Position: Artistic Director

Affiliation with organization: 2003 – Present

Years active at YAGP: 2006 – Present

Contact: Facebook

Mr. Welch was born in Melbourne and in 1986 began his training at the late age of seventeen, winning a scholarship to San Francisco Ballet School. In 1989 he was invited to join The Australian Ballet, where he rose to the rank of leading soloist, and began choreographing a series of commissioned works for the company. Mr. Welch’s Madame Butterfly has become a signature work, in the repertoires of Houston Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, Atlanta Ballet, Singapore Dance Theatre, and Boston Ballet. In 1995, Mr. Welch was named resident choreographer of The Australian Ballet, and in July 2003, he assumed the leadership of Houston Ballet. In 2015, Mr. Welch was awarded the Order of Australia (AM) for his contribution to the world of dance.