2024 Guest Faculty
Leone Buyse - Flute
In 1993 LEONE BUYSE relinquished her position with the Boston Symphony Orchestra to pursue a more active teaching and solo career after 22 years as an orchestral musician. Acting principal flutist of the BSO during her last three years in Boston, she was invited by Seiji Ozawa to join the orchestra in 1983 as assistant principal flutist and principal flutist of the Boston Pops. Previously she served as assistant principal flutist of the San Francisco Symphony and played solo piccolo and second flute with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.
The only American finalist in the 1969 Geneva International Flute Competition, Ms. Buyse has appeared as soloist with l’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the Boston Symphony, the Boston Pops, the San Francisco Symphony, the Utah Symphony, the Rochester Philharmonic, and the New Hampshire Music Festival, of which she was principal flutist for ten years. She has performed with the Boston Symphony Chamber Players throughout Europe and Japan, with the Tokyo, Juilliard, Brentano, and Muir String Quartets, the Boston Musica Viva, Da Camera of Houston, and in recital with Jessye Norman and Yo-Yo Ma. Ms. Buyse has also been a guest artist on the National Arts Centre Orchestra’s chamber series in Ottawa. Summer festival appearances include Aspen, Sarasota, Norfolk, Orcas Island, Domaine Forget (Quebec), ARIA International Summer Academy, the Ithaca Flute Institute, Youth Orchestra of the Americas, Sitka, Maui, Steamboat Springs, Strings in the Mountains, the Lake Placid Institute, and the Park City International Festival in Utah. With her husband, clarinetist Michael Webster, she performs in the Webster Trio and the Buyse-Webster Duo.
Widely renowned as an educator, Ms. Buyse stepped down from her position as the Mullen Professor of Flute at Rice University in Houston, Texas, in July 2023, having taught at Rice for 26 years. During her career she also taught at the University of Michigan, the New England Conservatory, Boston University, the Tanglewood Music Center, the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, and as a visiting associate professor at the Eastman School of Music. Her students hold positions in many major orchestras, including the symphony orchestras of San Francisco, Cleveland, St. Louis, Houston, Milwaukee, Kansas City, Syracuse, the Minnesota Orchestra, the Florida Orchestra, the Colorado Symphony, the New Zealand Symphony, the Singapore Symphony, the National Taiwan Symphony, and the Adelaide Symphony. Others are professors at such schools as the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Colorado at Boulder, Arizona State, Memorial University (St. John’s, Newfoundland), Ball State University (Muncie, IN) and St. Olaf College.
Ms. Buyse has presented recitals and master classes at universities, conservatories and festivals across the United States, as well as in Canada, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Portugal, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Panama, Chile, and Brazil. She may be heard as solo flutist on numerous recordings of the Boston Symphony, Boston Pops and the San Francisco Symphony for the Philips, Deutsche Grammophon, RCA Victor, and Sony Classical labels. Her solo and chamber music recordings are available on the Crystal, Boston Records, CRI, Centaur, Hyperion, Elektra/Nonesuch, Equilibrium, Danacord, and Nami/Live Notes labels.
A native of Ithaca, New York, Ms. Buyse graduated with distinction from the Eastman School of Music, where she was a student of Joseph Mariano. Awarded a Fulbright grant, she subsequently studied in France with Michel Debost, Jean-Pierre Rampal, and Marcel Moyse. Also an accomplished pianist, she served for two years as accompanist at Rampal’s summer master classes in Nice, France. An active member of the National Flute Association, she has served on the Board of Directors and as program chair for the 1987 convention in St. Louis, an event attended by more than 2200 flutists. She has been a featured soloist at NFA conventions in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Chicago, Columbus, San Diego, Anaheim, Las Vegas, New Orleans, and Orlando.
During the 2010 convention in Anaheim Ms. Buyse was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of outstanding contributions to the flute community worldwide.
The only American finalist in the 1969 Geneva International Flute Competition, Ms. Buyse has appeared as soloist with l’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the Boston Symphony, the Boston Pops, the San Francisco Symphony, the Utah Symphony, the Rochester Philharmonic, and the New Hampshire Music Festival, of which she was principal flutist for ten years. She has performed with the Boston Symphony Chamber Players throughout Europe and Japan, with the Tokyo, Juilliard, Brentano, and Muir String Quartets, the Boston Musica Viva, Da Camera of Houston, and in recital with Jessye Norman and Yo-Yo Ma. Ms. Buyse has also been a guest artist on the National Arts Centre Orchestra’s chamber series in Ottawa. Summer festival appearances include Aspen, Sarasota, Norfolk, Orcas Island, Domaine Forget (Quebec), ARIA International Summer Academy, the Ithaca Flute Institute, Youth Orchestra of the Americas, Sitka, Maui, Steamboat Springs, Strings in the Mountains, the Lake Placid Institute, and the Park City International Festival in Utah. With her husband, clarinetist Michael Webster, she performs in the Webster Trio and the Buyse-Webster Duo.
Widely renowned as an educator, Ms. Buyse stepped down from her position as the Mullen Professor of Flute at Rice University in Houston, Texas, in July 2023, having taught at Rice for 26 years. During her career she also taught at the University of Michigan, the New England Conservatory, Boston University, the Tanglewood Music Center, the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, and as a visiting associate professor at the Eastman School of Music. Her students hold positions in many major orchestras, including the symphony orchestras of San Francisco, Cleveland, St. Louis, Houston, Milwaukee, Kansas City, Syracuse, the Minnesota Orchestra, the Florida Orchestra, the Colorado Symphony, the New Zealand Symphony, the Singapore Symphony, the National Taiwan Symphony, and the Adelaide Symphony. Others are professors at such schools as the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Colorado at Boulder, Arizona State, Memorial University (St. John’s, Newfoundland), Ball State University (Muncie, IN) and St. Olaf College.
Ms. Buyse has presented recitals and master classes at universities, conservatories and festivals across the United States, as well as in Canada, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Portugal, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Panama, Chile, and Brazil. She may be heard as solo flutist on numerous recordings of the Boston Symphony, Boston Pops and the San Francisco Symphony for the Philips, Deutsche Grammophon, RCA Victor, and Sony Classical labels. Her solo and chamber music recordings are available on the Crystal, Boston Records, CRI, Centaur, Hyperion, Elektra/Nonesuch, Equilibrium, Danacord, and Nami/Live Notes labels.
A native of Ithaca, New York, Ms. Buyse graduated with distinction from the Eastman School of Music, where she was a student of Joseph Mariano. Awarded a Fulbright grant, she subsequently studied in France with Michel Debost, Jean-Pierre Rampal, and Marcel Moyse. Also an accomplished pianist, she served for two years as accompanist at Rampal’s summer master classes in Nice, France. An active member of the National Flute Association, she has served on the Board of Directors and as program chair for the 1987 convention in St. Louis, an event attended by more than 2200 flutists. She has been a featured soloist at NFA conventions in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Chicago, Columbus, San Diego, Anaheim, Las Vegas, New Orleans, and Orlando.
During the 2010 convention in Anaheim Ms. Buyse was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of outstanding contributions to the flute community worldwide.
Prudence Davis - Flute
Prudence Davis has held the position of Principal Flute with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra since 1980. Growing up in Melbourne, Prue studied flute at the Victorian College of the Arts with Peter Edge and later in Switzerland with Aurele Nicolet. She has performed with the Australia Ensemble, the Australian Chamber Orchestra and is also a founding member of the Australian Chamber Soloists and the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra (formerly Australia Pro Arte). She tours regularly for Musica Viva and in 1989 toured Australia with the visiting Reger Trio from West Germany. She has appeared as a soloist in North and South America, Paris, Bonn, The Hague, Brussels, Berlin and Kuala Lumpur as well as on many occasions with the MSO. In January 1993 she undertook a solo tour of Japan where she performed with the Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa and gave chamber music concerts and masterclasses.
