I am very happy and extremely honoured to announce that I am now an artist for @yamahamusicau ! Playing their keyboards and pianos has been a part of my life for all of my career, and to be a part of the Yamaha family is a huge honour and very exciting. Check out the link to my Yamaha artist page in my bio, and standby for more things to come. #yamaha
Yes, I know I’m on a short break from @mjthemusicalau before we hit Melbourne but there’s something about this song that I love so much. If there’s anyone I love as much as Michael Jackson, it’s Stevie Wonder - who wrote “I Can’t Help It” for Michael. And with my buddy @romanwbanks out of the country it’s up to me to do ALL the singing (sorry - I’m not really a singer!) Just some fun killing time on my trusty @yamahamusicau S90. #michaeljackson #steviewonder @steviewonderoficial@michaeljackson
My babies joined me in Brisbane for a little visit. Touring has many, many challenges. Being away from them is a pain that never heals. Thank you for the visit, and the joy it brought to my heart ❤️ (and thank you Mum for being their chaperone ❤️).
I’m so honoured to have taken home the 2026 Green Room Award for Outstanding Musical Direction for my work on @mjthemusicalau ! Thank you so much to the @greenroomawards for this honour, it was such an unexpected surprise. I share this award with the whole MJ company who make the music in this show what it is, in particular my music team of Antonio and @mishieru_ and the incredible band. A big thanks to @lvollack@m_cassel@michaelcasselgroup and @holce1 for your continued faith and support in me. 🙏🏼🙏🏼
After 6 months, over 200 performances, and over 300,000 audience members, @mjthemusicalau says farewell to Melbourne. It’s been a huge season - lots of ups and downs, personal achievements, team goals, and amazing performances. And little bits of family time thrown in there when we could! A huge thanks to our amazing local musicians who we say goodbye to - you’re all incredible musicians and great humans to hang with away from the show. A HUGE shoutout to our incredible dep musicians who kept the show going through, at times, crazy times! And to my team - Antonio and @mishieru_ are the best support I could ever ask for. Thanks Melbourne, it’s been amazing.
I’ve known this guy for 23 years! We played lots of jazz together as young musicians at university, and he and his family taught me so much about many styles of Latin American music. But this past year was the first time we had the chance to work together in a theatre setting, and the first time he’s played a theatre show! Needless to say, he has been brilliant as always! Thank you Giorgio @incakettlebellsport for being one of the backbones of the @mjthemusicalau band, and helping make the show sound as amazing as it does. We’ll miss you! Can’t wait to play with you again soon. Te amo hermano!
I am very honoured to have been nominated for Best Musical Direction for my work on @mjthemusicalau and this year’s @greenroomawards ! Thank you so much to the Green Room Awards Association! I share this nomination with the whole incredible company at MJ The Musical, and with @michaelcasselgroup@lvollack and @holce1 for having me along for the ride. 🙏🏼❤️
Was lots of fun putting the chart together for the cast of @mjthemusicalau to perform at the 2025 @carolsbycandlelight_aus . It’s so amazing hearing it come together, performed so well by the cast and the amazing orchestra and choir. A very Merry Christmas to you all, and all the very best for the upcoming year ahead. @michaelcasselgroup
The last few weeks have been immense - but hugely rewarding. Last week we opened @mjthemusicalau here in Melbourne, and needless to say I think we’re in for an amazing season at @hmt_melb . The biggest thank you and all my love to Antonio Fernandez and @mishieru_ for being the best team I could ever ask for. And to our Melbourne band for sounding so damn good, thank you for everything. Hope to see you at the Maj!
THE MJ THE MUSICAL SYDNEY BAND!
@mjthemusicalau is as amazing as it is for many many reasons, and there is a huge team on-stage and off that make this show brilliant. This group of incredible musicians have recreated the most iconic catalogue of songs in pop music in the most amazing way that news spread far and wide about how great they sounded - and for good reason!
We say goodbye to some of our band here in Sydney, but the mark this group has made will not be forgotten. For me it’s an honour, a joy, and so much fun playing these incredible songs and arrangements with them and I can’t thank them enough for their hard work, dedication, and insane musicianship.
And also, a HUGE shout out to all of our incredible dep musicians who joined us along the way. The show is not possible without you, and I thank you all so much!
Michael Azzopardi - Music Director/Keys 1/Conductor
Antonio Fernandez - Associate MD/Keys 2
Michelle Nguyễn - Music Associate
Tyrone Gosche - Drums
Lorima Sautu- Bass/Synth Bass
Giorgio Rojas - Percussion
Deb Yap - Guitars
John Bettison - Guitars
Dane Laboyrie - Trumpet 1
Craig Mitten - Trumpet 1
Tim Crow - Trumpet 2
Mark Taylor - Reed 1
Graham Jesse - Reed 2
Anthony Kable - Trombone
