Dan Tepfer has made a name for himself as a pianist-composer of wide-ranging ambition, individuality and drive — “a remarkable musician” in the words of the Washington Post and one “who refuses to set himself limits” in those of France’s Télérama. The New York City-based Tepfer, born in 1982 in Paris to American parents, has performed with some of the leading lights in jazz, including extensively with veteran saxophone luminary Lee Konitz. As a leader, Tepfer has crafted a discography already striking for its breadth and depth, ranging from probing solo improvisation and intimate duets to richly layered trio albums of original compositions. His Sunnyside/Naïve album Goldberg Variations / Variations saw the prize-winning pianist performing J.S. Bach’s masterpiece as well as improvising upon it to “build a bridge across centuries and genres” (Wall Street Journal) in “an impressive feat that keeps coming back to a hearty and abiding respect” (New York Times). As a composer, he is a recipient of the Charles Ives Fellowship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters for works including Concerto for Piano and Winds, premiered in the Prague Castle with himself on piano, and Solo Blues for Violin and Piano, premiered at Carnegie Hall. Bringing together his undergraduate studies in astrophysics with his passion for music, he is currently working on integrating computer-driven algorithms into his improvisational approach. Awards include first prize and audience prize at the Montreux Jazz Festival Solo Piano Competition, first prize at the East Coast Jazz Festival Competition, and the Cole Porter Fellowship from the American Pianists Association.

photo © Josh Goleman '17

Melbourne-born Natalie Christie Peluso captivates audiences and critics alike with her dynamic, effervescent stage presence and an inviting lyric soprano voice that has been described by London critics as “full of youthful, delicious beauty” and “electrifying freshness.”

Recent opera appearances include Hanna The Merry Widow , Rose Maybud Ruddigore , Opera Queensland; Niece 2 Peter Grimes , Brisbane Festival; Ottavia/Drusilla Monteverdi's Coronation of Poppea Pinchgut Opera; Adele Die Fledermaus Opera Queensland.

Recent concert appearances include Four Last Songs Strauss, Pieces of 9/11 Jake Heggy, Bach Cantata 32 Australian Festival of Chamber Music; Bach B Minor Mass , Mahler Symphony No. 4 , Handel Messiah , all with Queensland Symphony Orchestra. Previous opera performances include Sr Constance The Carmelites , Sophie Der Rosenkavalier , Gilda Rigoletto , Eurydice Orphée et Eurydice , Pamina Die Zauberflöte , Adina L’elisir d’amore , Susanna Le nozze di Figaro , Zerlina Don Giovanni , Despina Cosi Fan Tutte , Adele Die Fledermaus , and Marzelline Leonora , Welsh National Opera; Zerlina Don Giovanni Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; Soprano
Bach St. John Passion English National Opera; Susanna Mozart Le nozze di Figaro Opera Australia.

Born in Canberra in 1984, Kristian Winther studied violin with Josette Esquedin-Morgan, and conducting with John Curro, with whom he performed the Sibelius Violin Concerto at the age of fifteen. In 2007 Kristian founded the Tinalley String Quartet, before proceeding to win the 2007 Banff International String Quartet Competition followed by a string of acclaimed performances overseas. By 2009 Kristian gave the Australian premieres of Brett Dean's violin concerto The Lost Art of Letter Writing and of Andriessen's string quartet Facing Death. During 2013 to 14, Kristian led the Australian String Quartet and though he “captivated audiences with his virtuosic performances and his fresh and dynamic approach to string quartet repertoire”, artistic differences led to his departure, a sad undertone in Scott Hicks’ film ‘Highly Strung’. Kristian continues to perform chamber music and enjoys playing music from the 17th to the 21st centuries in the Play On series for sold out audiences under the age of 30 in an underground car park in Collingwood. For the 2019 Canberra International Music Festival, he presents the complete Bach solo works for the first time in public.

Since its formation in 2004, Quatuor Voce has established itself as one of the best quartets of its generation, receiving the highest awards at international competitions including those of Geneva, Cremona, Vienna, Bordeaux, Graz, London and Reggio Emilia. During 2013/14 the quartet was selected as ECHO Rising Stars performing in halls such as Het Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Auditori Barcelona, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, Philharmonie Cologne, Palace of the Arts in Budapest, Barbican Centre London and Philharmonie Paris. Beside the core quartet repertoire, curiosity enables the group to diversify its activities, performing contemporary music by living composers as well as crossover programmes with renowned pop singers and choreographers such as Thomas Lebrun, Ibrahim Maalouf and Kyrie Kristmanson.

The Quartet records exclusively for the ALPHA Classics label. Their next release, ‘Itinéraire’, will be issued in late September 2018, and is inspired by the folklore traditions of Bartók and Kodály. This season, the quartet will undertake its debut tour of the US in addition to extensive tours of Japan, China and Australia.

Trio SR9 was created in 2010 at the National Conservatory of Music and Dance of Lyon, France. In 2012, they won three prizes at the International Music Competition in Luxembourg: the First Prize, the Press Prize and the Public Prize.

Trio SR9 gave more than 150 concerts in Europe, Canada and USA. They released two CDs: Bach au marimba in 2015 and Alors, on danse? in March 2018 under the Naïve label.

This group promotes a creative vision of percussion with transcriptions for 3 marimbas of emblematic scores (Bach, Mendelssohn, Ravel, Stravinsky). They also participate actively in the evolution of the contemporary repertoire of percussion through commissioning of works to young composers such as François Tashdjian, Florent Caron-Darras and Balint Karosi.

Vyacheslav Gryaznov graduated with honors both from the Central Music School of the Moscow Conservatory, and the Moscow Conservatory. He continued at the Moscow Conservatory as a post-graduate, and is on its teaching faculty. He later completed Yale University School of Music’s Artist Diploma program under Professor Boris Berman.

Vyacheslav Gryaznov is an Artist of the Moscow Philharmonic Society and is an Artist-in-Residence with The Drozdoff Society in the U.S.

Solo recitals at Berliner Philharmonie, Carnegie Hall, Ehrbar Hall in Vienna, National Center for the Arts, Mexico City; soloist with the Atlantic Classical Orchestra, Moscow Philharmonic, RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, Dnipro Philharmonic. 2019 performances in China, Australia, U.S., Ukraine, Belgium, France, Austria, and Colombia.

Vyacheslav Gryaznov has authored more than 30 concert arrangements and in 2014 signed a publishing contract with Schott Music (Germany). In 2018, he released a CD of his Russian Transcriptions on the Steinway & Sons label.

