Melissa Barnard

Melissa Barnard is a professional cellist and occasional writer who lives in the northern Illawarra with her partner, daughter and two dogs. She performs and tours widely within Australia and internationally as a full-time musician of the Australian Chamber Orchestra, and lived in London, Boston and New York before returning to Sydney to join the ACO. She loves the peaceful atmosphere of the escarpment and nearby beaches here, and the relaxed, diverse artistic community. In 2021 Melissa helped create the Scarborough ArtBook to showcase visual artists of the local area and she is currently on the volunteer organising team for the Scarborough ArtShow, which for 25 years has been bringing local artists and the wider community together to raise funds for Scarborough Public School. Melissa has also written travel pieces for coffee and lifestyle magazines in NZ and Australia, and short pieces on music for ACO publicity. She dreams of more time to read, write and do yoga but enjoys the contrast of travelling and playing concerts in major cities and then coming home to this quieter part of the coast to breathe again.