Wendy Clarke - Flute
Wendy Clarke has held the position of Associate Principal Flute at the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra since 1991. Born in Perth, Wendy studied with the late Owen Fisenden at the University of Western Australia, gaining a Bachelor of Music with Honours. Upon completion of her degree, Wendy was appointed Principal Piccolo with the Western Australian Symphony Orchestra.
In 1982 and 1984 she studied briefly in England with Peter Lloyd, Principal Flute with the London Symphony Orchestra. Wendy spent several years at the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts as a Lecturer in Flute before moving to Melbourne to take up her position with the MSO.
She has performed and recorded as soloist with the WASO, MSO and Academy of Melbourne, enjoys being an active chamber musician and 1996 she was invited to play with the World Symphony Orchestra in Bangkok.
In 1982 and 1984 she studied briefly in England with Peter Lloyd, Principal Flute with the London Symphony Orchestra. Wendy spent several years at the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts as a Lecturer in Flute before moving to Melbourne to take up her position with the MSO.
She has performed and recorded as soloist with the WASO, MSO and Academy of Melbourne, enjoys being an active chamber musician and 1996 she was invited to play with the World Symphony Orchestra in Bangkok.
Sarah Beggs - Flute
Sarah Beggs has a Bachelor of Music Performance with Honours from the Victorian College of the Arts and a Master of Music from the University of Melbourne. In 1998 she won the Leslie Barklamb Scholarship and in 2001 won an Ian Potter Foundation Scholarship to study in Oxford, England. In 2004 Sarah won the wind division of the 3MBS Young Performers Award and began her orchestral career with a 6 month contract as Principal Flute with Orchestra Victoria.
In 2005, Sarah appeared as soloist with the Melbourne New Orchestra and performed in the Melbourne International Chamber Music Festival. Sarah toured with the Opera Australia’s OzOpera production of Carmen in 2006 and Madame Butterfly in 2008. Sarah is now a permanent member of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra as Second Flute. Sarah also performs with The Arcko Symphonic Project and the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra.
In 2005, Sarah appeared as soloist with the Melbourne New Orchestra and performed in the Melbourne International Chamber Music Festival. Sarah toured with the Opera Australia’s OzOpera production of Carmen in 2006 and Madame Butterfly in 2008. Sarah is now a permanent member of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra as Second Flute. Sarah also performs with The Arcko Symphonic Project and the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra.
Sophie Rowell - Violin
Sophie Rowell has had an extensive performing career as a soloist, chamber musician and principal orchestral violinist both in Australia and abroad most recently as the co-concertmaster of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and is currently Artistic Director of the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra. After winning the ABC Young Performer’s Award in 2000, Sophie founded the Tankstream Quartet which won string quartet competitions in Cremona and Osaka. Having studied in Germany with the Alban Berg Quartet the quartet, Sophie moved back to Australia in 2006 when the quartet were appointed as the Australian String Quartet. During the six seasons of their tenure, the ASQ performed and recorded at chamber music festivals all over the world.
Sophie has played in principal violin positions with orchestras including the Scottish and Mahler Chamber Orchestras, and the Vancouver, Sydney, Adelaide and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras. Sophie studied with Beryl Kimber in her hometown of Adelaide, then with Alice Waten in Sydney. She is the Head of Chamber Music (Strings) at the Australian National Academy of Music.
Sophie has played in principal violin positions with orchestras including the Scottish and Mahler Chamber Orchestras, and the Vancouver, Sydney, Adelaide and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras. Sophie studied with Beryl Kimber in her hometown of Adelaide, then with Alice Waten in Sydney. She is the Head of Chamber Music (Strings) at the Australian National Academy of Music.
Eliza Shephard - Flute
Winner of the ABC Young Performers Award 2022, Eliza Shephard is a vibrant flutist based in Melbourne, and is quickly paving her way as a performing artist, collaborator, and curator. Eliza completed her studies with Virginia Taylor at ANU (BMusHons) and Griffith University (MMus) and has performed in Canada, New Zealand, and USA, and trained at the Australian National Academy of Music.
Eliza is in high demand as a soloist and chamber musician and is passionate about amplifying the voices of female musicians and composers. Her project ‘March of the Women’ is a month-long recording project introduced in 2020 where Eliza showcases works by female composers, with a total of 124 works recorded to date.
She has presented masterclasses around Australia and is a teaching associate at Monash University. Eliza regularly engages with regional communities to share her flute knowledge and experiences of growing up as a young and enthusiastic musician from regional NSW. She is a Haynes Artist and a specialist on the Glissando Headjoint – a telescoping flute attachment designed to allow the player to bend pitch. She frequently collaborates with artists from a large variety of artforms including opera, circus, and dance. Her talents as a flute player and creative artist earned her the position of a finalist in the Classical Freedman Fellowship in 2021, and she has received many accolades for the boldness and imagination she brings to her projects.
Eliza is in high demand as a soloist and chamber musician and is passionate about amplifying the voices of female musicians and composers. Her project ‘March of the Women’ is a month-long recording project introduced in 2020 where Eliza showcases works by female composers, with a total of 124 works recorded to date.
She has presented masterclasses around Australia and is a teaching associate at Monash University. Eliza regularly engages with regional communities to share her flute knowledge and experiences of growing up as a young and enthusiastic musician from regional NSW. She is a Haynes Artist and a specialist on the Glissando Headjoint – a telescoping flute attachment designed to allow the player to bend pitch. She frequently collaborates with artists from a large variety of artforms including opera, circus, and dance. Her talents as a flute player and creative artist earned her the position of a finalist in the Classical Freedman Fellowship in 2021, and she has received many accolades for the boldness and imagination she brings to her projects.
David Miller AM - Piano
David Miller is widely recognised as one of Australia’s leading chamber musicians and vocal accompanists. In the 1995 Queen’s Birthday Honours List he was appointed a member of the Order of Australia in recognition of his service to music.
His distinguished career has included partnerships with Lauris Elms, Marilyn Richardson, John Pringle, Elizabeth Campbell, Tom Edmonds, Geoffrey Collins, Mark Walton, Georg Pederson and Diana Doherty, and a variety of visiting international musicians, including Luigi Alva, Meir Rimon, John Mark Ainsley, Takako Nishisaki and Boris Belkin. He has performed with several notable chamber ensembles, including the legendary contemporary music ensemble Flederman, the Huntington Trio and the Canberra Wind Soloists, and was for many years the rehearsal pianist for the Sydney Philharmonia Choir. He records for Tall Poppies, Vox Australis, ABC Classics and Wirripang, with an emphasis on the promotion of Australian music both old and new.
Mr Miller was on the staff of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music for more than 40 years. He was appointed the first chair of the Ensemble Studies Unit with responsibility for Chamber Music and Accompaniment tuition and administration throughout the institution. He introduced an innovative and comprehensive program of study for aspiring collaborative pianists and actively promoted a wide variety of performance opportunities for student ensembles. This including three annual regional tours, travelling as far as Merimbula, Dubbo, Woolgoolga and of course Nowra. He was instrumental in setting up the Geoffrey Parson Australian Scholarship and other awards to assist young pianists in the development of their careers.
Since his retirement from a full-time teaching position at the Conservatorium, Mr Miller has continued to perform and record with a wide range of professional colleagues, particularly in his two ensembles, Grevillea and Charisma. In addition he has established a private studio where he coaches young singers and instrumentalists in the art of performing in ensemble and trains pianists in the development of the special skills required of a professional collaborative pianist He will also be continuing a busy schedule of masterclasses, lectures, conferences and interviews. The Accompanists’ Guild of NSW, which he founded, has created an annual David Miller Award to honour the outstanding achievements and services he has given to young Australian musicians and the specialised discipline of piano accompaniment.
