Dr. Graham Sattler | ISME - International Society for Music Education

Dr Graham Sattler is currently CEO of the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, Ōtautahi Christchurch (Aotearoa New Zealand). From 2014 to 2021 he was CEO of Mitchell Conservatorium (NSW, Australia), and prior to that, Director of Orange Regional Conservatorium, Australia (2001 - 2012). He was an executive committee member of the Association of NSW Regional Conservatoriums from 2003 to 2016, adjunct lecturer with Charles Sturt University from 2007-2011 and casual academic, Central Queensland University, 2015 - 2021. Graham has taught voice, brass and conducting, led vocal and instrumental community music projects and programs, and since 2014, delivered professional learning in music for school-based generalist educators. He holds a Diploma in Opera, Master’s degree in Conducting, PhD (music education) and a Graduate Certificate in the Psychology of Risk. Graham's principal research focus is sociocultural development in and through inclusive community music activity. He is a 2019 Churchill Fellow.

Graham 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, Master of Performance (Conducting), PhD (Music Education) and Graduate Certificate in the Psychology of Risk. His PhD project was a multiple case study ethnography exploring community music perceptions, expectations and conditions in non-metropolitan Australia. From 2001 to 2012 Graham was Director of the Orange Regional Conservatorium (Australia), during which 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, 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. Graham is both a 2011 New Horizons International Music Association Fellow, and a 2019 Churchill Fellow. He took up his Churchill Fellowship in early 2023, investigating best-practice musical inclusion and community music leadership training programs in the US, Canada, England, Ireland, Scotland, Norway, Portugal and Armenia.

Graham was appointed CEO of Christchurch Symphony Orchestra in late 2021, with a brief to further develop the orchestra’s unique operational model of equal parts community engagement and mainstage performance. Graham’s academic output includes Playing outside the generational square: the intergenerational impact of adult group music learning activities on the broader community (International Journal of Community Music, 6(3), 2013), multiple conference papers and three chapters in edited books on community music ecologies and regional music scenes. He is a member of the International and Australian Societies for Music Education, the Asia Pacific Community Music Network, the Regional Music Research Group (Australasia) and the Editorial Review Boards of the International Journal of Community Music and the Music Trust Music in Australia Knowledge Base.

Recent Publications:

Sattler, G. (2023). Community music and facilitative leadership: relationship, relevance and respect.https://www.churchilltrust.com.au/fellow/graham-sattler-nsw-2019/ Winston Churchill Memorial Trust. Australia

Sattler, G. (2023). From the City to the Bush: An Autoethnographic Reflection on Australia’s Urban and Rural Music Scenes. In: Bennett, A., Cashman, D., Green, B., Lewandowski, N. (eds) Popular Music Scenes . Pop Music, Culture and Identity. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.

Sattler, G. & Mullen, P. (2022). An inclusion strategy approach for deepening community music engagement in non-metropolitan Australia. In: de Bruin, L., & Southcott, J. (Eds.). (2022). Musical Ecologies: Instrumental Music Ensembles Around the World (1st ed.). Routledge.

Sattler, G. (2022). PUBlic Choir: Facilitating an emergent musicking community. In: de Bruin, L., & Southcott, J. (Eds.). (2022). Musical Ecologies: Instrumental Music Ensembles Around the World (1st ed.). Routledge.