Our People
Our Committee
VDB is governed by a passionate committee of volunteer directors.
We acknowledge the contributions and support of our past directors:
Christopher Lawrence (President 2016-23), Anna Cerneaz (Committee member 2016-19), Chrissie Berryman (Committee member 2016-18), Julia Fredersdorff (Vice President 2016-23), Dr Robert Gibson (Committee member 2016-23, Vice President 2023-24) and Varuni Kulasekera (Committee member 2021-23).
President - John Upcher
John has been a committee member of VDB since 2019 and became President in 2023. He has had a lifelong love of music and his interest in baroque music was heightened by being able to attend concerts by VDB in Hobart of such a high standard. John was a member of the board of directors of the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra from 2007 until 2016. He was a legal practitioner with the Hobart legal firm of Dobson, Mitchell & Allport from 1970 until 2012, an inaugural member of the Legal Profession Board, Chair of the Property Agents Board, and Chair of the Allport Library and Museum of Fine Arts Management Committee from 1997 to 2012. He has also been on the boards of a number of arts related organisations, including the Tasmanian Arts Advisory Board and the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery Foundation. John is delighted with the enthusiasm for baroque and cross-genre musical presentations that has been engendered by VDB, and in particular its engagement with Tasmanian regional communities and young people. That VDB has achieved a national profile in such a short period of time is also a reflection of its artistic excellence.
Treasurer - Tracy Matthews FAICD
As a full-time director and governance professional, Tracy has over 23 years of experience as a Non-Executive Director and over 33 years of experience as a Chartered Accountant, including executive and operational experience as CFO and CEO in the private sector. Tracy is a Facilitator with the Australian Institute of Company Directors and her not-for-profit and government board experience includes former Commodore of the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, Risk and Audit Committee Member for Department of State Growth and Investment Committee Member for TMAG. Tracy has been a member of the VDB Public Fund Committee since 2017 and joined the Committee in 2023. Tracy is delighted to be a part of the VDB team, supporting the delivery of artistic experiences to our community that are so uniquely Tasmanian. 📸 Image: Hobart Headshots
Vice President - Samuel Cairnduff
Samuel Cairnduff is passionate about leadership, audience development and communications in the arts and cultural sector. As a researcher and teaching associate in arts and cultural management, cultural and creative industries and media and communications at the University of Melbourne and Monash, Sam also contributes to Deakin’s Arts and Cultural Management and MBA programs. He is completing a PhD examining cultural leadership in Australian symphony orchestras and working on two books: one about the future of orchestras and another about contemporary approaches to cultural marketing. Sam has an extensive leadership career in the cultural sector. He ran his own production and communications company in London for 11 years before returning to Australia to take the Director of Marketing and Communications role at the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra (2017-2022). Since 2024, he has produced and presented the podcast Decoding Cultural Leadership, a series of compelling conversations with organisational leaders, creators, policy-makers and thought leaders. Sam has been a proud member of the VDB committee since 2019 and considers it a privilege to be part of a progressive, forward-thinking arts organisation that is making a profound impact in all its activities. 📸 Image: Caleb Miller
Secretary & Public Officer - Stephen Block
Hi, I’m Stephen Block and I’m thrilled to be part of the VDB team. I’m a graduate of Adelaide University, (Music/English). I have worked as an arts administrator for over forty years, having commenced my career in as Senior Project Officer to the precursor of Arts SA. I later became the first General Manger of the Australian String Quartet (1997 – 2007), where I developed the ASQ’s reputation and reach with a national and international touring program. One of my major legacies was to develop the organisation’s first philanthropy and sponsorship programs. I also and founded the first of the ASQ’s own festivals. Successive roles with the Tasmanian Symphony and the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra have further broadened my skills and experience and I currently have the honour to be the Artistic Director and General Manager of the Tasmanian Chamber Music Festival. Working with and supporting talented people is an enormous pleasure and reward, and that’s why I love my involvement with Julia and all the team at VDB.