His distinguished career has included partnerships with Lauris Elms, Marilyn Richardson, John Pringle, Elizabeth Campbell, Tom Edmonds, Geoffrey Collins, Mark Walton, Georg Pederson and Diana Doherty, and a variety of visiting international musicians, including Luigi Alva, Meir Rimon, John Mark Ainsley, Takako Nishisaki and Boris Belkin. He has performed with several notable chamber ensembles, including the legendary contemporary music ensemble Flederman, the Huntington Trio and the Canberra Wind Soloists, and was for many years the rehearsal pianist for the Sydney Philharmonia Choir. He records for Tall Poppies, Vox Australis, ABC Classics and Wirripang, with an emphasis on the promotion of Australian music both old and new.
Mr Miller was on the staff of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music for more than 40 years. He was appointed the first chair of the Ensemble Studies Unit with responsibility for Chamber Music and Accompaniment tuition and administration throughout the institution. He introduced an innovative and comprehensive program of study for aspiring collaborative pianists and actively promoted a wide variety of performance opportunities for student ensembles. This including three annual regional tours, travelling as far as Merimbula, Dubbo, Woolgoolga and of course Nowra. He was instrumental in setting up the Geoffrey Parson Australian Scholarship and other awards to assist young pianists in the development of their careers.
Since his retirement from a full-time teaching position at the Conservatorium, Mr Miller has continued to perform and record with a wide range of professional colleagues, particularly in his two ensembles, Grevillea and Charisma. In addition he has established a private studio where he coaches young singers and instrumentalists in the art of performing in ensemble and trains pianists in the development of the special skills required of a professional collaborative pianist He will also be continuing a busy schedule of masterclasses, lectures, conferences and interviews. The Accompanists’ Guild of NSW, which he founded, has created an annual David Miller Award to honour the outstanding achievements and services he has given to young Australian musicians and the specialised discipline of piano accompaniment.
Brock Imison - Historical Instruments
Born in Brisbane, Brock began his study of the bassoon at age 13. In 1994 he joined the QLD Conservatorium Music School before beginning his undergraduate studies there in 1997.
Brock has appeared with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonic, Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, Melbourne Baroque Orchestra, Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, Australian Chamber Orchestra and as the Principal contrabassoonist with the Australian World Orchestra.
During 2001-2002 Brock took up an Acting bassoon/contrabassoon position with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra before moving to Sydney after accepting an Acting bassoon position with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in 2003. In 2004, Brock won the position of Principal contrabassoonist with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra which he currently still holds. Since his appointment with the Melbourne Symphony, Brock has been working to improve the profile of the contrabassoon to musicians and audiences alike. In July 2007 Brock gave the Australian premiere of Gunther Schuller’s Concerto for contrabassoon with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra as part of the final of the 2007 Symphony Australia Young performer of the year awards. In 2008, he toured as soloist with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, performing his own transcription of Weber’s bassoon Concerto for the contrabassoon.
Brock has a growing collection of bassoons (13 to date) which he enjoys playing in various modern and historically based ensembles and is a founding member of Unholy Rackett, a group specialising in music for curtals and racketts from the renaissance and early baroque. He also performs regularly with historical ensembles: Pinchgut Opera, the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, Genesis Baroque, Orchestra of the Antipodes, the Australian Haydn ensemble and the Australian classical and Romantic orchestra.
Brock has appeared with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonic, Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, Melbourne Baroque Orchestra, Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, Australian Chamber Orchestra and as the Principal contrabassoonist with the Australian World Orchestra.
During 2001-2002 Brock took up an Acting bassoon/contrabassoon position with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra before moving to Sydney after accepting an Acting bassoon position with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in 2003. In 2004, Brock won the position of Principal contrabassoonist with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra which he currently still holds. Since his appointment with the Melbourne Symphony, Brock has been working to improve the profile of the contrabassoon to musicians and audiences alike. In July 2007 Brock gave the Australian premiere of Gunther Schuller’s Concerto for contrabassoon with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra as part of the final of the 2007 Symphony Australia Young performer of the year awards. In 2008, he toured as soloist with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, performing his own transcription of Weber’s bassoon Concerto for the contrabassoon.
Brock has a growing collection of bassoons (13 to date) which he enjoys playing in various modern and historically based ensembles and is a founding member of Unholy Rackett, a group specialising in music for curtals and racketts from the renaissance and early baroque. He also performs regularly with historical ensembles: Pinchgut Opera, the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, Genesis Baroque, Orchestra of the Antipodes, the Australian Haydn ensemble and the Australian classical and Romantic orchestra.
Mark Shiell - Modern Mindfulness and Performance Coach
Mark Shiell began his musical life as a flautist studying with Prudence Davis, Mardi McSullea and Derek Jones. He graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts with the Gwen Nisbett Award for Outstanding Musical Achievement. After transitioning to conducting, he studied in Australia with Graham Abbott and JohnHopkins. The Welsford Smithers travelling scholarship supported further study in Russia with Vladimir Ponkin and Alexander Polyanichko and in Italy with Ennio Nicotra. Mark was the winner of the Brian Stacey Award for Emerging Conductors in 2005 – a national award of recognition and since then he has conducted professionally in Australia, China, Japan, and Russia with orchestras including the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Sinfonia, Canberra Symphony Orchestra, Victorian Opera, Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa and the Moscow Symphony Orchestra.
Mark has been involved in the founding and or development of many orchestral initiatives in Regional Australia. These include the Victorian Regional Orchestra, Geelong Youth Orchestra and Victorian Regional Orchestra. He has been the Principal Conductor of various orchestras including the Zelman Symphony Orchestra, Macquarie Philharmonia and the Ballarat Symphony. He is particularly passionate about working with young musicians. Some of this work includes guest conducting at the Melbourne Conservatorium and as a regular guest teacher for a period in the Masters Conducting Program. He has been a guest conductor at the Sydney Conservatorium, the Sichuan Conservatorium in Chengdu, the ANU School of Music, the Monash Academy Orchestra, the Kanazawa Children’s Orchestra and the VCAS Orchestra. Mark has been the conductor of the Percy Grainger Youth Orchestra since 2020 and has conducted youth orchestras across Australia and Japan. He has also been a frequent guest conductor at the State Music Camps in Victoria and South Australia.
Following a particularly meaningful musical experience in 2010 he was motivated to find new ways to make service the heart of his work. After scaling back his conducting commitments and an extended period of study and certification in the Unified Mindfulness System he founded Aussie Meditation. He is now working at the intersection of two professions that can change and heal. He teaches privately, runs group classes, workshops and mindfulness programs for schools, workplaces and musicians. His work with musicians is a particular focus with several books being written focusing on the application of mindfulness skills to the work and life of musicians, music teachers and music students.
Mark has been involved in the founding and or development of many orchestral initiatives in Regional Australia. These include the Victorian Regional Orchestra, Geelong Youth Orchestra and Victorian Regional Orchestra. He has been the Principal Conductor of various orchestras including the Zelman Symphony Orchestra, Macquarie Philharmonia and the Ballarat Symphony. He is particularly passionate about working with young musicians. Some of this work includes guest conducting at the Melbourne Conservatorium and as a regular guest teacher for a period in the Masters Conducting Program. He has been a guest conductor at the Sydney Conservatorium, the Sichuan Conservatorium in Chengdu, the ANU School of Music, the Monash Academy Orchestra, the Kanazawa Children’s Orchestra and the VCAS Orchestra. Mark has been the conductor of the Percy Grainger Youth Orchestra since 2020 and has conducted youth orchestras across Australia and Japan. He has also been a frequent guest conductor at the State Music Camps in Victoria and South Australia.
Following a particularly meaningful musical experience in 2010 he was motivated to find new ways to make service the heart of his work. After scaling back his conducting commitments and an extended period of study and certification in the Unified Mindfulness System he founded Aussie Meditation. He is now working at the intersection of two professions that can change and heal. He teaches privately, runs group classes, workshops and mindfulness programs for schools, workplaces and musicians. His work with musicians is a particular focus with several books being written focusing on the application of mindfulness skills to the work and life of musicians, music teachers and music students.
