Celia Craig

Founder of not-for-profit Artaria, winner of WinnovationSA Arts Award 2020, an elected Associate of the Royal Academy of Music since 1997, Celia Craig was awarded Exhibitions, Chamber Music Prize, Advanced and Licentiate Diplomas by the UK’s oldest music conservatoire.

Celia has experienced sound and colour synesthesia since infancy. Trained at Kent Junior Music School by Bela de Csillery, a pupil of both Kodaly and Hindemith, later a Scholar at The Purcell School, she was invited to the 1990 Pacific Music Festival in Japan under personal tuition with Leonard Bernstein.

As an elite orchestral player, Celia has toured to five continents, regularly recorded at Abbey Road and played for the Royal Family, was elected as Chair of BBC Symphony Orchestra, London, representing the BBC’s flagship orchestra in conference, working closely with Resident Artist John Adams, Bernard Haitink, Pierre Boulez and many more during The Proms and on tour in South America. In Australia, Celia was appointed Principal Oboe, Adelaide Symphony 2011-2018 and as President of the Australasian Double Reed Society 2007-2013, teaching at the Elder Conservatorium.

Master of The Queens Music, Judith Weir CBE, dedicated Celia her Oboe Concerto, while Lord Michael Berkeley dedicated his duo concerto for cor anglais and viola, Tristessa.

Celia curates unique concerts in heritage properties including the founding Homestead of South Australia, Collingrove, runs a globally distributed recording label, and has recorded three chamber albums to critical acclaim, the latest with Russian pianist Konstantin Shamray. She has developed a Howarth Junior Oboe program through Seymour College, Adelaide and a national primary school touring show on synesthesia through Musica Viva in Schools: Colours of Home.

Celia was appointed Resident Artist with National Trust of South Australia in 2020, received a major Fellowship, Arts South Australia 2020 and selected as Finalist, Excellence in Classical Music, Australian Women in Music Awards 2021-2022.