Patrick Brennan is Musical Director for Opera in the Arboretum and Artistic Director/CEO of the Central Coast Conservatorium of Music. Patrick will conduct the Central Coast Chamber Orchestra at OITA 2020.

Patrick Brennan holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Before becoming a conductor he worked as a professional bassoonist performing with Australia’s leading orchestras for more than 15 years.
 
As a music educator Patrick has worked within the Department of Education Arts Unit, in government and non-government schools as well as in tertiary institutions, including the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and the Newcastle Conservatorium of Music. He was also the NSW representative of the Bassoon syllabus for the Australian Music Examinations Board and in 2018 was invited to speak in Richard Gill’s place as the Keynote Speaker for the Music Teachers’ Association of NSW annual conference.
 
In 2020 Patrick was delighted to be selected to gain further professional development as one of Australia’s emerging conductors, through the Australian Conducting Academy. This took place with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra under the expert mentorship of Maestro Johannes Fritzsch.
 
Patrick has held the Artistic Directorship of the Central Coast Conservatorium since 2012. This position was elevated to that of Artistic Director and CEO in 2014. Through his leadership of close to seventy teaching staff the Conservatorium delivers excellence in comprehensive music education and performance to more than 1,500 students on a weekly basis.
 
Patrick’s inspirational approach and passion for collaborative music education projects led to the formation of Central Coast Opera which has now delivered full scale productions of The Magic Flute (2016), Carmen (2017) and La Boheme (2018). He is currently the Musical Director for the Central Coast Youth Orchestra, Central Coast Concert Band, Central Coast Symphonic Wind Orchestra and in 2019 was delighted to be handed the Musical Directorship of the Central Coast Philharmonia Choir.
 
Patrick is also the Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Northern Sydney Symphonic Wind Ensemble (NSSWE) and 2017 bolstered the educational output of NSSWE by creating the NSSWE Plus program that now offers weekly professional development for tertiary music students, focusing on best practice in pedagogy and conducting. Through the Association of NSW Regional Conservatoriums he has delivered incredible performance projects for regional students with some of the world’s greatest orchestras including the London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Staatskapelle Berlin and the Australian World Orchestra. 
 
In his capacity as a conductor and music educator, Patrick has created and developed a number of cornerstone organisations including the Northern Sydney Schools Wind Orchestra, Northern Sydney Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Central Coast Opera and Regional Youth Orchestra NSW.