Past Guest Faculty
Paula Rae - Flute
Paula graduated with distinction from the Victorian College of the Arts where she studied with Thomas Pinschof and Margaret Crawford, and undertook further studies in Europe with Aurele Nicolet, William Bennett and Alain Marion. She has worked with the Sydney and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras, the Opera Australia Orchestra and from 1988 to 2004 she held the position of Associate Principal Flute in Orchestra Victoria. In 2018, Paula toured China with the MSO as Guest Associate Principal flute and now regularly plays with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra as a casual musician.
Paula is a founding member of Elision Ensemble and has performed with Elision at numerous Festivals and venues including the Festspiele, Philharmonie, and Konzerthaus in Berlin, Wien Modern in Vienna, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, the Westdeutscher Rundfunk in Cologne, Radio Bremen, Musica nel Nostro Tempo of Milan, Festival Ars Musica of Brussels, the Zurich Theater Spektakel, the Opera Bastille and Festival d’Automne in Paris, the Chekov International Theatre Festival in Moscow, and the Ultima Festival of Oslo as well as performances at the Brisbane, Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide Festivals. Paula has featured in projects such as the installations Opening of the Mouth and Dark Matter by Richard Barrett, all three operas written for Elision by Liza Lim (The Oresteia, Moon Spirit Feasting, and The Navigator) as well as being involved in premieres of major chamber works by Franco Donatoni, Brian Ferneyhough, Bryn Harrison, Richard Barrett, Alessandro Melchiorre, Akira Nishimura and Liza Lim.
With Elision, Paula has released compact discs for NMC, Etcetera, Ricordi, BMG Ariola and ABC Classics.
Paula is a founding member of Elision Ensemble and has performed with Elision at numerous Festivals and venues including the Festspiele, Philharmonie, and Konzerthaus in Berlin, Wien Modern in Vienna, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, the Westdeutscher Rundfunk in Cologne, Radio Bremen, Musica nel Nostro Tempo of Milan, Festival Ars Musica of Brussels, the Zurich Theater Spektakel, the Opera Bastille and Festival d’Automne in Paris, the Chekov International Theatre Festival in Moscow, and the Ultima Festival of Oslo as well as performances at the Brisbane, Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide Festivals. Paula has featured in projects such as the installations Opening of the Mouth and Dark Matter by Richard Barrett, all three operas written for Elision by Liza Lim (The Oresteia, Moon Spirit Feasting, and The Navigator) as well as being involved in premieres of major chamber works by Franco Donatoni, Brian Ferneyhough, Bryn Harrison, Richard Barrett, Alessandro Melchiorre, Akira Nishimura and Liza Lim.
With Elision, Paula has released compact discs for NMC, Etcetera, Ricordi, BMG Ariola and ABC Classics.
Mandy Hollins - Flute and Performance Coach
Mandy’s career as a professional flautist has encompassed chamber music, recital and solo playing, and orchestral positions. For 23 years, from 1997 to 2020, she held the position of Associate Principal Flute of the Opera Australia Orchestra and, from 1983 to 1984, the Principal Flute position in the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra. Mandy studied at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester with Trevor Wye and Patricia Morris, then studied at the Banff School of Fine Arts in Canada with Robert Aitken. Mandy has performed in masterclasses with flautists such as Marcel Moyse, Nicolet, Lukas-Graf and William Bennett.Freelancing in the United Kingdom included regularly working with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, London Mozart Players, London Soloists Chamber Orchestra and the Glyndebourne Touring Opera Orchestra.
Mandy worked for many years with the Australian Chamber Orchestra and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra on moving to Sydney. Chamber music and recitals have been a significant part of her career, with tours in the UK, NZ, and Australia with Musica Viva.Mandy’s flute and piano music CD, “Intimate Landscapes” with pianist Richard Mapp, was released on the Atoll Record label.
Her teaching career has spanned 40+ years. Her approach to performance coaching has evolved out of recognising the needs of students at all levels to develop as players and learn skills that they can incorporate into the rest of their lives.As a coach, Mandy incorporates performance psychology techniques with her professional and life experience as a musician. Integral to her approach is her training as a Results Coach. Her passion is for integrating the mind-body technique EFT to empower her clients to make lasting positive changes in their lives.Mandy has been a flute tutor at many tertiary institutions and schools in the UK, NZ and Sydney, including the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, University of NSW, Auckland Conservatorium, University of East Anglia, and the Junior Department of the Royal Academy in London and the Conservatorium High School.
Mandy worked for many years with the Australian Chamber Orchestra and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra on moving to Sydney. Chamber music and recitals have been a significant part of her career, with tours in the UK, NZ, and Australia with Musica Viva.Mandy’s flute and piano music CD, “Intimate Landscapes” with pianist Richard Mapp, was released on the Atoll Record label.
Her teaching career has spanned 40+ years. Her approach to performance coaching has evolved out of recognising the needs of students at all levels to develop as players and learn skills that they can incorporate into the rest of their lives.As a coach, Mandy incorporates performance psychology techniques with her professional and life experience as a musician. Integral to her approach is her training as a Results Coach. Her passion is for integrating the mind-body technique EFT to empower her clients to make lasting positive changes in their lives.Mandy has been a flute tutor at many tertiary institutions and schools in the UK, NZ and Sydney, including the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, University of NSW, Auckland Conservatorium, University of East Anglia, and the Junior Department of the Royal Academy in London and the Conservatorium High School.
Margery Smith - Composer & Creative Workshop Facilitator
Margery Smith is an Australian composer and creative music workshop facilitator with a special interest in collaborative work. She is a curious musician who explores new music and improvisation with works that cross boundaries. Margery studied composition with Malcolm Singer at the London’s Guildhall School of Music & Drama and in Australia with Richard Vella. Issues of social justice and ecology are themes that inspire her music career with works such as Humanity Washed Ashore for Solo Bass Clarinet. Recent 2019 career highlights are the premiere by Hourglass Ensemble of her concerto for flute, Everything I touch for Flute and Chamber Ensemble and the opportunity to take part in the Composing in the Wilderness program and Fairbanks Summer Music Festival in Alaska’s Denali National Park, USA.
Leigh Harrold - Piano
Leigh Harrold enjoys a reputation as a “musician of rare talent and intelligence”, and is one of Australia’s busiest and most sought-after pianists. Born in Whyalla, South Australia, Leigh completed undergraduate and post-graduate studies at The University of Adelaide with concert pianist Gil Sullivan. During this time he had many successes, including being a National Finalist in the Young Performer Awards and a recipient of the prestigious Beta Sigma Phi Classical Music Award – the conservatorium’s highest honour. He moved to Melbourne in 2003 to take up a full scholarship at the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) under the mentorship of Geoffrey Tozer and in 2004 was made the Academy Fellow - the first person in the institution's history to be chosen as such after just one year of study.
Leigh has performed extensively throughout Europe, North America, Africa and Australia as both soloist and chamber musician, including concerts at Australia House in London, the Royal Academy of Music, the Mozarteum in Salzburg, the Harare International Festival of Arts, and concerto engagements with many Australian orchestras. In 2007 he undertook an extensive tour of the United States and Canada where he gave lectures on and performed the solo piano music of the American composer Robert Muczynski. In 2015 he gave a lecture-tour of England, promoting and performing Australian piano music at Trinity College and the University of London.