Jane Haley OAM
Originally trained as a teacher, Jane Haley has worked in the arts all her life and all over Australia. She has expertise and experience in policy and strategy in government, education and community settings, the management of not-for-profit organisations, and corporate partnerships, philanthropic and donor relations. From 2015 – 2021 Jane was CEO of Ten Days on the Island, Tasmania’s biennial international arts festival. Prior to this role she worked as Strategic Adviser with the University of Tasmania. Jane was CEO of the Australia Business Arts Foundation (AbaF) from 2007 -2012, the inaugural Director of Artsupport Australia (a joint initiative of AbaF and the Australia Council) and, for three years, Senior Policy Adviser to Mary Delahunty, Victoria’s Minister for the Arts. Jane's arts management career encompasses a broad range of organisations including Arts Access Victoria, Queensland Theatre, the Arts Council of Australia (ACT), and Sidetrack Theatre in Sydney. She has directed policy and program initiatives for the Victorian government, Arts Queensland, the NSW Department of Education and numerous arts and cultural organisations. Jane’s keen interest in strengthening the creative and cultural sectors in Australia has led her to leadership positions with professional arts industry and advocacy bodies including ArtsPeak (the national peak body for arts service organisations), the Arts Industry Council of Victoria, and the Australian Institute of Arts Management. In 2024 Jane was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for her services to arts management in Australia as part of the Australia Day Honours. Jane loves VDB for its courage, passion and beauty. For her, VDB is quintessentially Tasmanian. 📸Image: Michelle Dupont
Annegret Ludwig
Annegret is a retired health professional with extensive experience navigating government and not-for-profit service environments. A physiotherapist by trade, she has worked in both private and public settings in Australia and the USA. Most recently this included Physiotherapy Discipline Lead with the Tasmanian Health Service. Annegret is an enthusiastic supporter of lutruwita/Tasmania's musical sector, and is thrilled to be directly involved in supporting VDB; world-class musicians enriching the lives of music lovers across the state and beyond by sharing diverse and innovative repertoire as well as being leaders in facilitating musicians professional development. In her spare time, Annegret can be found dabbling on timpani, wrangling her enthusiastic but not always well behaved dog, or travelling the world. Annegret joined the VDB Committee in 2024 and is also Chair of the Philanthropy Committee.
Board Intern - Katie Yap
My first tour with VDB was in 2018: La Danza with Catherine Jones as soloist. Since then, I've known that VDB is the kind of group that I want to be part of - musically, personally, and professionally. I am always struck by the way Julia (and now Jenn as well) has run the group with artistic integrity, imagination, and an expansive approach to cross-genre and cross-cultural collaborations, showing that period music doesn't just have to be an examination of the past - it exists vitally here and now, and continues to have vibrant conversations across borders and languages into the future. At Van Diemen's Band, people are treated like people (something that is sadly not so common in our industry). Good humour, top-quality artistry, and commitment to our audiences all across lutruwita/Tassie are all hallmarks of Van Diemen's Band, and I feel very lucky to be a part of it. 📸 Image: Albert Comper
Our Public Fund Committee
VDB's Public Fund is overseen by a generous trio of volunteers:
Chair Chrissie Berryman
Members Dr Fay Johnston, Tracy Matthews
Our Philanthropy Committee
VDB's Philanthropy Committee is made up of:
Chair Annegret Ludwig
Members Jeff Compton, Vacant
Our Management Team
Artistic Director Julia Fredersdorff
Executive Director Jennifer Kerr
Artistic Coordinator Katie Yap
Our Consultants
Bookkeeping, BAS and Xero Orange Trunk Consulting
Audit Services Bentleys Tasmania
Design and Brand Megan Perkins
Website Studio Bravo!
Photography Albert Comper Photography
Thankyou
Van Diemen’s Band would like to thank the following people for their in-kind support and invaluable help:
Stephen Block
Catherine Jones
Chrissie Berryman
Giulia Panzeri
Anna Cerneaz
Lizzy Welsh
Robert Gibson
Dr Rosalind Halton
Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
Dr David Irving
Sam Cairnduff
Rob Dyball
Caterina Collier
Russell Kenery
Christopher Lawrence
Dr Marie-Louise Catsalis
Andrew Nolan
John McCallum
Rod Collins
Veronika Vincze
Ray Joyce
Garry Billing
Elaine Rushbrooke
Anna Bateman
Ciara Nicholls
Hugh Hamilton
QVMAG
Caroline Sharpen
Simon Rogers
Graeme Wood
Julie Hawkins
Robin Hodgson