PAUL ELLERY Dip. Mus (Hons) Dip Tchg Paul was born in Te Aroha near Hamilton. He studied piano at Auckland University with Janetta McStay and Bryan Sayer. Paul recorded many programmes for the YC Network as an accompanist, later to become Radio New Zealand Concert. On completing his diploma Paul travelled to England to study accompanying with Geoffrey Parsons and Valda Aveling. He performed in a number of concerts in England and also owned a record shop in South Kensington. On returning to New Zealand he taught piano privately in Hamilton and at St Peters School, Cambridge. Paul also did much accompanying for competitions and concerts. In 1989 he became a registered secondary school teacher and now is currently Head of Music at Hillcrest High School, in Hamilton. From 1993 until 2005 Paul was a contract lecturer at Waikato University lecturing in the history of western music, jazz and rock music. Paul has always been interested in jazz and in the pianist Bill Evans in particular. The Paul Ellery Trio played a programme of Bill Evans interpretations at the 2007 Tauranga Jazz Festival. In his spare time Paul enjoys reading and collecting records of which he has 26,000.