His international reputation as an associate artist has led to collaborations with such luminaries as Thomas Reibl, lecturer in viola at the Salzburg Mozarteum; Michael Cox, principal flautist with the BBC Symphony Orchestra; Daniel Gaede, ex-concertmaster of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra; London flautist Wissam Boustany; New York violinist Charles Castleman; Swedish soprano Camilla Tilling; and British pianist Mark Gasser, to name just a few. Other significant international collaborations have included performance and studies with Andrew Ball at the London Royal College of Music; Sophie Cherrier at the Paris Conservatoire; New York-based pianist Lisa Moore and English composer Peter Maxwell Davies. He has twice been awarded the Geoffrey Parsons Award for Associate Artists, and in 2014 was the recipient of the pianist’s prize in the Mietta Song Competition. Leigh is a founding member of the Helpmann Award-nominated Syzygy Ensemble. The ensemble released its debut CD, ‘Making Signs’ in 2015 and has gone on to become one of Australia’s most critically lauded and active contemporary music ensembles. Additionally, Leigh has recorded and released CDs for Sony, ABC Classic, and Move Records.
An enthusiastic and committed teacher, speaker, and writer, Leigh is regularly invited to tutor and lecture at many institutions, adjudicate competitions, and has given several masterclasses around Australia, Africa, the USA and the UK, as well as regular pre- and post-concert talks for the Melbourne Recital Centre. In April 2012 Leigh was awarded a PhD for his research into the music of Robert Muczynski for which he received a Dean’s Commendation for Thesis Excellence, and in 2015 he was published internationally in the Liszt Society of London Journal. He holds two University medals - one for Music and one for Applied Science. Currently Leigh holds positions on the Faculties of ANAM and the University of Melbourne, and is pianist with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. When not seated in front of a piano, he finds time to go on long walks, read extensively, and drink lots of tea. He lives in Brunswick with Craig.
Leigh has performed extensively throughout Europe, North America, Africa and Australia as both soloist and chamber musician, including concerts at Australia House in London, the Royal Academy of Music, the Mozarteum in Salzburg, the Harare International Festival of Arts, and concerto engagements with many Australian orchestras. In 2007 he undertook an extensive tour of the United States and Canada where he gave lectures on and performed the solo piano music of the American composer Robert Muczynski. In 2015 he gave a lecture-tour of England, promoting and performing Australian piano music at Trinity College and the University of London.
His international reputation as an associate artist has led to collaborations with such luminaries as Thomas Reibl, lecturer in viola at the Salzburg Mozarteum; Michael Cox, principal flautist with the BBC Symphony Orchestra; Daniel Gaede, ex-concertmaster of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra; London flautist Wissam Boustany; New York violinist Charles Castleman; Swedish soprano Camilla Tilling; and British pianist Mark Gasser, to name just a few. Other significant international collaborations have included performance and studies with Andrew Ball at the London Royal College of Music; Sophie Cherrier at the Paris Conservatoire; New York-based pianist Lisa Moore and English composer Peter Maxwell Davies. He has twice been awarded the Geoffrey Parsons Award for Associate Artists, and in 2014 was the recipient of the pianist’s prize in the Mietta Song Competition. Leigh is a founding member of the Helpmann Award-nominated Syzygy Ensemble. The ensemble released its debut CD, ‘Making Signs’ in 2015 and has gone on to become one of Australia’s most critically lauded and active contemporary music ensembles. Additionally, Leigh has recorded and released CDs for Sony, ABC Classic, and Move Records.
An enthusiastic and committed teacher, speaker, and writer, Leigh is regularly invited to tutor and lecture at many institutions, adjudicate competitions, and has given several masterclasses around Australia, Africa, the USA and the UK, as well as regular pre- and post-concert talks for the Melbourne Recital Centre. In April 2012 Leigh was awarded a PhD for his research into the music of Robert Muczynski for which he received a Dean’s Commendation for Thesis Excellence, and in 2015 he was published internationally in the Liszt Society of London Journal. He holds two University medals - one for Music and one for Applied Science. Currently Leigh holds positions on the Faculties of ANAM and the University of Melbourne, and is pianist with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. When not seated in front of a piano, he finds time to go on long walks, read extensively, and drink lots of tea. He lives in Brunswick with Craig.
Jim Phelan - Flutemaker
Conservatory-trained as a horn player, Jim Phelan became general manager of the Powell flute company in 1981. It is there that he met Lillian Burkart who made flute bodies, keys, padded flutes and piccolos and tested instruments. Together in 1981 they founded Burkart-Phelan, Inc. to provide subcontract services to Powell for the manufacture of piccolos. In 1984, Jim acquired the Powell Company. He left Powell in 1989 to finish his mechanical engineering degree. Upon graduation Jim entered the world of mechanical engineering designing electron-beam guns, automobile components and surgical instruments. In 1997 Jim rejoined his partner in building instruments, uniting his engineering skill and his eighteen years of flutemaking expertise to create Burkart-Phelan, Inc. Jim has retired from BPI and is living here in Australia. He is currently pursuing his interests in flutemaking and other instrument-making endeavors
Karen Anderson - Alexander Technique
Karen Anderson is an Alexander Technique Teacher, graduated from the School for F.M. Alexander Studies, Melbourne. She runs a private practice in Fitzroy North and teaches at 16th St Actors Studio and Howard Fine Acting Studio. Karen trained in aerial, acrobatics, clowning, dance, hand-balancing and contortion throughout Europe and was a professional circus artist, teacher, co - founder & director of Dublin based PaperDolls Aerial Performance Company.
In her Alexander Technique teaching, Karen maintains respect, warmth and a playful energy, refined by many years in the community and arts industry working with and supporting artists and communities. She also draws on years of movement experience in martial arts, yoga, and performing and always brings her Irish wit. For Karen, teaching students to free themselves from old patterns and tensions and with artists in realising their brilliance is a constant source of inspiration and joy. To her, the Alexander Technique is a quiet and profound life changer.
In her Alexander Technique teaching, Karen maintains respect, warmth and a playful energy, refined by many years in the community and arts industry working with and supporting artists and communities. She also draws on years of movement experience in martial arts, yoga, and performing and always brings her Irish wit. For Karen, teaching students to free themselves from old patterns and tensions and with artists in realising their brilliance is a constant source of inspiration and joy. To her, the Alexander Technique is a quiet and profound life changer.
Penny McDonald - Alexander Technique
Penny McDonald began having Alexander Technique lessons in the early 1980s when she was performing with Death Defying Theatre, a street theatre company based in Sydney.
In June 1996 she completed the three year training course to teach the Alexander Technique. For the following 20 years she has taught in a private practice as well as teaching the Alexander Technique at 16th Street Actors Studio, the Australian National Academy of Music, Howard Fine Actors Studio, the Alexander Teacher Training Course, Victorian College of the Arts, and the National Drama School, Brave Studios and Film and Television Studio International.
Penny specialises in working with people involved in the performing arts. She is constantly delighted by the change performers can bring to their work by using the Alexander Technique. It is very exciting and empowering when a performer learns how to release tension from the body and can finish performing and can say "that felt good", or "that was fun".
In June 1996 she completed the three year training course to teach the Alexander Technique. For the following 20 years she has taught in a private practice as well as teaching the Alexander Technique at 16th Street Actors Studio, the Australian National Academy of Music, Howard Fine Actors Studio, the Alexander Teacher Training Course, Victorian College of the Arts, and the National Drama School, Brave Studios and Film and Television Studio International.
Penny specialises in working with people involved in the performing arts. She is constantly delighted by the change performers can bring to their work by using the Alexander Technique. It is very exciting and empowering when a performer learns how to release tension from the body and can finish performing and can say "that felt good", or "that was fun".
