I’m Dr. Erin McKellar a London-based Australian composer, writer, vocalist, and music theatre-maker. My creative work lives at the intersection of voice, story, and social change, and I’m passionate about crafting bold, musically rich narratives that centre authenticity, challenge norms, and engage communities.

My compositions have been commissioned and performed across Australia, the UK, and the US, spanning documentary musicals, opera, cabaret, commercial music, and broadcast. I’m the co-creator and composer of A Box of Memories (winner of the 2022 Bank SA Best Theatre Award), an internationally touring documentary musical that has shaped my ongoing compositional research into how real stories can be powerfully told through music theatre.

Recent works include Netball: The Musical, PYRATES, Express, Where’ The Dog?, Wittenoom (APRA Award finalist), and the large-scale commercial project DanceStar Australia. I’ve served as music director and songwriter on nationally televised events (The Voice Australia, Eurovision: Australia Decides and The Australian Open), and worked with major brands such as Mushroom Publishing and Universal Music.

As an award-winning vocalist, I’ve received the Helpmann Academy Rob Lyon’s Award for Voice and am a two-time DownBeat Award winner for outstanding jazz performance and artistry. I bring over a decade of professional experience across jazz, pop, music theatre, and contemporary styles. My performance work has taken me from Dizzy’s Jazz Club in New York to stages across Australia and Europe, and I’ve shared the stage with artists including Guy Sebastian, Kate Ceberano, Samantha Jade, James Morrison, and Jazzmeia Horn. Whether fronting a band, voicing original works, or contributing to collaborative ensembles, live performance remains a vital and energising part of my practice.

As a music academic, I’ve presented internationally at the IFTR World Congress, Futures Music Theatre Conference, and the International Jazz Voice Conference, with published work in Studies in Musical Theatre, Music Theatre Educators' Alliance Journal, and the forthcoming Contemporary Feminisms in Music Theatre (Routledge).

Whether I’m composing, performing, directing, or mentoring, my creative philosophy remains clear: music has the power to amplify truth, provoke empathy, and build connection.