Australian Music Theatre Choir
Meet the Team
Robert Bertram - Choir Director
Robert is a Sydney-based Singing and Piano teacher, Musical Director and Accompanist. Robert’s students regularly feature in professional Australian and international music theatre productions, television and film. His Marrickville music studio has been successfully operating for over a decade.
Performance Biography
Robert graduated from the WAAPA Bachelor of Arts (Music Theatre) in 2006. Since that time, he has worked in theatre, television and as a voice over artist. Robert was offered the role of Giuseppe in The Gondoliers with Opera Australia. He covered the roles of Paul Keating and Alexander Downer in the highly acclaimed Keating! The Musical. Following this Robert joined the Australian/Australasian tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera where he covered the role of Raoul. Soon after, he joined Broadway star Brad Little in Jekyll and Hyde playing John Utterson throughout Asia.
Robert has achieved his A.MUS.A in Piano. An accomplished Irish dancer, Robert was placed 2nd in the National Championships of 2001 and has travelled the world as a musician for Irish Dancing competitions.
Melbourne Music Director: Emma-Louise Wyllie
Emma-Louise is a well versed performer, vocal coach, and self-confessed choir nerd with over 25 years of experience including Musical Theatre and Opera ensemble work across the UK and Europe. Originally a classically trained singer, Emma-Louise obtained a Musical Theatre degree from UWS (the first of its kind in Scotland). During her honours year she specialised in performance and choir direction, where her spark for leading choirs was first ignited.
Her journey has taken her from guest soloist performances to coaching singers across a wide range of styles and skill levels. As an Estill trained vocalist, Emma-Louise brings technical precision and expressive flair to every rehearsal, and she’s passionate about continuing her training to support others in their singing journey.
Whether directing, section leading, or simply harmonizing in the back row, Emma-Louise approaches choral music and musicaltheatre with joy, humour, and a deep respect for the power of collective sound. Her rehearsals are equal parts musically rigorous, community building, and soul-nourishing – where every voice matters and every singer feels seen
Brisbane Music Director: Dr. Lucas Lynch
Dr. Lucas D. Lynch is a conductor, pianist, composer, and producer with over 15 years’ experience across orchestral, operatic, vocal, and musical-theatre disciplines. He is Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Cadenza Chamber Players and Music and Executive Director of Ballet Theatre Queensland, where he has led acclaimed productions including The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, and a new full-length Snow White featuring his original score.
Equally active in vocal and theatre worlds, he co-founded Lynch & Paterson, producing and conducting major musicals such as Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera, The Pirates of Penzance, and Oklahoma!. His work blends musicological insight with performance practice, and he also supports emerging musicians as an examiner for the St. Cecilia School of Music.
Wollongong and Castle Hill Music Director: Andrew Ross
Andrew is a Musical Director, Creative Director, Conductor, Teacher, Vocal Coach, Actor, Writer and Mentor and has worked across all facets of the performing arts both in Australia and internationally.
Recent credits as Musical Director include Girl From The North Country and A Christmas Carol starring David Wenham for which he won the Green Room Award for Best Musical Direction as well as Centrestage starring Marina Prior and Michael Cormick.
Andrew studied Acting at NIDA in 1984 and then, from 1988 to 1992, he was the resident singing teacher and music director at NIDA returning again as Head of Music from 2010 until 2021.
In 2001 Andrew was the Singing Coach and On Set Musical Director for Baz Luhrmann’s film Moulin Rouge!, a position that led to an ongoing collaboration with Nicole Kidman on the duet Somethin’ Stupid with Robbie Williams, and the films Cold Mountain and Nine.
Andrew enjoyed a long association with Barry Humphries, beginning as Musical Director for the Australasian tour of Look at Me When I’m Talking to You in 1993, which went on to tour Europe, the Middle East and Asia. He again joined Mr Humphries on stage for Remember You’re Out in 1999 and continued on to New York for the Broadway season Dame Edna: The Royal Tour which won a Tony Award in 2001. Andrew wrote material and performed with Mr Humphries on his national tour of Back To My Roots. He also co-wrote the hit Broadway show Dame Edna: Back with a Vengeance, which received a Tony Award nomination and the Australian and UK West End seasons of Eat, Pray, Laugh. Most recently, Andrew co-wrote Barry Humphries: The Man Behind The Mask and was Creative Director on Dame Edna: My Gorgeous Life.