Marianne Gedigian - Flute
Marianne Gedigian, Professor of Flute, member of the Distinguished Academy of Teachers, and holder of the Butler Professorship in Flute at The University of Texas at Austin Butler School of Music, was a regular performer with the Boston Symphony Orchestra for over a decade, including several seasons as Acting Principal Flute under Seiji Ozawa. As Principal Flute with the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra and Acting Principal Flute with the Boston Pops, Ms. Gedigian has been heard on dozens of recordings and Evening at Pops television broadcasts as well as the nationally broadcast Fourth of July specials. She has also been heard on several John Williams’ movie scores, including Saving Private Ryan and Schindler’s List. In the 2000 - 2001 season, Ms. Gedigian was invited by Mariss Jansons to perform as Acting Principal Flute with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Her solo performances have taken her around the world, including recitals in Japan, Australia, England, and Armenia and she has appeared as concerto soloist numerous times with the Boston Pops Orchestra and with the Armenian Philharmonic performing her own transcription of the Khachaturian Violin Concerto. She was featured with Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull fame in a performance at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Ms. Gedigian has been a featured soloist and teacher at numerous National Flute Association conventions across the country, and is a frequent recitalist and teacher for flute clubs in the United States, Australia, Japan, and England.
Ms. Gedigian has been first prizewinner in the National Flute Association’s Young Artist Competition, and the James Pappoutsakis Memorial Flute Competition. She keeps an active schedule as a chamber musician as a founding member of the Boston-based Walden Chamber Players and was formerly a member of the Dorian Wind Quintet. Her solo recordings include Voice ofthe Fluteand Revolution, both with pianist Rick Rowley.
Ms. Gedigian is on the summer faculty at the Brevard Music Center, and has served on the faculties of Boston University’s College of Fine Arts, The Boston Conservatory, the Round Top International Institute, and the Tanglewood Music Center. Her teachers include Leone Buyse, Doriot Anthony Dwyer, Clement Barone, and Donna Olkowski. Ms. Gedigian is a William S. Haynes Artist and performs on a handmade custom-crafted Haynes gold flute.
Ms. Gedigian has been first prizewinner in the National Flute Association’s Young Artist Competition, and the James Pappoutsakis Memorial Flute Competition. She keeps an active schedule as a chamber musician as a founding member of the Boston-based Walden Chamber Players and was formerly a member of the Dorian Wind Quintet. Her solo recordings include Voice ofthe Fluteand Revolution, both with pianist Rick Rowley.
Ms. Gedigian is on the summer faculty at the Brevard Music Center, and has served on the faculties of Boston University’s College of Fine Arts, The Boston Conservatory, the Round Top International Institute, and the Tanglewood Music Center. Her teachers include Leone Buyse, Doriot Anthony Dwyer, Clement Barone, and Donna Olkowski. Ms. Gedigian is a William S. Haynes Artist and performs on a handmade custom-crafted Haynes gold flute.
Alison Mitchell - Flute
Hailing originally from Melbourne, Alison Mitchell was appointed Principal Flute of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra in 2003.
Since leaving Australia to continue her studies in Basle with the renowned Swiss Flautist, Peter-Lukas Graf she has maintained a very successful career having performed with many major orchestras in both Europe and Australia, most notably with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Sydney Symphony, Orchestra of Scottish Opera, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales and Northern Sinfonia.
Mitchell performs and records regularly with SCO chamber ensembles and as a concerto soloist. Her performances have included concertos by Mozart, JS Bach, CPE Bach, Nielsen, Ibert, Poulenc, Osborne, Boulez, Cimarosa and Honegger. Her recording of Mozart’s Flute Concerto in G with the SCO on Linn Records has received glowing reviews. She has also premiered a wonderful new flute concerto written especially for her and the SCO by the Australian composer, Gordon Kerry.
As well as her work in Scotland, Mitchell is continually sought after to perform in Australia. She has performed regularly with the Australian Chamber Orchestra both internationally and throughout Australia and has also recorded and performed, with Angela Hewitt and the ACO, Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No 5 and the Triple Concerto for flute, violin and piano. The highly acclaimed recording, released on Hyperion, subsequently won many awards including Gramophone CD of the Month.
She is a founder member of the Australian World Orchestra which had its inaugural season in Sydney during August 2011. This is a very exciting new orchestra made up of some of the best Australian players from around the world. The second season, with Zubin Mehta, in October 2013 was a great success. In the 2015 season Sir Simon Rattle conducts the orchestra in Australia and Zubin Mehta tours with the orchestra to India.
Alongside her busy SCO schedule Mitchell performs as soloist and chamber musician, most notably, in collaboration with Christian Zacharias, Robert Levin, the Hebrides Ensemble, Mr McFall’s Chamber, pianist Scott Mitchell, harpist Eleanor Johnson and guitarist Allan Neave and at East Neuk Festival as a regular guest artist. In 2012, she has performed as guest flautist with the Southern Cross Soloists at the Bangalow Music Festival, and with the dynamic Melbourne based ensemble, Syzygy.
Alison Mitchell takes a very active role in the SCO creative learning programme and also gives specialist woodwind coaching. She has worked with many youth orchestras and ensembles namely the Baltic Youth Philharmonic with Musical Director Kristjan Järvi, the Australian Youth Orchestra, and the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland and at the Australian National Academy of Music, the Sydney Conservatorium, where she was guest Senior Lecturer in 2012 and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where she is currently Lecturer in Flute.
Since leaving Australia to continue her studies in Basle with the renowned Swiss Flautist, Peter-Lukas Graf she has maintained a very successful career having performed with many major orchestras in both Europe and Australia, most notably with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Sydney Symphony, Orchestra of Scottish Opera, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales and Northern Sinfonia.
Mitchell performs and records regularly with SCO chamber ensembles and as a concerto soloist. Her performances have included concertos by Mozart, JS Bach, CPE Bach, Nielsen, Ibert, Poulenc, Osborne, Boulez, Cimarosa and Honegger. Her recording of Mozart’s Flute Concerto in G with the SCO on Linn Records has received glowing reviews. She has also premiered a wonderful new flute concerto written especially for her and the SCO by the Australian composer, Gordon Kerry.
As well as her work in Scotland, Mitchell is continually sought after to perform in Australia. She has performed regularly with the Australian Chamber Orchestra both internationally and throughout Australia and has also recorded and performed, with Angela Hewitt and the ACO, Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No 5 and the Triple Concerto for flute, violin and piano. The highly acclaimed recording, released on Hyperion, subsequently won many awards including Gramophone CD of the Month.
She is a founder member of the Australian World Orchestra which had its inaugural season in Sydney during August 2011. This is a very exciting new orchestra made up of some of the best Australian players from around the world. The second season, with Zubin Mehta, in October 2013 was a great success. In the 2015 season Sir Simon Rattle conducts the orchestra in Australia and Zubin Mehta tours with the orchestra to India.
Alongside her busy SCO schedule Mitchell performs as soloist and chamber musician, most notably, in collaboration with Christian Zacharias, Robert Levin, the Hebrides Ensemble, Mr McFall’s Chamber, pianist Scott Mitchell, harpist Eleanor Johnson and guitarist Allan Neave and at East Neuk Festival as a regular guest artist. In 2012, she has performed as guest flautist with the Southern Cross Soloists at the Bangalow Music Festival, and with the dynamic Melbourne based ensemble, Syzygy.
Alison Mitchell takes a very active role in the SCO creative learning programme and also gives specialist woodwind coaching. She has worked with many youth orchestras and ensembles namely the Baltic Youth Philharmonic with Musical Director Kristjan Järvi, the Australian Youth Orchestra, and the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland and at the Australian National Academy of Music, the Sydney Conservatorium, where she was guest Senior Lecturer in 2012 and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where she is currently Lecturer in Flute.