Flautist Sally Walker is Lecturer in Classical Performance (Woodwind) at the Australian National University and resident Flautist with the Omega Ensemble. She was grand-finalist in Italy’s Leonardo de Lorenzo International Flute Competition, second prize winner in Germany’s Friedrich Kuhlau International Flute Competition and has won awards from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), Ian Potter Cultural Fund and the Queen’s Trust. She has toured with the Berlin Philharmonic, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and has performed as Guest Principal with the Deutsche Kammmerakademie Neuss, Kammerakademie Potsdam, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the Australian Chamber Orchestra. Her chamber music collaborations range from Early Music to eclectic multi-disciplinary and World music, often commissioning and premiering new works. Sally is a graduate of the University of Sydney, Hannover Hochschule für Music und Medien and Munich Hochschule für Musik und Theater.

Photo Keith Saunders

The sonic.art saxophone quartet is a chamber music ensemble with an international flair with current members hailing from Belarus, Australia and Germany. Sonic.art was founded in 2005 and has since made a name for itself in various line-ups thanks to prestigious prizes and awards at national and international competitions in Poland, Germany and Switzerland. Performances at renowned festivals have included Warsaw Autumn, Mosel Musikfestival, Schleswig-Holstein Festival, Festival of Mexico and the Festival Symphonique Algiers. Among recent highlights are the performances of William Bolcom’s ‘Concerto grosso’ for saxophone quartet and orchestra with the Nürnberger Symphoniker and the Sinfonieorchester Aachen.

The latest of their 3 CDs ‘Transformation’ includes works by Glazunov, Shostakovich, a debut recording of Gubaidulina and collaborations with Swedish trombonist Christian Lindberg and soprano Evelina Dobračeva.

Daniel Rowland & Ian Belton, violin
Paul Cassidy, viola - Jacqueline Thomas, cello

Since forming in 1972, the Brodsky Quartet have performed over 3,000 concerts on the major stages of the world and have released more than 60 recordings. A natural curiosity and an insatiable desire to explore has propelled the group in a number of artistic directions and continues to ensure them not only a prominent presence on the international chamber music scene, but also a rich and varied musical existence. Their energy and craftsmanship have attracted numerous awards and accolades worldwide, while their ongoing educational work provides a vehicle to pass on experience and stay in touch with the next generation.

Throughout their career of over 45 years, the Brodsky Quartet have enjoyed a busy international performing schedule, and have extensively toured the major festivals and venues throughout Australasia, North and South America, Asia, South Africa and Europe, as well as in the UK, where the quartet is based. The quartet are also regularly recorded for television and radio with their performances broadcast worldwide.

Over the years, the Brodsky Quartet have undertaken numerous performances of the complete cycles of quartets by Schubert, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Britten, Schoenberg, Zemlinsky, Webern and Bartok. It is, however, the complete Shostakovich cycle that has now become synonymous with their name: their 2012 London performance of the cycle resulted in their taking the prestigious title ‘Artistic Associate’ at London’s Kings Place and, in October 2016, releasing their second recording of the cycle, this time live from the Muziekgebouw, Amsterdam.

The Brodsky Quartet have always had a busy recording career and currently enjoy an exclusive and fruitful relationship with Chandos Records. Releases on the label include ‘Petits Fours’, a celebratory album of ‘Encore’ pieces arranged exclusively by the quartet for their 40th anniversary; a Debussy compilation; ‘In the South’, featuring works by Verdi, Paganini, Wolf and Puccini; ‘New World Quartets’, comprising works by Dvorak, Copland, Gershwin and Brubeck; the quartets of Zemlinsky, including the world premiere recording of his unpublished early quartet; two Brahms discs, featuring the iconic Piano and Clarinet Quintets; the Shostakovich Complete Quartets.

As well as partnering many top classical artists for their performances and recordings, the quartet have made musical history with ground-breaking collaborations with some of the world’s leading artists across many genres and have commissioned and championed many of the world’s most respected composers.

Awards for recordings include the Diapason D'Or and the CHOC du Monde de la Musique and the Brodsky Quartet have received a Royal Philharmonic Society Award for their outstanding contribution to innovation in programming.

The quartet have taught at many international chamber music courses and have held residencies in several music institutes including, at the start of their career, the first such post at the University of Cambridge and latterly at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where they are visiting International Fellows in Chamber Music. They were awarded Honorary Doctorates by the University of Kent and an Honorary Fellowship at the University of Teesside, where they were founded.

The quartet took their name from the great Russian violinist Adolf Brodsky, the dedicatee of Tchaikovsky's violin concerto and a passionate chamber musician. Daniel Rowland plays a violin made by Lorenzo Storioni of Cremona in 1793; Ian Belton’s violin is by Giovanni Paolo Maggini, c.1615.Paul Cassidy plays on La Delfina viola, c.1720, courtesy of Sra. Delfina Entrecanales and Jacqueline Thomas’s cello is by Thomas Perry of Dublin, 1785.

Photo credit Martina Simkovicova

http://www.brodskyquartet.co.uk/

Los Pitutos is a Chilean-Colombian band, founded in Berlin in 2015, which specialises in adaptations of popular Boleros, Cumbias, Joropos and valses and which mixes them with own compositions – leading to a unique mixture which captivates its audience and brings it to Latin America on a one way ticket. Founded by four classically trained young Chilean musicians and one Colombian musician, who all came to Germany to study and to work, Los Pitutos manages to resurrect a bygone world, a world full of longing, warm Latin - American nights and charm of the slower century.

After very successful concerts at Sinnesfreude (Berlin), Not Only Jazz Café (Berlin), Oui, Madame (Berlin) and at the Secrets Festival 2015, Los Pitutos could be heard in February 2016 in the foyer and on the main stage of the Berlin Philharmonic, where they played as the supporting act to Munich based band Blechschaden.

The same constellation could be experienced in April 2016 at the Prinzregententheater in Munich, accomapanied by the band ́s appearance at the Bavarian National Radio station (Bayerischer Rundfunk) for the show Z ́am rocken. In May 2016 the band gave two exciting concerts at the Kunstfabrik Schlot, one of Berlin ́s leading Jazz places, where they were part of a festival called Lieben Sie Tango ? (Do you love Tango ?).

In November 2016, Los Pitutos will give their debut at the Theater im Fraunhofer in Munich, alongside the wind section of the Munich Philharmonic. In 2017, Los Pitutos can be heard at Kunstfabrik Schlot once again, at the Welthaus Bielefeld and giving their debut with two concerts at the Schleswig Holstein Music Festival.

