Musical Director

John Buckley

Squadron Leader John Buckley began his career as a military musician in 1981. He was selected by the Air Force to attend music director/officer training in 1994-95 at the Defence Force School of Music. On graduation he was awarded the Officer Commanding/Chief Instructor's prize for conducting and the Percy Grainger prize for top graduate with respect to leadership, management skills and personal qualities. He served as a band officer in both Central Band in Melbourne and the Air Command Band in Sydney. In July 2000, he was appointed as the Commanding Officer and Music Director of the Air Command Band. Since his appointment in 2000, he has led the Air Command Band in performances for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, Federation Celebrations, deployments to East Timor in 2000 and ANZAC Day commemorations at Gallipoli in 2002.

As the Commanding Officer and Music Director of the Air Command Band, he has actively sought to reach the widest possible audience in Australia and overseas through harnessing the talent and versatility of the band. In the last five years he has conducted the world and Australian premieres of a large selection of new works for wind ensembles to promote and encourage the talents of many new and promising composers. He believes that wind ensembles and, in particular, military bands perform a very important role within the Australian community not normally covered by other professional musical ensembles.

He has also commenced collaboration with post-graduate composition students at the Australian Institute of Music in Sydney to produce contemporary works for wind ensembles that the band hopes to perform.

In addition to his Air Force music career, John is also very active in the wider music scene as a guest conductor, clinician, adjudicator and performer. In 2004 he successfully auditioned with the Symphony Australia Conductor Development Program and has twice conducted the Queensland Orchestra and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra.