Kara Williams

As an accomplished woodwind multi-instrumentalist, Kara has been in demand as a performer in a wide range of large ensembles, commercial music groups, and chamber ensembles. As well as recitals as a featured soloist on a variety of woodwinds, she has also been a pit musician in hundreds of school, amateur, and professional level music theatre and cabaret productions across Eastern Australia. She has also been fortunate enough to work and perform at a professional level with some of the finest musicians from Australia and overseas; and has travelled extensively as a musician throughout her career – particularly during her 24-year career as a full-time musician in the Royal Australian Navy Band. Later in her military career, Kara was appointed Bandmaster (head of unit) of the part-time band situated in Adelaide where she conducted/ran the unit's ensembles, and routinely organised and performed in commitments of national and international significance. Kara also spent nearly 6 years at the tri-Service Defence Force School of Music firstly as an instructor and then a training development and compliance officer. More recently, as a bassoonist and composer, Kara was part of a project to record an album of original works by Regional New South Wales musicians. Now located in Brisbane, Kara’s passion for playing music has continued as a casual pit musician and ongoing member of ‘Queensland Wind and Brass’, a high-level local wind ensemble on a range of woodwind instruments. 
Returning to teaching after leaving the ADF, Kara started composing and her music was quickly picked up for publication (see karawilliamsmusic.com for publication details). Her extensive history in transcribing, arranging and orchestrating music, varied performance experience, and intimate understanding of a wide range of instruments underpins her writing and her works have now been successful in recognised Australian composition competitions; and have now been performed in New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States of America, and right across Australia. Her significant back-catalogue of arrangements, some original works, and a number of new arrangements for chamber, band, and orchestra settings are now being progressively made available online.