Eve Egoyan is an artist whose medium is the piano. Her intense focus, command of the instrument, insightful interpretations, and unique programmes welcome audiences into unknown territory. Her recordings have received accolades including “Best Classical”, The Globe and Mail (1999), for her first solo CD, and more recently one of “Ten Top” classical discs, The New Yorker magazine (2009), and “Top Classical Disc of the Year”, The Globe and Mail (2011). Eve’s most recent disc, “Thought and Desire”, celebrates piano works by Linda Catlin Smith. Eve will be releasing Maria de Alvear’s diptych De Puro Amor and En Amor Duro in 2018. Eve’s Solo for Duet, a deeply integrated virtuosic mix of sound, image, and unspoken narrative challenging traditional conceptions of piano and pianist, will be touring internationally through 2018 and beyond. Eve was selected as one of the 25 greatest Canadian classical pianists of all time by the CBC. www.eveegoyan.com

Violist James Wannan is based in Sydney, having previously studied viola with Alice Waten in Melbourne and viola d’amore in Vienna with Marianne Rônez. He explores his passion for music from ancient to contemporary on a number of instruments.

As a soloist James has worked with orchestras including the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. He has performed as a viola d’amore soloist in festivals in Austria and Germany, and has been invited to perform as guest principal viola with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. He toured Europe as principal viola of the Asia Pacific United Orchestra.

James Wannan

The brainchild of world renowned Bach expert Madeleine Easton, Bach Akademie Australia is Australia's newest dedicated Bach ensemble. Bach Akademie Australia’s raison d’être is to create a natural extension of Madeleine's work over the last 17 years in Europe, combining cutting-edge scholarship, imaginative musicianship and playing of dazzling virtuosity. The ensemble's focus on mastery of performance, authenticity and originality of interpretation is bringing the music of JS Bach to life for Australian audiences.

Bach Akademie is forming close links with academic institutions around Australia to establish an atmosphere of learning and education around the ensemble. With direct access to the world's leading Bach exponents, Bach Akademie Australia aims to give Australian audiences the very best experience of JS Bach's music and put Australia on the map as a place of international repute in the performance of JS Bach.

Bach Akademie Australia launched in April 2017 with a sold-out performance in Sydney at the historic Garrison Church, followed by two sold-out performances for the Canberra International Music Festival to rave reviews in Limelight Magazine and Canberra City News, and another sold-out performance at Christ Church St Laurence, Sydney to mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.

www.bachakademieaustralia.com.au

Jason Noble is one of Australia’s most versatile clarinettists. As a core member of Ensemble Offspring for over 15 years, Jason has performed contemporary new music at festivals from Warsaw to London, Shanghai to Kabul, and around Australia, working largely with living composers.

In 2017 Jason co-curated a Musica Viva Sessions salon in collaboration with Artbank and violinist Veronique Serret, and also released his first solo album, Chi’s Cakewalk — a collection of contemporary Australian works for clarinet and bass clarinet.

He has toured internationally as part of the live musical entourage for The Shaun Parker Dance Company’s acclaimed production, AM I and has jointly received “Best Performance” awards with Ensemble Offspring at the APRA/AMC Art Music Awards.

Having been an invited guest teacher and performer over two winter academies at the Afghanistan National Institute of Music in Kabul, Jason continues to support the school through fundraising and skype lessons. Similarly, he maintains close ties with the Tiwi Strong Women's Group, Ngarukuruwala, with whom he has appeared at festivals and performed on their two albums.

Anna Fraser has gained a reputation as a versatile soprano specialising predominantly in the interpretation of early and contemporary repertoire. As a permanent ensemble member of the Song Company since 2007, Anna performs in a myriad of traditional and exploratory programming expertly demonstrating the versatility and virtuosity of a cappella singing. Anna performs extensively with a number of Sydney's professional ensembles including Pinchgut Opera and Cantillation; Sydney Chamber Opera; Sydney Philharmonia Choirs; Sydney Symphony Orchestra; Ironwood; The Acacia Quartet, Ensemble Offspring; Halcyon; Taikoz; Bach Akadamie Australia, Australian Haydn Ensemble, Salut! Baroque, Sydney Consort and Thoroughbass. Anna has collaborated with international ensembles such as The Wallfisch Band (UK) and the New Zealand String Quartet.

Tenor Andrew Goodwin has appeared with orchestras and opera companies in Europe, the UK, Asia and Australia, including the Bolshoi Opera, Gran Theatre Liceu Barcelona, Teatro Real Madrid, La Scala Milan and Opera Australia.
On the concert platform he has toured with the St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra with Maestro Temirkanov, performed with the Sydney, Melbourne, Queensland and Adelaide Symphony Orchestras, Moscow Chamber Orchestra, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs and has given recitals with pianist Daniel de Borah at the Wigmore Hall, and at the Oxford Lieder, Port Fairy, Huntington, Coriole and Canberra International Music Festivals.
His 2017 Andrew appeared with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (Mozart Requiem), Sydney Philharmonia Choirs (Dream of Gerontius and Messiah), Coriole Festival and Adam Chamber Music Festival, Melbourne Bach Choir (St John Passion), Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, Sydney Chamber Opera (Biographica and The Rape of Lucretia ) Sydney University Graduate Choir (Saint Saëns Requiem) and the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra (Handel Ode for St. Cecilia’s Day).

In 2018 Andrew makes his role and house debut as Nadir in The Pearlfishers for State Opera of South Australia. He will also return to Pinchgut Opera in the title role of Artaxerses. Concert performances include a return to Melbourne Symphony Orchestra for Berlioz L’enfance du Christ and Messiah, to Sydney Symphony Orchestra (Brett Dean’s oratorio The Last Days of Socrates), Queensland Symphony (Messiah) Sydney University Graduate Choir for An Australian War Requiem (Bowen), Sydney Philharmonia for Bach B Minor Mass, Melbourne Bach Choir (Mozart Requiem and Bach Cantata), Monash Academy Orchestra (Rossini Stabat Mater),and to Melbourne Intervarsity Choral Festival (Elgar’s The Light of Light). Andrew will also again appear in recital with Daniel de Borah.

Previous appearances include Sydney Chamber Opera (Passion), The Song Company (Bach’s B Minor Mass and Bach and forward), Melbourne Bach Choir (Evangelist, St Matthew Passion), 4 Winds Festival (Britten’s Serenade for tenor, horn and strings), Sydney Symphony Orchestra (Mozart Litaniae de venerabili altaris sacramento), Monash Academy (Haydn Mass in Time of War), Sydney Philharmonia Choirs (Israel in Egypt and Messiah), Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra (his debut in the title role in The Rake’s Progress and Bach Magnificat), Brisbane Festival (Lyle Chan‘s My Dear Benjamin with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra), and Handel in the Theatre (Jephtha, The Vow) recitals with Daniel de Borah and the Australia Piano Quartet, as well as featuring at Musica Viva’s Huntington Festival, and the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, Townsville.