Sarah Curro - Violin
Sarah Curro graduated in 1994 from the Queensland Conservatorium, where she was winner of the Conservatorium Medal for Excellence. After winning the Dorcas McLean Traveling Scholarship for Violinists in 1997 she studied, and then taught, at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, and from 1999-2002 was a member of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. In Australia, she has performed with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Queensland Philharmonic and Symphony Orchestras, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria and is currently a full time member of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Sarah’s interest in education and commissioning music is inspired by her father John Curro, Founder and music director of The Queensland Youth Orchestras. Her experience as a tutor and conductor includes work with the students from The Hong Hong Academy for Performing Arts, Australian Youth orchestra (including National Music Camp, Chamber Camp and Young Symphonists), Queensland Youth Orchestra, Melbourne Youth Orchestra (including MYM Summer School), Southern Cross Soloists Winter Music School, the Australasian Orchestra, Geelong Symphony Orchestra, Victorian Youth Symphony Orchestra
and Orchestra 21.
Besides all the conservative things one can do as a violinist, Sarah’s non-traditional ventures focus on the constant discovery, purchase and promotion of new, mostly local compositions of every art form but most of all music. Through the fascinating and unique instruments of Melbourne's SPUR Violins, her solo series VOLUME, now in its 10th incarnation (40 commissions so far), showcases these works in thoroughly modern venues to an ever-widening audience. Sarah hopes to continue this emotional and financial commitment to her arts community.
and Orchestra 21.
Besides all the conservative things one can do as a violinist, Sarah’s non-traditional ventures focus on the constant discovery, purchase and promotion of new, mostly local compositions of every art form but most of all music. Through the fascinating and unique instruments of Melbourne's SPUR Violins, her solo series VOLUME, now in its 10th incarnation (40 commissions so far), showcases these works in thoroughly modern venues to an ever-widening audience. Sarah hopes to continue this emotional and financial commitment to her arts community.
Merlyn Quaife - Soprano
Distinguished soprano Merlyn Quaife, an Order of Australia Award in the Queen’s Birthday 2013 Honours List for significant service to music, continues to perform opera, oratorio, Lieder, chamber music and contemporary music to great acclaim throughout Australia and Europe. She has also performed as soloist with the Singapore Symphony, Hong Kong Philharmonic and the Voronesz Philharmonic in Russia. Merlyn has appeared with all the State Opera Companies in roles ranging from the bel canto Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor to the minimalist Chiang Ch’ing in Nixon in China. She has performed with all the Symphony Australia orchestras, featured in repertoire of every conceivable style from Handel to Ligeti, as well as recorded a number of CDs including Aria for John Edward Eyre by David Lumsdaine which won her a Sounds Australia Award. Of recording labels, she appears on Naxos, Move, Tall Poppies and ABC Classics.
In 1994, Merlyn made her American debut at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, singing the title role in Gordon Kerry’s opera Medea with Chamber Made Opera, which she also sang to great acclaim when she created the title role in Melbourne, with subsequent seasons in Sydney and Canberra . This was closely followed by a new production with the Berliner Kammeroper which enjoyed three seasons.
Along with her wide array of operatic and oratorio projects, Merlyn is also a regular soloist at St Francis Church in the heart of Melbourne – a role she has enjoyed for many years.
Poulenc’s La Voix Humaine (The Human Voice) has become a regular performance piece with orchestra or piano. Other major highlights have included Shostakovitch Symphony No 14 with the Sydney Symphony (SSO), Britten War Requiem with the Berliner Capella and Flower Maiden 1 in the acclaimed State Opera of South Australia (SOSA) production of Parsifal (the first fully staged Australian performance, under the baton of Jeffrey Tate). Merlyn has also performed the Schoenberg String Quartet No 2 with the Arditti String Quartet for Melbourne International Festival of the Arts and the Goldner Quartet for the Adelaide Festival.
Merlyn has had many works composed specifically for her and dedicated to her—Gordon Kerry’s Kindled Skies and the Christopher Willcock Akmahtova Stanzas being among the highlights.
Lipizzaners with the Stars, Australia wide, saw her combine her love of music with her passion for horses when she sang the fiendishly difficult Queen of the Night aria while riding. She has also been privileged to perform with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Vladimir Ashkenazy in performances of Sibelius’ Luonnotar and Rachmaninof’s The Bells.
Education has also been an important part of Merlyn’s career. Between 1995 and 2007 she headed the Vocal Department at the Faculty of Music at the University of Melbourne. Since 2005 she has also been guest teacher at the Lotte Lehmann Woche Summer School in Pereleberg, Germany and has been invited for teaching / performing engagements in Vienna and the USA, as well. In 2014, Merlyn commenced at the Sir Zelman Cowan School of Music at Monash University where she leads an innovative classical vocal program.
In 1994, Merlyn made her American debut at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, singing the title role in Gordon Kerry’s opera Medea with Chamber Made Opera, which she also sang to great acclaim when she created the title role in Melbourne, with subsequent seasons in Sydney and Canberra . This was closely followed by a new production with the Berliner Kammeroper which enjoyed three seasons.
Along with her wide array of operatic and oratorio projects, Merlyn is also a regular soloist at St Francis Church in the heart of Melbourne – a role she has enjoyed for many years.
Poulenc’s La Voix Humaine (The Human Voice) has become a regular performance piece with orchestra or piano. Other major highlights have included Shostakovitch Symphony No 14 with the Sydney Symphony (SSO), Britten War Requiem with the Berliner Capella and Flower Maiden 1 in the acclaimed State Opera of South Australia (SOSA) production of Parsifal (the first fully staged Australian performance, under the baton of Jeffrey Tate). Merlyn has also performed the Schoenberg String Quartet No 2 with the Arditti String Quartet for Melbourne International Festival of the Arts and the Goldner Quartet for the Adelaide Festival.
Merlyn has had many works composed specifically for her and dedicated to her—Gordon Kerry’s Kindled Skies and the Christopher Willcock Akmahtova Stanzas being among the highlights.
Lipizzaners with the Stars, Australia wide, saw her combine her love of music with her passion for horses when she sang the fiendishly difficult Queen of the Night aria while riding. She has also been privileged to perform with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Vladimir Ashkenazy in performances of Sibelius’ Luonnotar and Rachmaninof’s The Bells.
Education has also been an important part of Merlyn’s career. Between 1995 and 2007 she headed the Vocal Department at the Faculty of Music at the University of Melbourne. Since 2005 she has also been guest teacher at the Lotte Lehmann Woche Summer School in Pereleberg, Germany and has been invited for teaching / performing engagements in Vienna and the USA, as well. In 2014, Merlyn commenced at the Sir Zelman Cowan School of Music at Monash University where she leads an innovative classical vocal program.
Fabian Russell -Conductor
In a career spanning three decades, Fabian Russell has been at the forefront of the Australian classical music industry as a conductor, artistic director, orchestral musician, soloist and educator. Having spent many years as a musician with some of Australia’s major orchestras, Fabian took the decision to become a professional conductor following the rapid growth and artistic success of The Orchestra Project – a national training orchestra that he created during his time as a member of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
Fabian has received invitations to conduct the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, Victorian Opera, Australian Youth Orchestra, Australian National Academy of Music, Orchestra Victoria, Sydney Symphony Orchestra Sinfonia amongst others. He has collaborated with leading international soloists includin Brett Dean, Richard Tognetti andMichael Kieran Harvey.. He is currently Associate Conductor of the Australian Youth Orchestra, Guest Conductor Victorian Opera, Principal Conductor of the Monash Academy Orchestra and Principal Guest Conductor of the University of Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
Fabian has enjoyed a long relationship with the internationally acclaimed Australian Youth Orchestra as Associate Conductor where he has been engaged to prepare AYO in 24 seasons since 2002, including three international tours. In 2002 Fabian founded The Orchestra Project – the Melbourne based training orchestra comprised of Australia’s finest young musicians. Fabian has been Artistic Director and Conductor of the Project since its inception. He has also served as Assistant Conductor to various guests including MSO Chief Conductors Markus Stenz and Oleg Caetani. In 2008 Fabian was invited to be Principal Guest Conductor of the Melbourne Youth Orchestra and was subsequently appointed Principal Conductor and Artistic Director.
