Peter Billam was born in London in 1948, studied piano, and lived in Switzerland from 1973 to 1983, where he studied composition, classical guitar. flute and voice, worked as Musical Director of the Thèatre Populaire Romand, and as recording engineer, record producer and computer programmer. He moved to Tasmania in 1983, lectured in composition at the Conservatorium, conducted recorder enscmbles and choirs. studied recorder, voice and hsrpsichord.