Other engagements include Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn and strings (Adelaide and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras), a recital with pianist Mira Yevtich at the Concert Hall of the Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg; Degtyarev's Russian oratorio Minin i Pojarsky with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra; Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius at St John’s Smith Square, London; the roles of Lensky (Eugene Onegin) and Tamino (The Magic Flute) with the Bolshoi Opera and Egeo in Cavalli’s Giasone and Florival in L’amant jaloux (Grétry) and Orpheus in Haydn’s L’anima del filosofo for Pinchgut Opera.

Other notable opera performances include Andrew’s debut for Opera Australia as Fenton in Falstaff and the role of Avvakum in the world premiere of Rodion Shchedrin’s Boyarina Morozova at the Moscow State Conservatory; Belmonte in (Die Entführung aus dem Serail), Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni), Novice (Billy Budd), Janek (The Makropoulos Affair) and Tamino (Die Zauberflöte) for Opera Australia; return appearances at the Bolshoi for Alfred (Die Fledermaus) and the tour of the Bolshoi production of Eugene Onegin performing Lensky at The Ljubljana Music Festival, Slovenia, La Scala, Milan and Teatro Real, Madrid and The National Centre for the Performing Arts, Beijing. Andrew also made his debut at the Liceu, Barcelona as Silvio in Martin Y Soler’s L’Arbore di Diana, and his UK debut singing the role of Gomatz in Mozart’s Zaide with The Classical Opera Company.

As well as performing regularly with duo partner Daniel de Borah, they have also recorded Schubert's Die Schöne Müllerin and Winterreise for ABC Classic FM.
Born in Sydney, Andrew studied voice at the St. Petersburg Conservatory under the direction of Professor Lev Morozov, graduating with a Bachelor of Music. He has also studied with Robert Dean in the UK.

During his studies Andrew won a number of awards and scholarships: The Tait Memorial Trust Scholarship, 2nd place in the Yelena Obraztsova Singing Competition in St. Petersburg; the Martin Bequest Travelling Scholarship; the Sir Robert Askin Operatic Travelling Scholarship; and the Australian Opera Auditions Committee Joan Sutherland Richard Bonynge Scholarship. He also received support from the Australian Music Foundation and ARS Musica Australis.

Max McBride is one of the most widely respected musicians active in Australia today, having found success on the concert stage and as an educator. He began his professional career early, gaining recognition as a double bassist when he became the youngest full time member of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in 1969. In 1973 he gained the position of Co-principal of the bass section.

After two study leaves in Austria where he studied double bass with the world-renowned Ludwig Streicher and conducting with Otmar Suitner he returned to Australia in 1979 to take up the position of Principal Double Bass with the Australian Chamber Orchestra. With them he toured extensively within Australia as well as in Europe, the United States and South East Asia. He also was the regular bass player of the Australia Ensemble, performing most of the standard repertoire which includes bass as well as less familiar works such as Kurtz’s “Last Contrabass in Las Vegas” with Jane Manning.

Other significant appearances were with Kathy Selby and Friends, with Pinkas Zuckerman for Melbourne Summer Music, several solo performances with Cellist David Pereira and Viola Player Irena Morozov, a concert for Sydney’s Mostly Mozart Festival in 1997 with the Korean Cellist Young Chang Cho and appearances at the Townsville International Chamber Music Festival.

In 1992 Max took up a full-time teaching position at the Canberra School of Music. In 1996, when on study leave in Vienna, he was invited to play with the Vienna State Opera Orchestra and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under Daniel Barenboim. In 1998 and 2000, he was again invited to play in the Vienna State Opera in numerous performances including Parsifal, Die Frau ohne Schatten, Elektra, Barber of Seville.

Max’s students presently hold positions at Penn State University, in the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Queensland Orchestra, Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, Ensemble Modern as well as other teaching institutions.

Max has kept up a busy performing schedule, with regular engagements at the Canberra International Music Festival and appearing as guest principal with the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra and most of the Australian orchestras, including the Tasmanian, Queensland, Melbourne Western Australian, Adelaide and Sydney Symphony Orchestras. In recent years he has been a regular with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.

Baritone David Greco has been engaged by some of the worlds most exceptional ensembles and festivals, including Festival Aix-en Provence, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, The Academy of Ancient Music under Richard Egarr and Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra under Ton Koopman.

David was a bass Lay Clark in Westminster Abbey Choir, and in 2014 was the first Australian appointed a position with the Sistine Chapel Choir in the Vatican, Rome.

David regularly appears as a soloist with some of Australia’s finest ensembles, including the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Pinchgut Opera and Australian Haydn Ensemble. In 2016 David made his debut as a principal artist with Opera Australia in The Love of Three Oranges and The Eighth Wonder, and also the Sydney Symphony.

2017 includes Handel Messiah/Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, Bach Matthäus-Passion/Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, Handel Esther/Handel in the Theatre and a song recital of Schubert lieder - ‘Love in the Age of Syphilis’ with Erin Helyard at the Melbourne Recital Centre. He will make his role debut in Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo in Melbourne this winter.

David’s Naxos Recording debut was recently released ‘Poems of Love & War’, featuring arias by New Zealand composer, Jack Body.

2018 will see the release of David’s solo recording with ABC Classics label and the Australian premiere recording of Schubert’s Die Winterreise on a period forte piano with Erin Helyard.

www.davidgreco.info

Soprano Susannah Lawergren performs both as a specialist ensemble member and soloist, bridging art song, early music, contemporary music, oratorio and operatic repertoire. She has performed with some of the foremost musicians and ensembles in Australia, including Bach Akademie Australia, Ensemble Offspring, Joseph Tawadros, Tobias Cole, Cantillation, ACO, SSO, MSO and the Australia Ensemble as well as international artists like the Wallfisch Ensemble, Forma Antiqva, Simone Vallerotonda and Nigel North.

As a core member of the Song Company since 2011, she has performed a remarkably diverse range of vocal ensemble music in performances around the country, is regularly broadcast on ABC Classic FM and has appeared on many albums, the most recent being In Illo Tempore with Hyperion Records. She has performed at many of the major festivals in Australia, last year appearing in Brett Dean’s operatic smash hit Hamlet at the Adelaide Festival and singing Bach cantatas with the Bach Akademie Australia at her eighth Canberra International Music Festival. As a solo recitalist, recent performances have included the spare programme, Songs of Solitude for Art Song Canberra with pianist Benjamin Burton, and two concerts of song cycles for soprano and chamber ensemble in the Sydney Opera House’s Utzon Room, all newly written by four emerging composers and performed with new ensembles the Kasba Trio and Hourglass Ensemble.

