The committee is:
Andrew Butt
Marike Van Dijk
Andrew Garton
Samuel Irwin-Hogarth
Cassie Whitehead
With the inception of a new committee formed under the initial guidance and support of founding Artistic Director Lynette Irwin (vale), BIJF will move into the future with a sustainable structure that is deeply entrenched in the local, Australia-wide, and international jazz scene.
Andrew Butt
Dr. Andrew Butt (interstate acts, educational programs, production) has been prominent on the Australian Music scene as a performer for over 30 years, being a winner and multiple finalist of the Queensland Music Awards. Other accolades include a Churchill Fellowship and performing as a jazz soloist with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra. He leads Andrew Butt Trio +, an ensemble that has been regularly featured on radio, major venues and festivals across the world including the Wangaratta Festival of Jazz, Le Baiser Salé Paris, iF Jazz Café Budapest, Tanks Arts Centre Cairns and the Paris Cat Jazz Club Melbourne.
In 2011 Andrew was awarded an Australian Society of Music Educators (ASME) Special Commendation Award by the Hon Peter Garrett AM for his contribution to Music Education. He is widely respected in the national music community being a past and present member of numerous advisory boards including the Queensland Conservatorium – Griffith University, Australian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (ACARA), Australian Music Examinations Board (AMEB) and the Jazz Music Institute.
Marike van Dijk
Marike van Dijk (international acts, fundraising, strategy) is a Dutch saxophonist and composer, based in New York for several years while completing her 2nd master’s degree at New York University. Relocating to Brisbane, Australia for a PhD in composition at the University of Queensland, Marike has an extensive network in the international jazz scene. Having released several albums and toured internationally, curating festivals, and collaborating with musicians and artists from different disciplines, her artistic signature is adventurous. Large scale projects have led her to become an experienced producer, booker, manager, and grant writer.
Andrew Garton
Andrew Garton (Queensland acts, financial analyst) is a Brisbane based saxophone player, composer and arranger. Andrew studied the saxophone and composition under the guidance of Tony Hobbs from 1999 to 2003. In 2017 he completed his Master of Music Research at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music. Andrew has been a highly active member of the Brisbane jazz scene, performing and organising events for the past 20 years. Additionally, Andrew’s undergraduate study was in the field of mathematics, and he has spent 15 years working within the Queensland Treasury and Justice departments in various research and statistical analysis roles.
Samuel Irwin-Hogarth
Samuel Irwin-Hogarth (Production, communications, public relations) has been part of the local jazz scene in Brisbane for over a decade as a musician and in professional capacities for the Brisbane International Jazz Festival, Pinnacles Music and Jazz Queensland. In working for the BIJF Samuel has worked in artist management, ticketing and media communications and has represented the BIJF in matters pertaining to talent scouting, liaising with artists and other professionals both domestically and abroad.
Cassie Whitehead
Cassie Stella Whitehead (marketing, publicity), Quandamooka Ngugi descendant from Mulgumpin (Moreton Island QLD) is a saxophone specialist, arts marketer, multi-instrumentalist performer and educator. She holds a Bachelor of Music from Griffith University Queensland Conservatorium of Music, Master of Business (Marketing) from University of Queensland, has also studied at New York University and has won the Magnetic Island Jazz Festival Award. Aside from being a sought after saxophonist within the Brisbane jazz scene, she has regularly toured internationally and nationally and recorded with a range of artists as a session musician/horn arranger in many genres. Her songwriting, recording and horn arrangement credits include many chart topping singles and albums with her band Paua, including charting in the Top 100 in New Zealand. She has extensive experience in artist management, tour and festival booking, marketing, and publicity.
