John Foreman is a producer, conductor, pianist, musical director and composer. 

John started tickling Bert Newton’s ivories on Good Morning Australia when he was 19. Twelve years and more than three thousand musical performances later, John joined Australian Idol as musical director in 2003. John produced many albums and singles for Idol artists, including Guy Sebastian’s Climb Every Mountain and Anthony Callea’s multi-platinum single, The Prayer, which became the highest and fastest selling Australian single. John has also produced recordings for Marcia Hines, Greta Bradman, Ricki-Lee and Silvie Paladino. His own album, No Jivin’ released in the early nineties, was nominated for both an APRA and ARIA-award. John produced Anthony Callea’s 2017 album, ARIA Number 1 Hits in Symphony, orchestrating for and conducting the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

Professor Brydie-Leigh Bartleet is an Australian Research Council Future Fellow at the Creative Arts Research Institute, Griffith University (Australia). She is a dynamic research leader, award-winning educator, respected community collaborator, and arts sector advocate. Over the past 20 years, her work has advanced our understanding of the cultural, social, economic, and educational benefits of music and the arts in First Nations’ Communities, prisons, war affected cities, educational and industry contexts. Her research is known for its innovation, interdisciplinarity, and commitment to cross-sector partnerships, and has connected music research and practice with areas as diverse as social inequality, regional development, criminology and corrections, health equity, and human rights.

Jessie Lloyd is an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Songkeeper. Founder of the award-winning Missions Songs Project and recently released Ailan Songs Project, Jessie is a cultural practitioner of Indigenous music and is dedicated to the continuation of song traditions. Her mission is to produce, perform and progress Australian Indigenous music through innovative concepts, collaborative projects and cultural practice. As a musician and educator, she takes people on a profoundly-moving musical journey into the depths and diversity of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, history and identity, working towards positive and progressive social opportunities, values and attitudes.