GRAHAM COX

Graham Cox began his career as an accompanist… to himself, as a 9 year old Probationer with the Australian Boys Choir.

Did Max Reeder and VJ Kelly have a vision then that the precocious young boy from Burwood would go on to a musical career that would span the globe? Graham is not convinced, however his first mentors seemed happy to indulge the talented youngster.

“I used to cheat as an accompanist,” he confided. “I would learn the melody by ear then improvise the harmonies.”

Graham is now a highly respected and sought after repetiteur based in Berlin, coaching and accompanying both established and rising opera stars. He guests regularly at the Flemish Opera and his ‘holidays’ are spent on the Greek Isles, running international clinics for talented young opera singers, or running diverse music programs on board a cruise ship. He is accomplished on the piano, synthesiser and harpsichord and has toured Europe as a concert organist, but abandoned a career as the latter because “it was much more fun working with singers”.

Graham first conducted the ABC performing madrigals at the age of 13 and was clearly a very talented musician. However, when his voice changed at the age of 14, he thought he might pursue a career as a vet or a journalist. But in 1968, VJ Kelly asked Graham to accompany the ABC on tour. And get paid for it.

“When I got that first pay cheque, I realised I could have a career as a musician,” he recalls.

Graham was on the staff of the ABC when VJ Kelly died and, at just 19 years old, he helped lead the choir until the Board appointed Geoffrey Jones as the Musical Director. “They thought I was too young for the role,” he mused.

Since then, the common thread throughout Graham’s career, aside from his prodigious talent, has been his uncanny ability to be in the right place at the right time.

“I became the first ever full time repetiteur with the Victorian State Opera Company following a chance meeting with the Director, Richard Divall, in my favourite Lygon Street pizzeria. And I was offered the position of organist at St Francis’ after having a beer with Roger Heagney, then music director at St Francis’ and also a conductor of the Australian Boys Choir, whilst at the choir music camp in Bowral in 1971.“

Just a dash of serendipity!

www.grahamcox.de