QYO Alumni Belita Fletcher Joins Board as QYO Marks 60 Years

When Queensland Youth Orchestras announced the appointment of one Belita Fletcher its own alumni to the board, it marked more than a governance milestone. It was a full circle moment that speaks to the enduring influence the organisation has had on generations of young musicians.

Fletcher was announced alongside new QYO Board President Shaun Kenny (Chairman of the Opera Australia Capital Fund Board and has had a long and distinguished career at Bechtel Corporation, one of the world’s leading engineering, procurement, construction and project management firms) and new board member Steve Sleswick (Brisbane property and arts entrepreneur).

But for Belita Fletcher, the journey began years earlier as a young player rehearsing inside Brisbane’s historic Old Museum building, surrounded by fellow musicians and the thrill of tackling symphonic repertoire together. Those early experiences, the friendships forged in rehearsal rooms, the discipline of ensemble playing, and the exhilaration of concert performances, helped shape skills that extend far beyond music.

Today, after building a professional career in finance and corporate leadership, that former QYO musician returns to the organisation with a different responsibility. The move from orchestra chair to boardroom table brings a rare perspective, blending lived experience of the program with professional expertise in governance, risk management, and long term strategic planning.

As Queensland Youth Orchestras celebrates its 60th anniversary, the appointment highlights the powerful legacy of youth arts organisations and the role alumni can play in shaping their future.

Below, she reflects on the memories that first drew them to QYO, the leadership lessons learned through music making, and the opportunities ahead for the organisation as it looks toward its next decade.

You began as a QYO musician and now you are stepping into board governance. What parts of your younger self in that rehearsal room are you bringing with you into the boardroom?

Certainly the sense of optimism, enthusiasm and opportunity that pervades QYO’s music-making comes with me into their boardroom. Reflecting on key aspects of my own experiences of weekly rehearsals and lifelong friendships, along with touring opportunities, makes it important that we continue to provide these tangible experiences for future generations of Queensland’s young musicians.

When you consider your appointment, what is the very first memory of QYO that comes back to you, and why do you think that moment surfaced?

One of my very first memories from QYO is rehearsing in the beautiful Old Museum space, with weekend morning sunlight filtering through the high stained-glass windows while rehearsing a Mahler symphony. I think it’s that sense of belonging, both to the space and to the shared musical endeavour, that has resurfaced for me.

Alumni often talk about how an organisation shaped them artistically. In your case, how did QYO shape your leadership habits, how you work in teams, how you handle pressure, how you listen?

QYO certainly played a strong part in developing many “soft skills” I use daily. Respectful leadership is key, along with an acknowledgement that everyone’s voice is equally important and deserves to be heard. Practically, of course, every orchestra and ensemble under the QYO umbrella functions as a team and works towards a common goal of sharing their music in concerts, which inevitably add an element of “pressure”. The magic happens when QYO’s young musicians learn to harness and leverage the excitement and pressure of concert day to elevate their performance. These skills are equally important in a professional environment and board room.

Having moved from studying musicology to a career in finance and corporate leadership, what do you think the arts sector can learn from the way financial risk, accountability, and long-term planning are handled in big organisations?

In the last decade or so, expectations of those charged with governance have increased exponentially, and frameworks supporting these heightened expectations have evolved. Most important, though, is the quality of conversation around board room tables in firstly, identifying key risks (financial or otherwise), and tackling them head on, providing robust challenge when needed. Large organizations increasingly forecast over a medium-term horizon, developing relevant stress scenarios and pre-planning responses. Such forward planning, including for stressed scenarios, is a valuable tool for any sector in supporting financial resilience.

From the inside, what do you think QYO gets uniquely right about developing young musicians, not just technically but as people who can thrive in the real world?

The first-class team of conductors QYO has hand selected for each of its eight ensembles is key in developing its young musicians. As you’d expect, these skilled musicians carefully curate programmes designed both to be accessible yet technically challenging at each level. More than that, though, they take time getting to know each young musician, developing players’ confidence and sense of community within their ensembles. QYO is unique in tapping into the benefits of music participation with such young players, hopefully setting them up for a lifetime of engagement with the arts.

What is one “alumni insight” you think current leadership might not see day to day, and how can you translate that lived experience into practical board action?

I think my key “alumni insights” are focused on ways the QYO Board can continue to support QYO’s young musicians with unique practical music-making opportunities locally, nationally and internationally. Sometimes this means taking controlled project-based risks, working hard to leverage Queensland’s generous supporters of the arts.

QYO sits at the intersection of excellence, access, and equity. If you could change one thing over the next few years to make the pathway broader without lowering standards, what would it be?

It’s important for QYO to be able to financially sustain the unique opportunities it provides to Queensland’s young musicians on a long-term basis. This will inevitably mean ensuring its income and funding sources are sufficient to support its activities.

Your appointment lands as QYO marks 60 years. What does “success” for the next decade look like to you, and what would you love to see be true by the 70th anniversary?

For me, success over the next decade will see QYO continuing to provide Queensland’s best young musicians with opportunities to work together. Obviously the Olympics being hosted by Brisbane in 2032 provides a once in a lifetime opportunity for our players to promote Brisbane, Queensland and Australia in the lead up to, and during, the Olympics.