The Fiona Burnett Band

The Fiona Burnett Band is an exciting ensemble project featuring virtuosic and lyrical soloists performing contemporary popular music, jazz standards and original works.

Based on Burnett’s album release Imagine on the ABC Jazz label, the band pays tribute to many well-known songs from the canon of popular music through reimagined interpretations of familiar melodies.

Bringing together a dynamic line-up of Fiona Burnett (saxophone), Mina Yu (piano), Christopher Hale (bass) and Rease Cameron (Sydney) (drums), the group delivers a fresh and engaging live experience.

“In concert, the transforming fire of Burnett’s imagination is like lava.”
— DownBeat, USA

FIONA BURNETT — SAXOPHONE

Fiona Burnett has decades of experience bandleading and forging new creative ground as a performer and composer. Her first major performance was at the Sydney Domain at age 14 in a group led by renowned percussionist Greg Sheehan.

At 21, she founded her groundbreaking all-female group Morgana, recognised for its trailblazing contribution to jazz and women in music. Since then, Burnett has led many projects ranging from large ensembles with orchestration and strings to quartets, trios, duos and solo performances.

She has released nine albums, including four on the ABC label, and has been the recipient of numerous arts grants. She has also held a seat on the Music Board of the Australia Council for the Arts, appointed by the Federal Arts Minister.

A passionate advocate for gender equity in jazz, Burnett is also a respected music educator and currently serves as Coordinator of Secondary and VCE Music at Melbourne Rudolf Steiner School.

She holds a PhD from the University of Melbourne, studying the works of J.S. Bach and John Coltrane, and is recognised internationally for her highly energised, virtuosic soloing and soaring, melodic improvisations on the soprano saxophone.

MINA YU — PIANO

Based in Melbourne, pianist and composer Mina Yu relocated from New York City after seven years of performing and studying in the USA. She has appeared at prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall, Columbia University and New York Live Arts, and has toured internationally across South Korea, Australia, England and Switzerland.

Since settling in Melbourne, Mina has performed at leading venues and festivals including Melbourne Recital Centre, Arts Centre Melbourne, NGV, Jazzlab, Paris Cat Jazz Club and the Melbourne International Jazz Festival. She also served as music director and pianist for K-pop star Tae Woo Kim’s Melbourne concert.

Active across classical, jazz and contemporary music scenes, Mina has contributed to award-winning albums such as The Shape of Jazz (ZEDSIX) and Without Within (Richard Pavlidis).

Mina teaches at the University of Melbourne (VCA) and Monash College and is an AMEB examiner. She has also been an artist-in-residence for Berklee’s Inspire program and holds music degrees from Berklee College of Music and the Manhattan School of Music.

CHRISTOPHER HALE — ACOUSTIC BASS GUITAR

Christopher Hale has been called “one of the most unique and respected musicians in Australia” (Glam Adelaide), an “unconventional virtuoso of the bass guitar” (The Age), and “an Australian jazz heavyweight and a brilliant, groundbreaking composer” (Rhythms Magazine).

Raised on Brazilian and Afro-Cuban music, as well as flamenco, Hale has long immersed himself in diverse musical traditions, shaping a deeply personal approach to jazz and improvisation.

He has performed with Sting, Jamey Haddad, Jim Black, Virgil Donati, Jo Lawry, Bae Il Dong, Brad Shepik and Jojo Mayer, among many others. A central figure in the Australian scene, he regularly collaborates with Andrea Keller, Julien Wilson, Paul Grabowsky, Scott Tinkler, Simon Barker, Jamie Oehlers and Gian Slater.

Hale received an Australia Council Fellowship in 2004 and the prestigious Freedman Fellowship for Jazz in 2012—Australian music’s “genius grant” (Music Forum). He holds a PhD from the University of Sydney and is an Associate Artist with the Australian Art Orchestra.

His latest recording, Ritual Diamonds—a collaboration with Korean master drummer Woo Minyoung—has been hailed as “a milestone album for Australian jazz” (Australian Jazz Museum).

AURELIAN REASE CAMERON — DRUMS

Sydney-based Aurelian Rease Cameron is one of Australia’s most respected jazz drummers and music educators—a dynamic performer, improviser and mentor whose artistry spans more than three decades.

Renowned for his expressive clarity, deep musicality and refined technique, Rease has performed across Australia, Asia and the United States. His appearances range from intimate club sets to orchestral premieres, major festivals and national television, bringing depth, finesse and expressive clarity to every performance. His playing weaves intensity and subtlety with an unmistakable sense of presence.

He holds a PhD in jazz performance studies, exploring creativity and self-expression in drumming through the lens of Tony Williams’ revolutionary contributions.

Rease is the inaugural recipient of the John Pochée Momentum Award at the 2025 Inner West Drum Fest, presented in recognition of sustained creative impact. He also led The Boundless Ensemble in its debut featured concert performance as part of the festival celebrations.