At the age of nineteen Fabian accepted a contract position as Guest Principal Tuba of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra where he remained for three years. Following this he was appointed to a Principal position with Orchestra Victoria. In 1993 he was appointed to the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra where he remained for fourteen years. He has played under many of the world’s finest conductors and has also performed with some of the world’s great soloists.
During the course of these two decades he established an international reputation as a leading brass musician of his generation.
Fabian has received invitations to conduct the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, Victorian Opera, Australian Youth Orchestra, Australian National Academy of Music, Orchestra Victoria, Sydney Symphony Orchestra Sinfonia amongst others. He has collaborated with leading international soloists includin Brett Dean, Richard Tognetti andMichael Kieran Harvey.. He is currently Associate Conductor of the Australian Youth Orchestra, Guest Conductor Victorian Opera, Principal Conductor of the Monash Academy Orchestra and Principal Guest Conductor of the University of Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
Fabian has enjoyed a long relationship with the internationally acclaimed Australian Youth Orchestra as Associate Conductor where he has been engaged to prepare AYO in 24 seasons since 2002, including three international tours. In 2002 Fabian founded The Orchestra Project – the Melbourne based training orchestra comprised of Australia’s finest young musicians. Fabian has been Artistic Director and Conductor of the Project since its inception. He has also served as Assistant Conductor to various guests including MSO Chief Conductors Markus Stenz and Oleg Caetani. In 2008 Fabian was invited to be Principal Guest Conductor of the Melbourne Youth Orchestra and was subsequently appointed Principal Conductor and Artistic Director.
At the age of nineteen Fabian accepted a contract position as Guest Principal Tuba of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra where he remained for three years. Following this he was appointed to a Principal position with Orchestra Victoria. In 1993 he was appointed to the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra where he remained for fourteen years. He has played under many of the world’s finest conductors and has also performed with some of the world’s great soloists.
During the course of these two decades he established an international reputation as a leading brass musician of his generation.
Francesca White - Feldenkrais Method
Francesca has been a Feldenkrais practitioner since 1991. She has a background in Psychology, Yoga and T'ai Chi. For many years she has taught professional actors, singers, circus performers and currenly is running a general practice in Brunswick, Melbourne, and Woodend, in The Macedon region. One of her interests has been teaching the understanding of pelvic floor health and runs public workshops and training programs on this theme all over the world. She links this specialty to vocal production as well as balance and stability.
David Moore - Alexander Technique
David Moore, Director at the School for F.M. Alexander Studies graduated from Australia's first Alexander technique training course in Sydney in 1985. After graduating he spent some weeks each year for a number of years studying with senior American teacher, the late Marjorie Barstow. Since then he has established private practices in New Zealand and Melbourne, run many workshops and residential courses in Australia and New Zealand, and taught classes in the UK, Germany, Japan and the USA. In 1999 he set up an AUSTAT accredited training course in Melbourne which at present has 16 trainees doing an Advanced Diploma in Alexander Technique Teaching. to studying the Alexander technique David did many years of yoga practice. He spent over seven years in India and Thailand, including over two years in Thai meditation monasteries, and two years in Madras studying at the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandaram. In Sydney he studied Iyengar yoga for four years with Martin Jackson from 1991 - 1994, including undertaking a teacher training course with Martin in 1994. He now teaches classes applying the Alexander technique to yoga. He also has a strong interest in voice work, and has run numerous classes and workshops for singers, storytellers and public speakers.
Tina Marsden - Flute
Tina completed a Bachelor of Music degree with Distinction and a Graduate Diploma from the Queensland Conservatorium under the tutelage of Gerhard Mallon. She won a two year scholarship through the 'German Academic Exchange Service' to study classical flute repertoire with Professor Klaus Schochow at the Munich Musikhochschule from 1995 to 1997. During these formative years Tina performed solo, in small ensembles, and played with orchestras throughout Germany, Switzerland, England and the Ukraine. After gaining her 'Meisterklasse' diploma in Performance, she continued cultivating her art for three years in Germany and Canada before returning to Australia. She then completed a Master of Music degree at the Queensland Conservatorium where her focus lay in exploring flute music of Latin America.
Tina has performed with and for world renowned flautists such as James Galway, Patrick Gallois, Paul Edmund-Davies, Andras Adorjan and Michael Cox. During and after her overseas music studies, Tina taught privately and at the Ravensburg 'Musickschule' in southern Germany. She returned to Brisbane in 2000 and quickly established herself as a sought after teacher within the South East Queensland corner. Tina held a sessional position teaching, examining and auditioning flautists at the Queensland Conservatorium for four years. She was also the flute tutor and conductor of the Young Conservatorium Flute Ensemble for five years, instructing primary and high school aged students. At the 2007 Brisbane Eisteddfod Tina was awarded the 'Most Outstanding Woodwind Teacher Award'. She also held the position of Vice-president of the Qld. Flute Guild for two years and sat on the committee for 8 years.
Tina moved to Sydney in 2008 to deepen her involvement with meditation studies, which she continues to this day with a passion. She currently teaches in schools and runs a successful private flute studio on the North Shore. Tina enjoys the challenge of finding innovative ways to encourage students to do their best. She is especially interested in utilising music technology within the private flute studio setting. Tina is also an active committee member of the NSW Flute Society, taking up the role of Secretary for 2015.
Tina has performed with and for world renowned flautists such as James Galway, Patrick Gallois, Paul Edmund-Davies, Andras Adorjan and Michael Cox. During and after her overseas music studies, Tina taught privately and at the Ravensburg 'Musickschule' in southern Germany. She returned to Brisbane in 2000 and quickly established herself as a sought after teacher within the South East Queensland corner. Tina held a sessional position teaching, examining and auditioning flautists at the Queensland Conservatorium for four years. She was also the flute tutor and conductor of the Young Conservatorium Flute Ensemble for five years, instructing primary and high school aged students. At the 2007 Brisbane Eisteddfod Tina was awarded the 'Most Outstanding Woodwind Teacher Award'. She also held the position of Vice-president of the Qld. Flute Guild for two years and sat on the committee for 8 years.
Tina moved to Sydney in 2008 to deepen her involvement with meditation studies, which she continues to this day with a passion. She currently teaches in schools and runs a successful private flute studio on the North Shore. Tina enjoys the challenge of finding innovative ways to encourage students to do their best. She is especially interested in utilising music technology within the private flute studio setting. Tina is also an active committee member of the NSW Flute Society, taking up the role of Secretary for 2015.
Kym Oliver - Yoga and meditation
Kym Oliver started her career as a yoga teacher after spending three years in an ashram in India from 2002 – 2005. The course was primarily focused on Vedanta Philosophy with Hatha Yoga and meditation as daily practices.
When Kym returned to Melbourne, she sought a quieter life and moved to the MacedonRanges to achieve this goal. Soon after meeting some locals, Kym was requested to teach yoga and Vedanta philosophy. Since 2005, Kym has conducted many workshops and retreats in Victoria, India, Bali and Vietnam. Kym offers regular yoga, meditation and philosophy classes at her studio in Macedon where she also offers B and B accommodation.
Kym has experienced first hand the power of Vedanta philosophy, Hatha yoga and meditation; the most powerful Kym would say being Vedanta Philosophy: “Without an understanding of some basic fundamental laws of life, we continually stumble over the same rock!”
When Kym returned to Melbourne, she sought a quieter life and moved to the MacedonRanges to achieve this goal. Soon after meeting some locals, Kym was requested to teach yoga and Vedanta philosophy. Since 2005, Kym has conducted many workshops and retreats in Victoria, India, Bali and Vietnam. Kym offers regular yoga, meditation and philosophy classes at her studio in Macedon where she also offers B and B accommodation.
Kym has experienced first hand the power of Vedanta philosophy, Hatha yoga and meditation; the most powerful Kym would say being Vedanta Philosophy: “Without an understanding of some basic fundamental laws of life, we continually stumble over the same rock!”