In early 2019 she will appear in an opera by Kaija Saariaho in the Sydney Festival with Sydney Chamber Opera, and mid-year will collaborate with pianist Vatche Jambazian, performing the devastating Winterreise by Schubert, rarely if ever sung in Australia by a soprano. Also in June, she will sing with acclaimed UK group Voces 8, adding with Amy Moore a 9th and 10th voice to the group for a chamber version of Bach’s glorious B Minor Mass at Melbourne’s Australian National Academy of Music

Richard Fomison studied the trumpet at the Royal Academy of Music under the tuition of Ray Allen, Paul Archibald, Robert Farley and David Staff (natural trumpet). Engagements have included performances with the Philharmonia, City of London Sinfonia, Trafalgar Ensemble, Gabrielli Consort, Florilegium, ,Ex Cathedra, Academy of Ancient Music ,Orchestra of the Age of
Enlightenment, Kings Consort, Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, Armonico Consort, Drottingholm Baroque, Belmont Ensemble of London, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Queensland Symphony Orchestra and Deutsche Kammerphilarmonie Bremen.

Whilst being in demand as a freelance modern trumpet player, Richard is also a specialist on the Baroque Trumpet and has been invited as Principal Trumpet to perform with Canadian based group Tafelmusic, Santa Fe Baroque Orchestra (New Mexico) , Le Concert Lorrain and recorded Bach's B Minor Mass with the Leipzig Baroque Orchestra in partnership with the famous Thomas Kirche Boys Choir and recorded Brandenburg No 2 with Florilegium. Richard is also a member of The Prince Regent’s Band specializing in period instrument performances of brass music from the late 19th Century.

Swedish born Tommie Andersson is Australia’s leading specialist in lutes and early guitars. He is highly sought after and performs regularly with the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, Opera Australia, Ludovico’s Band, Sydney Philharmonia and the Australian Chamber Orchestra amongst others. As a recitalist he has performed in all the major Australian capital cities and festivals and he has also toured Europe, South America and Asia. Tommie Andersson appears on more than 50 discs including a solo CD released on the Swedish label Musica Rediviva. He lectures in Lute at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

Conductor-harpsichordist Korneel Bernolet (1989-) is one of the most versatile young talents of the early music scene today. He performs worldwide as a recital soloist and ensemble player, conducts his own Apotheosis Orchestra and is Professor of Harpsichord (on the original Dulcken 1747) at the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp, Belgium. He is a regular assistant-conductor, continuo player and recital compagnon of Christophe Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques and worked alongisde Jos van Immerseel as assistant-conductor for Anima Eterna Brugge, culminating in a highly praised guest-conductorship with Beethoven's 9th Symphony in Bruges and Frankfurt with Collegium Vocale Ghent. Korneel made his debut at the age of 19 as a continuo player with Sigiswald Kuijken's La Petite Bande, was named 'Young Musician of the Year' in 2014 by the Belgian Music Press Association and also teaches and conducts at the International Opera Academy Ghent.

Tobias Cole, Artistic Director of Handel In The Theatre, is one of Australia’s most successful counter-tenors, having performed throughout Australia, the UK and USA. He has also been Artistic Director of Canberra Choral Society and Distinguished Artist in Residence at the Australian National University.

After winning the Metropolitan Opera Young Artist Study Award, spending three months studying in New York at The Metropolitan, Tobias made his U.S. debut playing Ottone in (L’Incoronazione di Poppea), returning to sing Apollo in (Death in Venice) and Oberon in (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) all for the Chicago Opera Theater.

He has sung with West Australian Opera (Orlando), Opera Queensland (Julius Caesar), The Renaissance Players, The Song Company, Kent Opera (Masque of Dioclesian), Australian Ballet (Pergolesi's Stabat Mater), at the Sydney and Melbourne Festivals Shaun Parker’s “This Show is About People”, London Handel Festival (Deidamia) with director Keith Warner and with the English Bach Festival (The Fairy Queen).

Recent engagements include Carmina Burana with West Australian Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic; Handel’s Esther and Jeptha: ‘The Vow’ with Handel In The Theatre, Canberra; Alana Valentine’s Cold Light with The Street Theatre Company; the Lycanthropy Aria from Torsten Rasch’s The Duchess of Malfi with Christchurch Symphony Orchestra; title role in Philip Glass’ Akhnaten for State Opera of South Australia; a staged version of St Matthew Passion (Opera Queensland); Jeptha ‘The Vow’, Didymus in Handel’s Theodora, Lychas in Handel’s Hercules and the title role in the Australian premiere of Handel’s Alexander Balus with Canberra Choral Society; Handel’s Messiah (Canberra Choral Society and Collegium Symphonic Chorus Perth); performances with Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, The Song Company, and at the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, the Woodend Winter Arts Festival and the Canberra International Music Festival.

In 2018 Toby’s engagements include his return to Canberra Choral Society for the comedic oratorio Not the Messiah, (He’s a Very Naughty Boy) and the Canberra International Music Festival for The Return of Ulysses as well as Israel in Egypt and Bach concerts, the latter repeated in Sydney, with Bach Akademie Australia. He also appears in an Opera Gala with the Canberra Youth Orchestra, Maniyas, in an ensemble concert of music by Ross Edwards for Kangaroo Valley Arts Festival and various recitals. He will also take the role of Joacim in this year’s Handel In The Theatre presentation of Susanna.

Other career highlights include the title role in Julius Caesar, Medoro (Orlando), Oberon (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) and Mozart Anniversary Concerts for Opera Australia; the title role in Xerxes (Handel) for NZ Opera and Victorian Opera (winning a Green Room Award); Studz in Alan John’s How to Kill Your Husband for Victorian Opera; Roberto (Griselda) and Athamas (Semele) for Pinchgut Opera; La Speranza and Pastore 3 in Monteverdi’s L'Orfeo with Australian Brandenburg Orchestra; Carmina Burana for Queensland Music Festival; Messiah and St. John Passion with Queensland Symphony Orchestra; Dr Who Symphonic Spectacular with Melbourne Symphony Orchestra; Dido and Aeneas and John Adams’ El Ñino with Sydney Philharmonia, and Bach’s B minor Mass at the Canberra International Music Festival.

