Biography of Hilary Kleinig - the Zephyr Quartet

Hilary Kleinig

Hilary plays cello, baroque cello and viola da gamba and has studied in Australia at the Elder Conservatorium with Niall Brown and Janis Laurs and in the UK with Anna Shuttleworth and Alison Crumb.

Hilary has worked in live and recorded performance as a freelance musician and in orchestras for opera, ballet and musicals as well as for chamber ensembles such as Syntony, Adelaide Baroque, Adelaide Chamber Singers and the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra. As a long standing member of the Elder New Music Ensemble she has played at the Adelaide and Barossa Festivals, created a music theatre work with Jo Dudley and was invited by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies to perform at the St Magna Festival in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, 2002.

Hilary is passionate about promoting contemporary Australian music and in 2003 presented a cello and piano recital for the Barossa Music Festival featuring works by Adelaide composers. She also composes music for film, dance, theatre and ensembles. Her composition “Fill me” was selected by New Internationalist Magazine as part of the Peace Not War compilation and she has written music for Freshbred, SA’s youth dance ensemble, and for the Restless Dance Company.

Hilary holds the positions of creative director for the newly formed association C.O.M.A (Creative Original Music Adelaide) and as Ménage Coordinator for South Australia for Musica Viva Australia. She also a highly regarded teacher of cello and ensemble.