Jay Byrnes has worked in the arts as a performer, educator and in productions for the past 20 years. He is a founding board member and artistic committee participant of the Orange Chamber Music Festival and the founder and Director of the Saxophone Academy Sydney both of which he has worked as Producer for. Jay joined the team at The Sydney in December 2022 as Production Manager after being involved with the successful Out West Piano Fest in 2022.
Jay studied in both Australia and Portugal obtaining Bachelor, Masters and Doctorate degrees in Music Performance. Regarded as a leading exponent of the Baritone Saxophone, he has performed domestically at the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, Adelaide Cabaret Festival, Sydney Opera House, Melbourne Recital Centre and City Recital Hall, Sydney. And internationally in the UK, The Netherlands, France, Portugal, Venezuela, Argentina and New Zealand. Jay has performed with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and the Simon Bolivar Orchestra, Venezuela. He is a founding member of the chamber ensemble Nexas Quartet who recently had the pleasure of sharing the stage with The Sydney‘s Artistic Director Piers Lane.