Ros Jennings, Australian pianist vocalist, was born and raised in the Adelaide Hills town of Stirling. She attended Stiring East Primary School and then Heathfield High School. Ros studied classical piano from the age of seven, also violin through the Schools Music Branch program for about seven years.

She later completed a Bachelor of Education in Music at the South Australian College of Advanced Education. During this time, Ros accompanied "The Adelaide Connection" vocal jazz ensemble, performing with Don Burrows, James Morrison, Errol Buddle and various international big bands. She studied jazz piano, arranging and music education with Eric Bryce (AM), who inspired her greatly, and classical piano with Romola Constantino (OBE).

Ros took up the bass guitar in 1986 playing the Hindley Street nightclubs with a nine-piece funk and dance band "Bounce To The Ounce". Later, she performed for six months as resident pianist at the Hanhdorf Inn. Ros was nominated twice for the annual "Pro Musica Award", awarded to the "Most Outstanding Student In the School Of Music", winning it in her third year of study when she was enrolled concurrently in the Bachelor of Education and Bachelor of Music degrees.

After graduating, she moved interstate to greener pastures in Victoria, where there was high demand for Secondary School Music teachers. So in 1987, Ros began her teaching career in Ararat. She taught classroom music years 7-12; developed a Stage Band, Rock Band, Guitar Band and Choir; and tutored in piano, keyboard, guitar, bass guitar, drums, saxophone and voice. For one year she undertook the responsibility of Head of the Arts Faculty, during which she implemented an "Art's Day", to promote the Arts, co-ordinating activities for all students with visiting artists/performers and employing the artistic skills of the Ararat staff.

In a desperate attempt to find a suitable Musical Production for the Ararat students, Ros teamed up with teaching colleagues John Mawson and Rob Smith, to write their own musical comedy, "2061...A Space Idiocy". Ros used the software Notator for the first time on the Atari computer to compose, orchestrate and print the music, and recorded a rehearsal tape in her home studio. Due to its overwhelming success, they formalised the partnership by forming the company Play On Words Pty Ltd in 1992, and immediately commenced writing follow up productions "Son Of Phantom", the hit show "Charades" and "Patsy". They also expanded to publishing and marketing the works of other local Australian writers. Play On Words now has an impressive collection of some 20 Musicals, 5 non-Musicals, 20 One-Act Plays and 3 Theatre Restaurants.

Outside the classroom, Ros joined local band Down Under in 1988 as a back-up singer, also performing occasionally on bass guitar and keyboards. She was musical director of the Ararat City Brass band in 1989. She performed as keyboardist/vocalist for Sister Suzie's Beat Boys in 1990-91 and enjoyed a twelve-month residence at the George Hotel in Ballarat. During 1992-96, the band downsized to the duo Uptown with Ros taking the lead in vocals. She also played keyboard and tenor saxophone, and created all the backing tracks and midi operated light show.

**Song of the Month**

Rolling In The Deep

Adele

In 1998, Ros was due long service leave, so took off on the adventure of a lifetime to South America. After nearly four months traveling through Chile, the Patagonia Plains, hiking on the Moreno Glacier, seeing the seals at Valdez Peninsula, tango dancing in Buenos Aries, taking a speed boat ride to Devil's Throat at Iguazu Falls, going to Rio during Carnival, walking along Copacabana and Ipanema beaches, eating piranhas and sleeping in a hammock in the Amazon, visiting Venezuala, seeing the architecture in Brasilia, riding horseback though the Andes in Columbia, shopping for emeralds in Bogota and seeing the colourful Otavalo Market near Quito, she returned to Ararat. Ros decided she had achieved everything she could in Ararat, and could grow no more by staying, so it was time for a change. She applied for and accepted a Voluntary Departure Package and promptly headed to the "big smoke" Melbourne.

Ros found accommodation at Redcourt Hostel in Armadale, taking a voluntary position as a supervisor for country, interstate and international students studying at the Victorian College of the Arts. As the position was only part-time, Ros was able to pursue her ambition to make a successful career in the band scene in Melbourne. This dream was soon crushed by a diminishing supply of funds, so Ros put together a promotional kit as a solo artist, to present to the big Melbourne agencies. She began to pick up a few gigs in the suburbs - mostly RSL clubs, pubs and sporting clubs. Unfortunately, most work was only available on the weekends, and as Ros was rostered to fulfill her supervisory duties every third weekend, she soon found it was not financially viable.

Ros resumed teaching whilst still gigging and supervising, completing a one-term contract at Eltham College, and then taking a part-time position at Caulfield Grammar. The school had acquired a music technology centre and needed someone who was tech savvy to develop a curriculum, and to get the program up and running. They contacted Ros and asked her to start immediately.

During this time, Ros was offered a 3-month contract to play in a 5-star hotel in Noumea, New Caledonia, but was unable to accept due to her teaching commitments. At that point, she decided more research was required, and soon discovered there was a whole lot of gigs out there if you were willing to travel. That resolved her decision to leave the teaching profession again, in pursuit of a musical career overseas.

Please visit the Venues 2 page to seewhere Ros began her World Tour.

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