The musicians and staff of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra were greatly saddened to learn of the death of John Galloway Painter AM on Saturday 13 September 2025.
John was a hugely significant figure in Australian music in the second half of the twentieth century, serving in the Cello section of the Sydney Symphony (1954–1965, and Principal from 1960), founding the Australian Chamber Orchestra in 1975 and later directing the Sydney Conservatorium of Music (1982–1985) and Canberra School of Music (1985–1995).
John was also at various times involved with the Australia Council for the Arts, Musica Viva Australia, the Victorian Institute of Colleges, the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) and the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM).
His connection to and influence on several generations of musicians was profound, whether as performer, administrator, teacher, union advocate or as the head of major institutions.
Born in Adelaide on 28 September 1932, Painter demonstrated musical talent early, winning a two-year scholarship to study with Harold Parsons at Adelaide’s Elder Conservatorium at the age of 12. The following year, in just his fourth year of learning cello, John was offered a position in the South Australian (now Adelaide) Symphony Orchestra – and also managed to convince his father and headmaster to cover-up the fact that he had left school before the legal age!
A restless student, John left the Elder Conservatorium without completing the final year of his degree and moved to Sydney in 1949, spending 18 months studying with Laurie Kennedy and working in nightclubs and dancehalls. But in 1950, still only 18, John was offered the role of Principal Cello back in Adelaide, where he also won the ABC’s Concerto & Vocal Competition.
In 1954 he moved back to Sydney to join the Sydney Symphony Orchestra where he remained for a little more than a decade, rising to Associate Principal and ultimately Principal from 1960. These were busy years for the Orchestra: still under management of the ABC the musicians (especially Principals) had busy schedules, performing in up to 160 concerts a year as well as recording for ABC radio in their ‘free time’. Painter was also lecturing part-time at the Sydney Conservatorium.
There were highlights too, chief among them the 1961 tour of Australia by Igor Stravinsky and his amanuensis Robert Craft. Nearly 80 years old, Stravinsky was unquestionably the most famous composer in the world at the time and his concerts in Sydney and Melbourne were met with rapturous applause, and Painter was front and centre as Principal Cello.
John left the Sydney Symphony in 1965 but his influence on music in Australia would only grow in the years to come. In 1966 he established the Sydney String Quartet together with Robert Pikler, Harry Curby (later Carl Pini) and Robert Ingram. His role at the Sydney Conservatorium expanded rapidly, appointed Head of the String Department in 1972, Deputy Director in 1974 and ultimately Director from 1982–85.
In 1974, driven by a desire for young professionals to refine their musicianship by repeated performances of the same program and touring to different venues around the country – and to create a smaller, focused ensemble that would drive higher musical standards across the country – John formed the Australian Chamber Orchestra. John led the ACO’s first performance in the Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House on 21 November 1975 and remained with the ensemble for a decade; it’s continued success is a testament to the solid foundation that he built.
John moved from the Conservatorium in Sydney to the Canberra School of Music in 1985, leading it for a decade and growing its reputation to be the leading music school in the country, after which he served as Director of the Australian Institute of Music (AIM) in Sydney from 1997-2003.
He was also a driving force behind the eventual establishment of the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) in 1996, a judge of the Sydney International Piano Competition, Chair of adjudicators for the Australian Cello Awards, board member and Deputy Chairman (1978-84) of Musica Viva Australia. He eventually retired in Canberra where he remained deeply engaged in the capital’s music scene, including serving on the board of the Canberra Symphony Orchestra.
In recognition of his incredible contribution to Australian music, John was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1981 and received the Sir Bernard Heinze Memorial Award in 2002.
For much of his life John formed a formidable double act with Lois Simpson. Lois became the youngest female musician ever in the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in 1940, aged just 13. She left in 1944 but returned in 1953, and remained with the Orchestra for more than 30 years, much of that as Principal Cello.
Lois and John married in 1962, and their partnership was total. Lois joined John as a founding member of the ACO, and when they moved to Canberra in 1985 Lois took over the chamber music program at the School of Music throughout John’s directorship.
When she died in 2008, David Marr wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald that ‘Simpson was birdlike, glamorous and self-deprecating but a prize fighter in the cause of music. She was not afraid to throw her tiny weight around and there are many, mostly men, who underestimated her at their peril. She knew only one way—the right way—and not just on stage. Things had to be as perfect as practice and impeccable taste could make them’.
John and Lois’ influence is still felt in today’s Sydney Symphony Orchestra, with many of our musicians having been taught by them or performed alongside them.
Anne-Louise Comerford, Associate Principal Emeritus Viola and a founding member of the Australian Chamber Orchestra, writes:
‘John was a great player and a great administrator, pushing through all kinds of red tape to make things happen. His advocacy advanced music in this country to an enormous degree and he made the road to the profession so much easier for all of us than it would have been without him.’
Principal Cello Catherine Hewgill writes:
‘John was a true visionary and so dedicated to the future of young musicians in this country. I sat on the adjudication panel with him for the Australian Cello Awards and found him to be charming, respectful, extremely knowledgeable, kind and humorous, all at the same time.
I certainly feel very honoured to be sitting in the chair at the Sydney Symphony that he once occupied. He was a leader in every way – a strong and caring man whose legacy will certainly remain with us for many years to come.’
Susanne Powell, the Orchestra’s Guest Principal Piano and Celeste since 2011, writes:
‘John had a profound influence on my life from when I was 15 until the week before he died.
John was wise, had the highest standards and a subtle and gentle sense of humour that put people at ease. He was intimidating until you knew him, then he was warm and supportive.
An impeccable musician, a beautiful cellist, he was always the most incredible mentor – encouraging all those who were fortunate enough to come in contact with him to reach for the stars.
His musical and personal partnership with the brilliant SSO cellist, Lois Simpson, sustained him until her death in 2008. They were considered by many as the King and Queen of Australian music and his legacy can still be felt and heard in the SSO today.
What is remarkable is the influence he had on all sections of the orchestra over a period of decades because of his extraordinary musicianship and generosity.
Musicians of his calibre are rare indeed.’
Mary Vallentine AO, Managing Director of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra from 1986-2003, writes:
John was an inspirational musician and leader who was passionate about the training of young musicians. Musicians from Sydney Conservatorium and Canberra School Music where John was Director perform in symphony orchestras throughout Australia. His great legacy is as founder of the Australian Chamber Orchestra now celebrating its 50th anniversary season.
Kim Williams AM, Chairman of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation:
John Painter was a true citizen of music.
Our thoughts are with John’s partner Renée Goossens, his sons Ashley and Jamie and stepsons Greg and Martin Pikler. A tribute concert for John will take place at 3pm on 12 October at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.