Max Olding and Pamela Page - Max Olding

Max Olding

Maxwell Charles Olding AM was born on 4 July 1929. His career has embraced conducting symphonic, choral, operatic and theatre works as well as teaching, administration and as organist and choirmaster. In 1950, at age 21, he was appointed an Australian Music Examinations Board (AMEB) Examiner. He won the Commonwealth final of the 1952 ABC’s Concerto Competition.

He began his tertiary teaching career at the University of Melbourne Conservatorium. He was an adjudicator at the 1952 City of Sydney Eisteddfod and has since adjudicated at most of Australia’s major music competitions, has chaired many of them and has acted as external examiner for higher degrees at the Universities of Melbourne, Western Australia, Tasmania, Queensland, Southern Queensland and Queensland University of Technology (QUT).

In 1952 he was a state finalist in the ABC Concerto and Vocal Competition.

He has held senior teaching and administrative positions in the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University (Deputy Director and Principal Lecturer in Piano); QUT (Acting Head and Senior Lecturer); and City University of New York (Visiting Professor).

He is a Patron of the Music Teachers Association of Queensland, the Piano Tuners and Technicians Guild and is a Fellow of the Queensland Conservatorium. He has given many master classes and seminars nationally and internationally.

He is Deputy Chair and Principal Examiner (Instrumental) for the AMEB in Queensland. In recent years he has also worked extensively in Southeast Asia and New Zealand for the Board in examining and promotional activities.

Max Olding has held positions as President of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra Society and Deputy Chair of the Brisbane Institute of Art. He is Patron of the Queensland Piano Tuners and Technicians Guild and is a Life Member of the Queensland Accompanists Guild.

He is a Churchill Fellow.