Steel City Strings founder Yve Repin with composer Elena Katz-Chernin, local supporter Sue Kirby and (inset) Lyndall Fowler. Photos: Supplied.
For more than a decade, Lyndall Fowler and Yve Repin have been the quiet engines behind Steel City Strings, helping to shape the orchestra into a beloved fixture of the Illawarra, Shoalhaven and Southern Highlands.
At the end of 2025, the pair will retire, closing a chapter that has left an indelible mark on the region’s cultural life.
Lyndall and Yve were among a group of local musicians, alongside artistic directors Kyle Little and Adrian Davis, who founded Steel City Strings in 2015.
The orchestra’s journey began with a trial concert at the Wollongong Art Gallery, sparked by the connection between Yve’s early community orchestra work and Kyle’s ambition to establish a chamber ensemble.
“There was plenty of community support and in 2015, Steel City Strings had their first season,” Lyndall says.
From its first notes, the orchestra set out to bring high-quality performances to regional audiences, a vision that included up to nine concerts each year and the commissioning of new works from Australian composers.
“We’ve become known as champions of Australian music,” Lyndall says.
There have been many highlights over the years, including a collaboration with the South Coast Big Band and the production of The Composer in the Room – the premiere of Cinque Forme d’Amore by renowned, award-winning Australian composer Elena Kats-Chernin.
In 2019 they took out the Australia Performing Rights Association’s Art Music Award for Excellence in a Regional Area, beating out the Queensland Symphony Orchestra and in 2022, they received their first annual organisation funding ($60,000) from Create NSW.
For Yve, an accomplished amateur violinist and 2019 OAM recipient for services to music, the orchestra has remained central to her identity even after an injury stymied her time on stage.
“It’s a terrible grief that Yve can’t play anymore because of an injured shoulder, but music remains very much a part of her identity,” Lyndall says.
While Kyle and Adrian have provided the musical leadership and Yve a number of logistical and administrative supports, Lyndall – whose background is in nursing – has filled other gaps to keep the wheels turning.
“I’ve been caterer to the orchestra players, grant writer, flower arranger and roadie,” she says.
Steel City Strings Board chair James Welch praised the pair’s tireless work.
“Their contribution has been extraordinary. They’ve supported a highly respected and professional string ensemble in the delivery of old masterpieces and new work commissions to regional audiences — and nurtured a strong local musical community.”
Long-time ensemble member and current artistic director Adrian Davis described their retirement as bittersweet.
“Lyndall and Yve’s musical knowledge, generosity and commitment have been at the heart of Steel City Strings,” he said. “Their legacy within the Illawarra’s musical community is immense and we will all miss their presence deeply.”
To honour the founders’ remarkable contribution, the first concerts of the 2026 season will celebrate their legacy.
The program, themed around Home, will explore the meaning of the concept for both the orchestra and its audiences across two concerts in March.
True to Steel City Strings’ mission, the concerts will feature two new commissions by Australian composers Barry Conyngham and Adriel Sukumar, funded by the orchestra’s supporters in 2025.
As the orchestra embarks on a new chapter, Lyndall and Yve leave behind not only music and performances but a legacy of community, mentorship, and creativity – a reminder that the work behind the scenes can be just as powerful as the music on stage.
The 2026 season kicks off with concerts on Saturday 21 March 21 from 7:30 pm at Wollongong Art Gallery and Sunday 22 March 22 from 2 pm at Berry School of Arts — book via Steel City Strings.
