Dr Kristina Kelman Voice and Piano Studio

Kristina Kelman has been gracing Australian stages for nearly 30 years. She began her career in the early 90s touring internationally with Brisbane’s beloved jazz vocal ensemble SCAT! before appearing with some of Brisbane’s best blues and funk bands to large festival audiences and corporate events. In the last couple of years, Kristina has been fronting various big bands up and down the east coast, entertaining audiences with her love for the swing era. Over the course of her career, Kristina has performed with Australian musical legends, including Don Burrows and Galapagos Duck, and supported artists such as Marcia Hines, Glen Shorrock, Peter Cupples, Vince Jones, Grace Knight, and Tina Arena. In 2015, Kristina was commissioned by Rhondalay Music (USA) to produce a Christmas album in tribute to the late Frank Pooler, who was most notable for his work discovering and producing The Carpenters. Holding a PhD in music entrepreneurship, Kristina is also an academic, currently an associate professor in music at the Queensland University of Technology, in Brisbane, Australia, where she also heads up Vermilion Records, one of Australia’s first student-run record labels, developing fresh new talent each year. Her research focuses on the education of the aspiring professional. Her book, Music Entrepreneurship: Professional Learning in Schools and the Industry was published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2020. She still enjoys teaching contemporary voice, having received her masters in vocal pedagogy at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, Australia, in 2000. She has spent 30+ years teaching piano and holds a bachelor of music in classical piano and her AMusA pianoforte. She has taken many students through to diploma level throughout her career. Before she became a university academic, Kristina spent 20 years working in head of department positions in top high school music programs including being the founding teacher at the QLD academy for creative industries (QACI). She has also enjoyed conducting many award winning choirs over her time in schools. She still enjoys invitations to run workshops and masterclasses today.