I come from a very musical Belgian family. My father, Roland Peelman AM, is a conductor and pianist, and my mother, Annette Boucneau, is a violinist and music educator. Growing up surrounded by music, I developed a love for making music together with others from a young age. Although I spent my early years in Australia, I returned to Europe as a teenager, where I had the chance to study cello and sing in the choir at the renowned East Helsinki Music Institute in Finland.
After finishing high school, I pursued a degree in cello performance in Belgium, earning my Master’s Degree from the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp in 2003 under the esteemed cellist France Springuel. I completed my teaching degree in 2004 and started teaching at various music academies across Belgium. During this time, I balanced my teaching work with freelance performing whether it was in a string quartet, a symphonic orchestra, a theatre production or a musical. This gave me the opportunity to play with artists such as Macy Gray, Liza Minelli, UB40, Chrissie Hynde (The Pretenders), Jef Neve, Hiromi and A-ha.
After more than 20 years in Belgium, my desire to return to Australia grew too strong to ignore, and in 2024, I took the leap to immigrate with my family. Now based in Adelaide, I have expanded my conducting skills as I would love to conduct a children’s choir in the future. Since my arrival, I have been teaching cello at Westminster School, Scotch College, and Loreto College, as well as performing.
Back