Article supplied by Music Australia as part of our classical music partnership.

To decide to pack up one’s belongings and ‘go bush’ is uniquely Aussie, and doing just that has become a way of life for an increasing number of classical musicians who choose to do the ‘rural circuit’ in preference to concertising solely in the city. Surprisingly, many of them are cellists. Whether it is regional community halls, outback pubs, shearing sheds, or even on the beach, they are finding that playing to small audiences in far-flung areas can be a life changing journey all of its own.

‘Have cello, will travel’: this has become the motto for a string of outstanding cellists in this country. First came ‘the Barefoot Cellist’, Christine Jackson. UK-born, she was hailed as a successor to Jacqueline Du Pré and left principal positions in a succession of leading British orchestras to eventually settle in Far North Queensland, where she started a new life performing in local and remote communities. “Through music I’ve managed to see more places in the world than most people ever dream of,” she remarked. Sadly this much admired musician – who did actually perform in bare feet...