Keith Crellin

Until 2016, Keith Crellin was head of the String Department and conductor in  residence at the Elder Conservatorium of Music at the University of  Adelaide. In May 2016 he resigned this post in order to concentrate more fully on his role as artistic director of the Adelaide Youth Orchestra and the Corpus Medicorum Orchestra as well as further performing, teaching,  conducting and composing.
As the first violist to win the ABC Young Performers Award in 1972, Keith  Crellin soon established himself as one of Australia's leading soloists and chamber music players. Having studied violin initially with Gretchen Schieblich and then Ladislav Jasek at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, he completed his tertiary studies at the Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music under noted pedagog Professor Jan Sedivka. He was a founding member of the Rialannah String quartet and was a regular member of the Australian Contemporary Music Ensemble. Subsequently he was appointed Lecturer in viola and chamber music at the Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music, Director, principal Conductor of the Conservatorium orchestra and Artistic director and chief conductor of the Tasmanian Youth Orchestra.
In 1985, he became a founding member of the Australian String Quartet based in Adelaide, a position he held for sixteen years and with which he performed in many countries, travelled widely throughout Australia and made numerous recordings.
As well he has conducted concerts and recordings with the Tasmanian and Adelaide Symphony Orchestras and has been conductor of A.Y.O. young symphonists and tutor in the A.Y.O Young Australian Concert Artists program on a number of occasions. He has attended many National Music camps as tutor and conductor and now divides his time between teaching, performing and conducting. In 2003, he took up the position of artistic director and conductor of the Adelaide Youth Orchestra. In 2004 he was awarded the University of Adelaide’s Stephen Cole prize for excellence in teaching and in 2008 he received the Order of Australia Medal for services to music and education.
In the last few years he has conducted concerts with Corpus Medicorum in St Petersburg and Osaka. This year marks the third international tour for the orchestra under the baton of Keith Crellin.