted in 2015, “Kevin is an innovative composer whose work emphasizes the beauty of melody and clever harmonic progressions, incorporating mixed time signatures and intricate rhythms often associated with popular music.”
In 2018, Kevin was invited to conduct the HICES Symphony Orchestra during that year's festival, a three-day event supported by independent schools across New South Wales. Under his guidance, the orchestra successfully performed challenging pieces such as Dvorak’s New World Symphony (First Movement) and Grieg’s Norwegian Dance No. 1. Throughout his career, Kevin has had the privilege of collaborating with some of Australia’s most distinguished musicians and composers, including Stuart Greenbaum, Katy Abbott, Paul Jarman, George Ellis, John Morrison, Jacki Cooper, Ed Wilson, and James Morrison.
Building relationships within the local community and the wider Hunter area is essential to Kevin as he continues to seek opportunities for young musicians under his mentorship. In his role as Director of Music Performance, he organized and led numerous successful choral and instrumental ensembles on tours across Australia and internationally, including destinations such as China, Hong Kong, New Zealand, the USA, Singapore, and Japan. At the end of 2023, Kevin resigned from his position at Newcastle Grammar School and is now semi-retired. His plans include further developing his composition skills, assisting students with their composition learning, and being more available for music-making in the community.
Assistant Conductor
Stephen Aveling-Rowe
Stephen Aveling-Rowe is an emerging organist, conductor, and cellist. He holds an A.Mus.A. in Pipe Organ (2014) and an L.Mus.A. with Distinction in Pipe Organ (2019) from Sydney, as well as a BA with a specialization in Music from Avondale Conservatorium (2019). His musical journey began early; at 16, he started a BMus at the University of New England before transferring to Avondale Conservatorium in 2016. Stephen has performed internationally, including concert tours in the Netherlands and the UK, study tours throughout Europe, and completed an intensive in liturgical and choral music at Cambridge.
For five years, he was principal cellist with the Newcastle Youth Orchestra, and now leads as principle cellist with the Fernleigh Orchestra, where he collaborates with Dr. Ian Cook in an informal mentorship as an occasional conductor. Having studied organ under Philip Swanton, Stephen continues to refine his musical skills. Since 2021, he has lectured in photography at Avondale University, blending his love for the arts and humanities. After pausing a Masters in Ministry, he plans to pursue a Masters in Theology, exploring the intersection of the musical arts and sacramental theology.
Our Patrons
We are incredibly proud to welcome Ross Fiddes and John Kellaway as the inaugural Patrons of Orchestra Nova. This recognition reflects both their long-standing and recent invaluable contributions to the orchestra.
Ross Fiddes served as the musical director when the orchestra was first founded in 1991 under the name The Novocastrian Arts Orchestra. John Kellaway, also involved from the early days, became the full-time conductor in 1995. In early 2025, John returned as our Guest Conductor and invited Ross to join him as a special guest to conduct Prokofiev's Montagues and Capulets for the end-of-term concert. Their combined support came at a key time for the orchestra, and we are deeply grateful for their involvement.
We look forward to our partnership continuing well into the future.
Ross Fiddes
Ross is Artistic Director and secretary of the annual 11-13 day Newcastle Music Festival. It is probably, the largest festival of its kind in NSW, if not Australia. It focuses mainly on classical music, but also supports jazz, world music and some more popular styles.
He has been the foundation musical and/or artistic director of an award-winning Newcastle-based music theatre company and of the Novocastrian Arts Orchestra (now Orchestra Nova); and was artistic director and principal conductor of Opera Hunter in the early ‘90’s.
As a pianist he has been a soloist, accompanist and recitalist in concert with and without orchestra and as a chamber player.
As conductor/musical director he has conducted symphony concerts, operas, oratorios, musicals & choral concerts for many musical organisations in the Hunter and North West NSW.
His works have been performed by The Australian Opera - as it then was, West Australia Arts Orchestra, Acacia Quartet, The Hunter Orchestra, Newcastle University Symphony, The Song Company, Opera Hunter, Novocastrian Arts Orchestra, Opera Mode, Shakespeare et al, The Sound Construction Company, CTN Productions, as well as many individual performers in Australia and overseas. He was an invited participant for the 1995 June In Buffalo International Composers’ Festival, State University of New York. Ross’ compositions have been recorded on the Tall Poppies, Vox Australis, Wirripang, Taslig and Ferndale Studios labels & broadcast on ABC Classic FM. He is published by Wirripang Music, Sheet Music Plus, Sheet Music Direct, and is represented at the Australian Music Centre.
John Kellaway
A.MUS.A; L.MUS.A (SYDNEY), ATCL; LTCL (LONDON), FELLOW TRINITY COLLEGE OF MUSIC LONDON, DIP.MUS.ED (NEWCASTLE), B.MUS.ED (NEWCASTLE), DSCM (SYDNEY)
John Kellaway has been Conducting for fifty years. He has toured extensively throughout Australia and Internationally. He has been a Director of the International Trumpet Guild. He was Lecturer in Trumpet and Music at the University of Newcastle for thirty two years. Prior to that he was a NSW Secondary School music teacher. Before retiring in 2016 he was the Coordinator of the University Conservatorium of Music in Newcastle. John has performed as a soloist for the Hunter Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Nova, Armidale Symphony Orchestra, Darwin Symphony Orchestra, Australian Army Band Darwin, National Wind Orchestra Belgium, International Trumpet Guild Kiev - Gothenburg - Kentucky - Chicago.
He has conducted Newcastle PCYC Brass Band, Maitland City Brass band, Cardiff North Lakes Brass Band, Toronto Brass band, Darwin City Brass band, Waratah Brass, Armidale Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Nova, Hunter Symphony Orchestra, Darwin Symphony Orchestra, Lake Macquarie Philharmonic Orchestra, Opera Hunter.
John has recently been appointed a Guest Conductor for Orchestra Nova and Musical Director of Waratah Brass in 2025.
John is a Life Member of PCYC NSW, Band Association of NSW and is Patron of the Mid North Coast Sinfonia.