An international career in music

A love of music fostered at Brisbane Grammar School has taken BGS Old Boy Ben Tolliday ’96 around the world as a sound engineer for artists as diverse as Alanis Morissette and the London Symphony Orchestra.

Tolliday has worked on Hollywood film scores as part of a Churchill Fellowship and he now calls Los Angeles home, but he credits BGS for making music his passion.

“The BGS environment fostered excellence in academia, culture and sport,” he said. “Looking back, I’m tremendously grateful for the School’s encouragement to simultaneously study hard, practice music and play sport. We were encouraged to be Renaissance men – an ideal I still endeavour to uphold in my life and career.”

During his time at BGS, Tolliday kept busy with musical pursuits, playing cello in the string orchestra and symphony orchestra, jamming in a Nirvana cover band with his fellow boarders and finding time to play sport.

“I had a fantastic cello teacher in Stephen Chin, whose support and encouragement was invaluable,” Tolliday said. “Head of Music at the time, Bruce May, was also a great supporter throughout my time at BGS. I was very fortunate to be in the same year as Simon Cobcroft, a brilliant musician who is now Principal Cello of Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. Simon was a mentor and friend whose influence was inspirational.”

Since graduating, Tolliday has carved out an impressive career working on recordings in the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand. He has recorded famous musical artists such as the Smashing Pumpkins and Irish musician Hozier.

In 2016 Tolliday was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to undertake professional development in the field of film score recording and mixing in the US and UK, guided by mentors who have worked on Oscar-nominated films.”

“It was incredible, challenging, inspiring and demanding,” Tolliday said. “I had dreamt of visiting Abbey Road Studios for many years and to end up there assisting on the score for Thor: Ragnarok during my fellowship was a career highlight. The experience of being a Churchill Fellow will have a ripple effect, as my knowledge, skills and contacts will hopefully influence others for many years to come.”