Sally Whitwell's musical journey so far is a rich and varied one, as pianist, conductor, composer and arranger.

Sally has recently won the 2011 ARIA Award for Best Classical Album for Mad Rush - Solo Piano Music of Philip Glass, her solo debut the ABC Classics label. Her second album will be a cinematically inspired concept album entitled The Good, the Bad and the Awkward and will be centred around Yann Tiersen's piano suite from the film Amélie. Sally has also appeared on the ABC Classic 100 Piano playing Michael Nyman's "The Heart Asks Pleasure First" (from the soundtrack to the Jane Campion film "The Piano"), plus a recreation of part of Keith Jarrett's legendary improvisation "The Koln Concert". She has accompanied many other artists on the label including opera stars Teddy Tahu Rhodes and David Hobson, contemporary art music aficionado Jane Sheldon and the Cello Diva (aka Sally Maer).

For some years now, Sally has enjoyed working as a conductor and pianist with Gondwana Choirs and has performed with them in Europe, Asia, the Americas and throughout Australia.  She's worked with many talented young people through the NSW Department of Education Arts Unit and The Australian Children's Music Foundation, and currently works with tertiary students at the Newcastle Conservatorium of Music.

Chamber music is another labour of love for Sally. She works regularly with contemporary art music heroines Halcyon, and recently recorded with them premiere works by Andrew Ford, Eliot Gyger and Ruth Lee Martin. Sally has also performed a great deal in cabaret, in civilised dinner shows in salubrious festival venues and in edgy late night shows in dingy jazz basements with a diverse range of artists including dancer/singer/actor Connor Dowling, sopranos Jane Sheldon and Anna Fraser, as well as with cabaret artiste Nadia Piave and The Bugger's Opera.

In recent times, Sally has begun to compose her own music, principally choral and chamber works. Her works have been performed by the Gondwana Voices, Sydney Children's Choir, the Leichhardt Espresso Chorus, Moorambilla Voices, Polyphony and Rachel Scott (and friends) for her infamous Bach in the Dark concert series. Sally is also active as a choral arranger for groups as diverse as Cantillation, Sydney Gay and Lesbian Choir and Brisbane Birralee Voices. Most recently Sally provided arrangements for The Cho!r (dir. Jonathon Welch) in their Sing for a Cure concerts raising much needed funds for cancer research. In 2012, Sally will provide arrangements and co-conduct Sydney Philharmonia Chamber Singers in Beatles Unplugged, a choral salute to the fab four with co-conductor Dan Walker and soloist iOTA.

Sally trained seriously as a dancer in her teens. It was a logical progression then for Sally to work as a dance accompanist, improvising her way through music for ballet. She has played for Sydney Dance Company, The Royal NZ Ballet, The Australian Ballet School, Bangarra Dance Theatre, Opera Australia, WAAPA and New Adventures (Matthew Bourne's company).