Vanessa Hughes is a broadcaster, presenting Classic Drive and the Classic Choir Hour on ABC Classic. She was raised on the music of the Czech masters, thanks to her grandmother’s excellent record collection and fell in love with choral music after a visit to the local library resulted in her borrowing a rather exotic-looking disc of Palestrina masses. She has been a choir nerd ever since. Having acquired a law degree, Vanessa decided it was useless and went into radio instead, where she has advocated for ethnic and gender diverse composers and a better funded Australian arts industry. Before moving to ABC Classic, Vanessa worked at ABC Radio Sydney.  In her spare time, Vanessa helps run Inner West Voices, a strictly non-auditioned community choir based in Sydney and volunteers for the Radio Reading Network.

Born in 1961, David Drury is well known to Australian audiences as an organist, continuo player, choral conductor and composer of choral music.

A graduate of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, he is only Australian to win the ‘Tournemire prize’ for improvisation at the St Alban’s International Organ Competition (1987). He has been organist at Christ Church St Laurence, Director of Music at St James’ King Street and Director of Music at St Paul’s College at Sydney University.

He has toured England, France, Germany, Canada, USA and New Zealand as a recitalist, and concerto soloist with many Australian orchestras and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. He plays regularly with the Sydney Symphony and choral and instrumental ensembles.

David has recorded four solo compact discs as well as appearing on numerous recordings with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and other groups.

In 2025 and 2026 he toured the UK, Paris and Italy as organist with a number of Australian choirs and also gave a recital at La Madeleine in Paris.

As well as organist and composer at St Paul’s College, David is also organist at St Benedict’s Church, Broadway and ‘Organist in residence’ at Newcastle Cathedral.