My brother and I grew up in band rooms, orchestra pits, and grand theatres. Music dictated our lives and we regularly opted to attend music lessons instead of actual class- often to the disgust of our other teachers. For me music was my means of escaping the stresses of day to day life when I played, I did not think of my worries, but was able to get lost in the rhythm.

These are experiences I share with my subject. Stewart grew up playing a variety of instruments in school and community ensembles. It is this passion that led him to open his own business ‘Broken Wind Instrument Repairs’ located in Thomastown, Victoria.

Stewart was born in Sydney and regularly busked around Circular Quay with his brothers and their band ‘Small Change Aussie Band’ throughout the 1980’s. He moved to Melbourne in 1999 and began repairing instruments for Ormond based brass and woodwind repair specialists ‘Oz Winds’ where he learnt the trade of musical instrument repair. Stewart opened his Thomastown business ‘Broken Wind’ in 2011, which allows him to work closer to his wife and two children.

Stewart continues to perform in various bands across Melbourne whilst running his workshop. Stewart has toured domestically and internationally in a variety of ensembles including; ‘Fireworks’, ‘Bomba’, ‘Scared Weird Little Guys’, ‘Analog Dog’, ‘Virus, The Band Who Knew Too Much, FLAP!, and Blow It Out Your Brass Band