Mairi’s long and distinguished career as a broadcaster began in Sydney in 1978. As a child she fell in love with music, hearing her mother playing violin and piano, and classical music on the radio at home in New Zealand.
She studied piano and voice at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music whilst training as a high school music teacher but, after volunteer shifts at 2MBS-FM, she auditioned successfully for the ABC and the rest is history.
In Sydney, Mairi co-hosted Behind the News and A World of Music on ABC TV, hosted In Tempo (the forerunner of Radio National’s The Music Show) and her own radio Interview program. She presented numerous concerts at the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Town Hall, the Art Gallery of NSW and hosted the Sydney International Piano Competition through the 1980s. Mairi also hosted in-flight video and audio programs for major airlines.
Highlights of her BBC career in the 1990s were hosting Radio 4’s long-running Woman’s Hour and the Drive Show on Radio 3. She also hosted BBC Proms and compered the Leeds International Piano Competition. Mairi toured as host broadcaster with the BBC Philharmonic on tours to Europe and the USA.
Based in Melbourne since 1998, Mairi has built a close a close partnership with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO), hosting concerts, giving pre-concert talks and interviews, writing musician profiles and touring twice to Europe with the orchestra. She loves hosting the MSO’s annual Myer Music Bowl concerts.
Since broadcasting the opening of the Melbourne Recital Centre in 2009, Mairi has regularly compered broadcasts, concerts, competitions including the Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition, and fundraisers. Her work for Opera Australia includes hosting both Melbourne Ring Cycles. She’s also coached singers and musicians from the Melba Trust, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Australian Chamber Orchestra and Australian National Academy of Music in media studies.
For ABC Classic, she was the long-time host of Strike Up the Band, and the interview shows: Music Makers and Legends. She is also the presenter of the long-running Opera Show and curated the playlist for the Opera Show double CD in 2011.
Since 2008 Mairi has ‘lived the dream’, combining her twin loves of music and travel, leading annual music and opera tours to Europe and the USA.
Mairi says “I get my greatest satisfaction from promoting musicians and sharing the magic they make with as many people as possible.”
Whether you are a long-time supporter or discovering us for the first time, we hope these programme notes add a little colour and context to the music you are about to hear — or are considering coming to hear.
Was there ever such a thing as ‘The Age of Sentiment’? Well, the Allegri Singers’ next concert may go some way towards answering the question.
When Rob Berry walks into the studio at Orange Community Radio, he brings with him the kind of easy enthusiasm that makes you feel like you’ve known him for years. Rob is a member of the Allegri Singers, the Bathurst-based choir that has been delighting audiences across the Central West for over four decades.
Bringing together three of Australia’s distinctive choral voices for A Choral Kaleidoscope — a collaborative concert that showcases the breadth and variety of choral music performed across New South Wales. The event will feature the Allegri Singers together with the Orange Male Voice Choir and the Australian Rugby Choir, each group bringing its own history, repertoire, and character to the programme.
The Allegri Singers are gearing up for an exciting and ambitious year in 2026, with a program that celebrates both community and artistry. Here’s what’s on the horizon.