Photo_by_Michele_Mossop

William Barton
Composer
For two decades, William Barton has forged a peerless profile as a performer and composer in the classical musical world, from the Philharmonic Orchestras of London and Berlin to historic events at Anzac Cove and the Beijing Olympics. With his prodigious musicality and the quiet conviction of his Kalkadunga heritage, he has vastly expanded the horizons of the didgeridoo, and the culture and landscape that it represents. By the age of 12, William was sure enough of his destiny to leave school to concentrate on music. At 17, William realised a lifelong dream when he was invited to perform with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra. But the full embrace of the classical music world came in 2004, when Tasmanian composer Peter Sculthorpe unveiled his Requiem with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and William as guest soloist. Tours to Japan, the USA and New Zealand followed. William was soon performing on classical stages from the Vatican to the royal court of Spain. William won an ARIA Award for his classical album Kalkadungu, composed a world premiere work for members of the Berlin Philharmonic at Sydney Opera House, and unveiled his first string quartet, Birdsong at Dusk, with the Kurilpa String Quartet. He holds honorary doctorate degrees from the Universities of Griffith and Sydney, and has released five albums on the ABC Classics label. His most recent, Kalkadungu: music for didjeridu and orchestra, features predominantly his own compositions, alongside those of his mother Delmae Barton and Peter Sculthorpe.

The Australian violinist Madeleine Easton is an established star on the international stage known for her versatility and expertise in the world of violin playing. Throughout her career, a desire to combine period and modern playing has led to unique opportunities for playing with many wonderful and varied ensembles worldwide. She performs at the highest level both in Europe and in Australia, appearing as both soloist, concertmaster and director of some of the worlds most respected ensembles and orchestras.

EDUCATION AND AWARDS

Madeleine studied with Alice Waten and Chris Kimber at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music where she graduated with first class honours. Alongside her degree, she studied baroque violin with Lucinda Moon. She was awarded scholarships and was successful in competitions winning the Sydney Conservatorium Concerto Prize with Bartok's 2nd violin concerto, and was a finalist in both the 1999 Richard Goldner Concerto Competition and the 1998 Gisbourne International Music Competition in New Zealand. In 2000 she was a recipient of a full scholarship to attend the Meadowmount Summer School in New York State winning the chamber music prize, and a year later won a place to study at postgraduate level at the Royal College of Music with Dr Felix Andrievsky where she graduated with distinction winning the String Prize for most outstanding performer.

DIRECTOR AND CONCERTMASTER

Foremost, Madeleine is forging a career as a director and concert master. She has performed as both guest and permanent concertmaster of many leading orchestras worldwide. Engagements include the Orquesta Sinfonica de Madrid under the batons of Thomas Hengelbrock and Paul McCreesh, the Gulbenkian Foundation Orchestra of Lisbon, The English Baroque Soloists under Sir John Eliot Gardiner, the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, The Kings Consort, The Gabrieli Consort, the Musicians of the Globe, The Independent Opera Company, London Orchestra da Camera, Orchestra Nova, the Guildford Philharmonic, Bath Philharmonia, Southern Sinfonia, Florilegium, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and the Northern Ballet Orchestra of England. She was appointed concertmaster of The Hanover Band in 2006 and continues to perform with them as both leader, director and soloist.

Madeleine also performs with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the City of Birmingham Symphony, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the Academy of Ancient Music, and the Orchestra Revolutionaire et Romantique. Her special talent of combining both period and modern styles of violin playing has led her to form a special relationship with the Royal Academy of Music in London. She has directed the Bach Cantata Series since its inception in 2009, has directed the Baroque Orchestra, the first year String Orchestra and the Modern Instrument Period Orchestra. Other educational opportunities have included teaching period style on modern instruments for the World Orchestra at the Schleswig Holstein Festival in Germany, the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester and Monash University in Melbourne.

Madeleine has performed on many award winning recordings including the Bach Cantata series with the Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque Soloists, the recently released Bach B minor Mass recording with the same ensemble, Haydn's 'Creation', Mendelssohn's Elijah and Mozart's C Minor Mass with the Gabrieli Consort to name a few. She has released the complete piano trios of Alexis de Castillon with her piano trio 'Trio Castillon', available on Peyrole Records. She has also recorded the Antoine Reicha Bassoon Quintet and variations with the all Australian ensemble, 'Island' available on the ARS label.

Concerto performance now forms a large part of her life. Orchestras of which she has performed with include La Philharmonie de Toulouse, the New Queens Hall Orchestra, London Orchestra da Camera, the Bath Philharmonic and the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra. In addition, she was the concerto soloist for the prestigious London Conducting Workshops in 2012.

Madeleine is proud to be part of the internationally acclaimed Australian World Orchestra. She is also the artistic director and founder Australia's newest dedicated Bach ensemble, 'Bach Akademie Australia'.

Madeleine plays on a 1682 Giovanni Grancino violin and a 1704 Jo. Bapt. Rogeri baroque violin.

From 1990 to 2008 David Pereira was Senior Lecturer in Cello at the ANU School of Music. Now he is a Distinguished Artist in Residence there.

In 2010 David received the CityNews Artist of the Year Award, having been selected by The Canberra Critics’ Circle – ‘for making his mark on music in Canberra and the immediate region with his cello-focused David Pereira Cello Series, which demonstrated his ability to interpret different compositional styles; and for his encouragement of young associate artists which stamps him as an outstanding figure in the Canberra arts scene.’
A versatile cellist

During the last forty years David has established himself as an outstandingly versatile and leading cellist with appointments to top professional positions.He was for eleven years cellist of the Australia Ensemble (resident at the UNSW), for seven years Principal Cellist of the Australian Chamber Orchestra and for three years Principal Cello with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

Photo: Anthony Browell

The Australian-American pianist Edward Neeman has performed across five continents. A top prizewinner of numerous international piano competitions, Dr. Neeman has appeared as a soloist with the Prague Philharmonic, Sydney Symphony, Melbourne Symphony, Kentucky Symphony, Symphony of Northwest Arkansas, and the American West Symphony among others.

Dr. Neeman’s debut album, Rachmaninoff & Sitsky, was released to wide acclaim in March 2016. Dr. Neeman has made numerous piano duet arrangements for the Neeman Piano Duo, in which he performs with his wife, the Indonesian pianist Stephanie Neeman.

Dr. Neeman holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from The Juilliard School. He currently teaches piano at the ANU School of Music.

