Neil Flottmann
IYO – Conductor
After studies in flute and piano at the University of Sydney, Neil Flottmann went on to a varied career as a flautist, music educator and conductor. A former member of several major Australian orchestras, including the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, he has also worked as Chorus Master for the Lyric Opera of Queensland, The Australian Opera and The Canadian Opera Company.
He has been at various times a member of the professional staff at the NSW State Conservatorium of Music, the Queensland Conservatorium of Music and QUT lecturing in flute, musicianship, opera studies and conducting. From 1988 until 1990 he was Education Director at The Australian Opera.
In 1984 Neil was awarded the prestigious Willem van OtterlooMemorial Conducting Scholarship, leading to studies in Sydney and London with Myer Fredman and Sir Charles Mackerras. Since then he has appeared as guest conductor with the Sydney, Queensland, Melbourne and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras, the ABC Sinfonia, the Queensland Philharmonic Orchestra and the Australian Ballet.
He has fulfilled opera conducting engagements for Opera ACT, Hunter Opera, The Australian Opera and Opera Queensland. His involvement with youth and community orchestras includes guest appearances with the Brisbane City Pops Orchestra (formerly the St Lucia Orchestra), the Sydney Youth Orchestra, the Queensland Youth Orchestra and the QLD Conservatorium Orchestra, and four years as Chief Conductor of the Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic Orchestra in Sydney’s northern suburbs.
Neil has conducted thirteen seasons for the Queensland Ballet including the widely acclaimed Australian premiere of Peter Maxwell-Davies’ Salome in 1986 and Francois Klaus’s 1998 production of Peer Gynt. In 2010 he was a member of the creative team for the Brisbane performance of Havergal Brian’s “Gothic Symphony”. Since 2012 Neil has had regular conducting engagements with the Brisbane City Pops Orchestra. In 2015 he was engaged by Opera Queensland’s Project Puccini as the local Ipswich chorus master for the touring production of La Bohème.
Neil was formerly Director of Music at Cranbrook School (Sydney) and Somerville House and Head of Performing Arts at Forest Lake College (now St John’s Anglican College). He is currently Director of Creative Arts and Extra-curricular Programs at West Moreton Anglican College.
