Brian Stacey was born in Sydney, Australia. He entered the New South Wales Conservatorium of Music in 1964, graduating with a Bachelor of Music in 1967. In 1968 he married Monica Cunningham and had two daughters, Melinda Ann (1972) and Nicole Maree (1974). He was employed as director of music, Southern Cross University (formerly Northern Rivers College of Advanced Education, Lismore). He then studied for a master's degree in Music at the Queensland Conservatorium, studying with Australian composer Colin Brumby.[1] In 1986 he began his relationship with Kathryn Sadler, with whom he would remain until his death.
His career highlights included: music director of the Australian Ballet, resident conductor for the Victoria State Opera, guest conductor with The Australian Opera, and regular appearances with the opera companies of South Australia, West Australia, and Auckland (New Zealand). Stacey was a protégé of the Australian conductor Sir Charles Mackerras, studying with and assisting him in the early 1980s, and in 1995 assisting him again on a production of Janáček's Káťa Kabanová with Opera Australia.
Awarded The Age Performing Arts Award for Best Musical Director 1995[6]
Death
A photo of seat S10 at Melbourne's State Theatre dedicated to the memory of Brian Stacey
Brian Stacey died in Carlton, Melbourne, on 25 October 1996, the night before the premiere of Sunset Boulevard, due to a motorcycle accident. Stacey was survived by his partner Kathryn Sadler, and his daughters, Melinda and Nicole.[7]
Andrew Lloyd Webber described Stacey's death as "a loss to the world of music theatre, not just Australia".[8]
Brian Stacey Memorial Trust Award for emerging Australian conductors
The Brian Stacey Memorial Trust was launched at the Princess Theatre, Melbourne, in 1997 (on the first anniversary of his death). The Brian Stacey Memorial Trust Fund serves to commemorate Stacey's life and work and his contribution to musical life.
The Fund's purpose was to provide support to emerging conductors in Australia who wished to enhance their conducting skills, in particular by exploring performance genres outside their normal field of work. The final award of $10,000 from the Trust was awarded to Toby Thatcher to enable him to continue further study of the conducting profession and an opportunity to broaden his repertoire knowledge.
