Gillian Wills

Gillian Wills was born in London and studied piano and classical guitar at the Royal Academy of Music.   In 1991, she was awarded an Honorary Associate of the Royal Academy of Music for distinguished services to the music profession.  Before relocating to Australia Gillian contributed to the Times Educational Supplement and wrote a book, Make It Sound (Oxford University Press).

For nine years, she was Dean of Music at the Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne. In this position, she was a member of several international review panels including the University of Western Australia, the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, the Melba Conservatorium of Music, The Australian Institute of Music, The Queensland Conservatorium of Music and the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts.

Since moving to Brisbane, she has lectured at Griffith University and been a music lecturer at Creative Industries at the Queensland University of Technology, a consultant for the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, the Australian Music Association and The Jazz Institute.

In 2007, as a weekly broadcaster for the 4MBS Saturday show Preview and Review Gillian interviewed Australian and International musicians and reviewed concerts, CDs and books.  Currently, she gives pre-concert talks for the Australian Chamber Orchestra and Musica Viva.

Since 2001, she has been a regular contributor to the Courier Mail’s Arts Section and is the Brisbane based music reviewer for The Australian.  She has also reviewed books for The Weekend Review, The Courier Mail’s ETC, The ABR and Limelight, and written travel stories for NEXT (NZ), The Courier Mail, The NSW Traveller Magazine, Queensland Tourism and The Retiree.

For The Courier Mail, The Strad (UK), Musical Opinion (UK), Limelight (ABC), Honestly Woman, Music In Action, The Campus Review, Music Forum and Morning Calm Korean Inflight Magazine she has written profiles and feature stories.

In 2012, Gillian launched her own blog, Wills Words Blog - The Writings of Gillian Wills.

Articles by Gillian Wills

Christoph Eschenbach and the Vienna Philharmonic visit Brisbane

Gillian Wills reports from the Australian Fesival of Chamber Music

Gillian Wills talks to conductor Muhai Tang

Two piano recitals in Brisbane

Gillian Wills was at Australia's Bangalow Music Festival

Gillian Wills talks to conductor Sebastian Lang-Lessing in the context of the recent Mendelssohn Festival in Hobart, Tasmania