Conductor-harpsichordist Korneel Bernolet (°1989) is one of the most versatile young talents of the early music scene today. He performs worldwide as a recital soloist and ensemble player, conducts his own Apotheosis Orchestra, which performs the Baroque through the high Romantic repertoires on historical instruments. He is regularly invited as musical assistant to Christophe Rousset and was assistant conductor for Anima Eterna Brugge and Jos van Immerseel between 2015 and 2018, ending with a highly praised guest-conductorship with Beethoven's 9th Symphony in Bruges and Frankfurt with Collegium Vocale Ghent. He studied with Paul Clement, Ewald Demeyere, Gustav Leonhardt and Christophe Rousset. Korneel made his debut at the age of 19 as a continuo player with Sigiswald Kuijken's La Petite Bande, was named 'Young Musician of the Year' in 2014 by the Belgian Music Press Association, and two years later was appointed the new Professor of Harpsichord at the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp, where he teaches on the famous Dulcken 1747 harpsichord at Museum Vleeshuis. He also teaches and conducts at the International Opera Academy Ghent and is pursuing a PhD Degree at the Antwerp University. His discography, including solo works by Balbastre, Rameau and Weckbacher, now counts some twenty recordings In 2018 he conducted a series of live-streamed press-acclaimed Beethoven 9th Symphony concerts in Bruges and Frankfurt with Anima Eterna Bruges and Collegium Vocale Ghent. He made an impressive debut as conductor with Flanders Symphony Orchestra in operatic music by Mozart and Rossini and appeared as a duo with Christophe Rousset at Musikfestspiele Potsdam. He conducted Rameau's Les Indes Galantes for Muziektheater Transparant and will be playing several recitals in Antwerp with a.o. recorder player Dimos de Beun or tenor Guy De Mey. A first orchestral CD will be recorded: Pygmalion by both Rameau and Benda, with Apotheosis Orchestra, to be released in 2019.

Sydney based composer Ella Macens (b. 1991) is a fast-emerging composer with a passion for choral, orchestral and chamber music writing. Her music celebrates qualities from both popular and classical music styles, and displays a strong connection to her Latvian herritage.

The composer has completed a Bachelor of Music Composition with first class honours at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and is currently studying a Master of Music Composition under the guidance of composer Professor Matthew Hindson AM. As one of four composers selected to participate in the Sydney Conservatorium of Music's inaugural National Women Composers' Development Program (2016-17), Ella has been fostering connections with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, the Goldner String Quartet and Claire Edwardes (among others) through the creation of a series of new works. Among these works were Resting with Angels for string quartet, premiered by Melbourne's Flinders Quartet in 2017, FLIGHT for symphony orchestra, premiered by the Willoughby Symphony Orchestra in 2017 and awarded the Fine Music FM Young Composer Award, Colour Burst for unpitched percussion, premiered by Claire Edwardes in the Sydney Opera House in 2018, and The Space Between Stars for symphony orchestra, premiered by the Sydney Conservatorium of Music symphony orchestra in 2018. The Space Between Stars will be performed in the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in May 2019.

Among her many commissions are pieces for the Song Company, Gondwana National Choirs, Sydney Children's Choir, State Choir LATVIJA, Latvian Choir Pernigele, Sydney Philhamonia Choirs, Sydney Festival 2018, Young Adelaide Voices, the Leichhardt Espresso Chorus, Cranbrook School, the Judgment of Paris Recorder Ensemble, the National Carillon Association of Australia, the Sydney Latvian Society, and the XV Latvian Canadian Song and Dance Festival. Her existing works have also been performed by the Sydney Conservatorium of Music Chamber Choir and Symphony Orchestra, the Jazeps Vitols Latvian Academy of Music Chamber Choir, and Latvian choir ANIMA.

In 2015 Ella held the position of composer in residence with Trinity Grammar School and Sydney Youth Orchestra. She is currently the 2018-19 composer in residence with Sydney Children's Choir as well as one of four composers selected to participate in the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra Australian Composers' School (2018-19). Her compositions have won awards, including inclusion in ENCORE of 2009, the Frank Hutchens Scholarship for Composition in 2012, and in 2017 she was awarded the Fine Music FM Young Composer Award for her first orchestral piece titled FLIGHT.

The composer's musical voice is heavily influenced by her Latvian heritage. Growing up in a rich and colourful Latvian community has lead her to be continuously surrounded by instrumental folk music, baltic choral music and traditional dance. These elements have unsurprisingly found their way in to Ella's compositional style. In 2017 she received a prestigious award from the World Federation of Free Latvians (PBLA) to honour her dedication to her cultural heritage, specifically through the incorporation of Latvian elements in her professional line of work. Ella further celebrates her cultural background by arranging traditional Latvian folk songs into contemporary music styles with her good friend Ivars Stubis, which they perform at Latvian festivals and events all over Australia.

Ella is a proud music educator, teaching composition, music theory and aural skills at the University of Sydney and Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

After her graduation in 2013, mezzo-soprano Hannah Fraser took up a position with Song Company, Australia’s leading vocal group. After 3 years performing alongside many exceptional musicians, both as a soloist and through her continuing experience with this ensemble, Hannah moved to Italy, and in 2017 made her operatic debut in Austria and the Czech Republic, performing the role of Cherubino in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro. In 2018 Hannah was selected to join the Academy of Belcanto “Rodolfo Celletti” program. Following masterclasses with Fabio Luisi & Richard Bonynge AC, CBE as part of the Festival della valle d’Itria, she performed Stravinsky’s Three Songs from William Shakespeare and the roles of Berta in Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia, and Angelina in Rossini’s La Cenerentola. Her schedule has consisted of a mix of national and international touring, multiple subscription series across Australia, festival appearances, recording and broadcast projects, fully-staged operas, educational activities and cross-artform collaborative projects.

Blair is a highly regarded solo cellist and chamber musician, known particularly for his strikingly individual interpretations and innovative collaborative projects.

Blair is passionate about the creation and performance of new music. He is a member of Ensemble Offspring, one of Australia’s leading contemporary music groups, and prior to this enjoyed many years performing with Syzygy Ensemble. His work with these award winning groups has seen the commissioning and performance of more than 60 new works by Australian composers.

Blair is in no way defined by this genre and takes pleasure interpreting the works of all epochs, especially with his acclaimed duo partner, pianist Caroline Almonte.

Over his career he has worked with numerous chamber music ensembles including the Australian String Quartet, Streeton Trio, Inventi Ensemble and the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra. As a soloist Blair has performed with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Orchestra Victoria on numerous occasions.

Blair is currently guest principal cello of the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, and is on contract with the Australian String Quartet for numerous performances throughout 2018. Blair performs on a cello crafted by Giovanni Battista Guadagnini, Piacenza, circa 1743. It is on loan from UKARIA and was purchased through the generosity of its donors.

Jeremy Kleeman is a graduate of Victorian Opera's Developing Artist Program, and has a Master of Music (Opera Performance) and Bachelor of Music from the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. In 2014 and 2015, Jeremy was a scholar with Melba Opera Trust on the Joseph Sambrook Opera Scholarship, and in 2016 was the recipient of the Dame Heather Begg Memorial Award. He has also received Helpmann and Green Room Award nominations, as Best Male Performer in a Supporting Role in an Opera, for the role of Magus in Musica Viva and Victorian Opera's Voyage to the Moon which toured nationally.

