Ross de Vent

Ross de Vent – Audience Advocate

Ross de Vent is a musician and multi instrumentalist with experience in singing, trumpet, piano and percussion.

Ross’s recent credits include:

• Singing at, and panellist, in 2017, for Vision Australia’s ‘Dinner in the Dark’
• Co-producing and performing in a concert of vocal duets and solos, in 2016.
• Ross made his solo vocal debut, in Rossini’s ‘Petite messe solennelle,’ In 2015, with ‘Latrobe Chorale’.
• Since 2013, Ross has been involved with church music, singing regularly at ‘Saint Mark’s Fitzroy,’ but also at various other churches around Melbourne.

Playing music from a early age, Ross holds a music degree from Monash University. Ross has played with community music ensembles For many years including playing ‘the Last Post,’ on trumpet, at local ANZAC and Remembrance Day commemorations.

Ross is totally blind and has right-sided paralysis, resulting from a stroke he suffered when he was a child.

Ross’s advocacy work takes various guises which include:

• Teaching at the ‘National Braille Music Camp’ for many years, and in January 2017, he attended the inaugural ‘Braille Music Retreat,’ in New Zealand.
• Audio description for live theatre, in Victoria, as audience advocate, at ‘Description Victoria’.
• Ross transcribes printed sheet music into braille for blind musicians.

Current committees

•  The ‘Australian Braille Authority,’ for which Ross is currently setting up a ‘Regional Braille Forum,’ in Melbourne.
• ‘All Abilities Consultative Committee,’ Through Metro Access, for Mornington Peninsula Shire.