Andrew has worked for most of the State Theatre companies and toured nationally as Manny (the Accompanist) in Master Class opposite both Robyn Nevin and Amanda Muggleton. He was assistant conductor/repetiteur for Cameron Mackintosh’s Sydney production of Miss Saigon, Musical Supervisor on the New Zealand tour of Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story and Musical Director for The Venetian Twins (GFO/QTC) directed by John Bell. Andrew was Musical Director for “The End Of The Rainbow” starring Caroline O’Connor as Judy Garland in Sydney, Melbourne and The Edinburgh Festival. Other shows as Musical Director or Musical Supervisor include Assassins, Sunday In The Park With George, The Light In The Piazza, Woyzeck, Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown, Next To Normal and he co-created Stranger I Am with Craig Ilott, iOTA and Caitlin Park.
As an accompanist, Andrew has played with many artists in concert and cabaret, both in Australia and New York, including Rachael Beck, Simon Burke, Dale Burridge, David Campbell, Michael Cormick, Peter Cousens, Maggie Dence, Tim Draxl, Stephen Fry, Nancye Hayes, Hugh Jackman, Maree Johnson, Maggie Kirkpatrick, Toni Lamond, Hugh Laurie, Genevieve Lemon, Marney McQueen, Caroline O’Connor, Philip Quast and Emma Thompson.
Adelaide Music Director: Peter Johns
Peter is an accomplished music theatre repertoire coach, music director, pit orchestra musician, production manager and stage manager with over 25 years of experience acrossmore than 80 productions. He is the is the Founder and Executive Producer of Irregular Productions and joined the teaching staff at Elder Conservatorium of Music in 2020.
As one of Elder Conservatorium Music Theatre’s resident Music Directors,credits include Into the Woods, Alice by Heart, Cabaret, Urinetown, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and first year Songs and Scenes projects.
Other music theatre credits include Music Director for Come From Away, Next to Normal, Mamma Mia, Beautiful, Violet, The Story Of My Life, The Light In The Piazza, A New Brain, Les Misérables, You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown, Into the Woods, Beauty and the Beast, Avenue Q, Bring It On, Fiddler on the Roof, Oliver!, Monty Python’s Spamalot, Chicago, Sweeney Todd, The Sound of Music, The Witches of Eastwick, Little Shop of Horrors, Seussical the Musical, Grease, Once Upon a Mattress; Associate Music Director for Kinky Boots; and Associate Conductor for City of Angels and RENT.
Peter is passionate about creating opportunities for performersof all levels of experience within the Adelaide community. He is the conductor for the Adelaide chapter of the Australian Music Theatre Choir – a dynamic ensemble providingopportunities for singers of all experience levels to sharpen their ensemble singing skills and perform with other passionate Music Theatre fans. Peter’s company Irregular Productions is the co-creator of Broadway Sessions, a monthly curated music theatre performance night(www.broadwaysessions.com.au). His company has also staged the South Australian premieres of Songs for a New World, [title of show], and Edges, as well as co-producing a new production of Godspell in partnership with Martin Cheney’s Lydian Productions.
Beyond music theatre, Peter is the music director of one ofAustralia’s largest candlelight Christmas events, Civic Park Carols, broadcast locally on Channel 9, where he has worked with artists including Rachel Beck, Justine Clarke, Guy Sebastian, Phil Burton, and Paulini.
Perth and Mandurah Music Director : Joshua Haines
Joshua’s most recent credits include performance seasons of In These Shoes (Sydney Fringe/Adelaide Fringe/Edinburgh Fringe), Mama Alto: Transcendent (Melbourne Recital Centre/Hayes Theatre Company/Afterdark Performance Lounge), and the Festival of Voices (Tasmania), as well as being resident musical director for the 2024 Perth International Cabaret Festival and She Loves Me (presented by Western Sky Projects) at Perth’s Liberty Theatre. As a composer and conductor, his compositions have been performed by both the West Australian Symphony Orchestra and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and his musical theatre works have seen premieres in America (New York City’s SoHo Playhouse 2022) and in the United Kingdom (Cadogan Hall 2019). Beginning in 2018, Joshua regularly conducts research studies within the Percy Grainger archives located at the University of Melbourne, with a focus on Australian cultural music. Since 2017, Joshua has been working extensively within the musical theatre department at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts as lecturer, coach and teacher to the Diploma and Bachelor students – a position which allows him to pursue his passion for showcasing and promoting new and original works created for the Australian stage.