Photo Blueprint Studios

Last year Jeremy made his company debuts with Sydney Chamber Opera as Collatinus in The Rape of Lucretia and with Pinchgut Opera in The Coronation of Poppea. He returned to Victorian Opera as Badger and Parson in The Cunning Little Vixen and to the Melbourne Bach Choir for St John Passion and the Duruflé Requiem, the latter on a European tour. Further engagements included Opera in the Market, The Murray River International Music Festival, Opera By The Lakes (Gippsland Opera), Opera in the Paddock (Opera North West) and The Canberra International Music Festival.

Other recent engagements and career highlights include his Brisbane Baroque Festival debut as Teobaldo in Handel's Faramondo, appearances with Victorian Opera as Lord Valton in I puritani, Jonas Fogg in Sweeney Todd, and Mother in Kurt Weill's Seven Deadly Sins, St. Matthew Passion with both Newcastle University Choir and Melbourne Bach Choir, Toby Raven in the world premiere season of Cloudstreet (George Palmer) for State Opera of South Australia and the title role in The Marriage of Figaro with Opera Australia Touring.

Jeremy’s 2018 engagements include Walter Furst in William Tell, Albert in The Magic Pudding and Collatinus in The Rape of Lucretia at the Dark MoFo Festival for Victorian Opera, Nielson Symphony No.3 with Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, a return to Opera by the Lakes and Second Elder (Susanna, Handel) for Handel In The Theatre, Canberra.

Past roles for Victorian Opera include Rapunzel’s Prince in Into the Woods, Marquis D’Obiginy in La traviata, a featured vocalist in Assembly at Melbourne and Sydney Festivals (with Chunky Move), and Albert the Pudding in the world premiére of The Magic Pudding – The Opera.

Jeremy has also appeared in recital and as soloist with Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra, Consort of Melbourne, Australian Boys Choir, and St. John's Southgate, Melbourne.

Daniel Yeadon is exceptionally versatile as a cellist and viola da gambist, performing repertoire ranging from the Renaissance to contemporary. He is a passionate chamber musician and plays with Ironwood, ARCO, Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO), Australian Haydn Ensemble and Bach Akademie Australia. In the UK Daniel is a guest principal cellist of the English Baroque Soloists and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.

Originally from the UK, Daniel read physics at Oxford University and studied at the Royal College of Music in London. For many years Daniel was a member of the renowned ensemble Florilegium and later joined the Fitzwilliam String Quartet.

Daniel is currently a Lecturer at the The University of Sydney, Conservatorium of Music, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and he has a key role in the education team of the ACO. His research is focused primarily on the group learning experiences of tertiary-level music students.

Callum Henshaw is well-known as one of Australia's leading young guitarists. He has performed around the world as a concert artist in music festivals, including the Tirana International Guitar Festival, the Saigon International Guitar Festival, the Melbourne International Guitar Festival, and the Canberra International Music Festival. He has won three international competitions: Córdoba (Spain), Tirana (Albania) and most recently Melbourne, securing a 10-concert national tour. He has released three solo albums to critical acclaim, ‘2012’, ‘Echo & Return’, and ‘Forest of Dreams’. A passionate advocate of the guitar, in 2019 Cal plans a second tour of Australia, cycling the 2000km journey between concerts to bring music to regional audiences. Cal is proudly supported by Knobloch Strings.

Jess Green is an Australian musician and composer, her primary instrument is electric guitar and voice, born in Canberra and trained at the ANU (Jazz Guitar) Jess established herself on the national scene whilst living in Sydney, working in a wide variety of styles and settings. She has recorded for television and dance, composed and performed for theatre and released several albums under various stage and band names (The Green Septet, The New Dynamites, Jess Green’s Bright Sparks and Pheno). Her composition and song writing spans instrumental jazz, rock, indie pop and experimental music and as a musician she has performed alongside artists such as Jim Conway, The catholics, Petulant Frenzy, Nick Wales, Alyx Dennison, Bree van Reyk, Katie Noonan, Hannah Macklin, Clare Bowditch, Deborah Conway, Kate Ceberano and many more. She has performed on many of Australia’s great stages and festivals and toured through Europe and Asia. Most recently Jess performed as part of an all-female band led by Katie Noonan for the closing ceremony at the Commonwealth Games.

Jess is a sought-after music educator, and has taught at The Australian Institute of Music, The University of Western Sydney, The SIMA Young Women’s Jazz Workshops, and has toured for Musica Viva in Schools for over 10 years.

Now based in Canberra she continues to perform nationally, and teaches at ANU, and at the Canberra Institute of Technology.

Originally from Hobart, where he began his singing career over forty years ago as a treble at St David’s Cathedral, Andrew has considerable experience as both chorister and soloist throughout Australia. In 2004–06, while living in London, he sang with the Choir of the London Oratory, England’s pre-eminent Catholic church choir.

His particular interest lies in early music, nurtured through fourteen years as a permanent member of Melbourne’s acclaimed Ensemble Gombert under John O’Donnell. He has joined the Ensemble for its four overseas concert tours, most recently to Europe in 2015.

Andrew has appeared as a guest artist with the The Song Company on multiple occasions in both concert and recording. The 1996 world-premiere recording of Schütz Der Schwanengesang recorded in the Sydney Opera House concert hall received Soundscapes magazine’s Editor's Choice award.

This is Andrew’s third appearance as a soloist at the Canberra International Music Festival, having performed Bach Cantata No. 130 and Mozart Requiem with The Song Company and Wallfisch Band at the 2014 Festival, and follows last year’s acclaimed sellout performance of Cantatas No. 4 and No. 127 with the Bach Akademie Australia.

Luminescence Chamber Singers is an ensemble comprised of eight young vocalists. Since their first performances in 2013, Luminescence has gained a reputation for presenting exciting and excellent singing. The singers share collaborative artistic direction and usually perform unconducted. They perform a wide range of repertoire from the Renaissance to the 21st century, and frequently premiere new music by young Australian composers, including composers from within their own ranks.  

Luminescence has performed alongside leading Australian musicians such as Sally Whitwell, Louise Page, Amelia Farrugia and Tamara-Anna Cislowska. In the past two years, Luminescence has worked with acclaimed guest conductors Gordon Hamilton, Dan Walker, Bengt-Olov Palmqvist, and Carl Crossin. In 2017, Luminescence was featured in the Canberra International Music Festival and at the Performing the Jewish Archives Festival. In 2018, Luminescence will join the Consort of Melbourne and Roland Peelman in performances of Frank Martin’s Mass and four newly commissioned works. 

www.luminescence.org.au

An exciting new addition to Australian chamber music making, the Penny Quartet are rapidly gaining a reputation as a fresh interpretative voice with drive and passion. Founded in early 2014, the group brings a vibrant approach to their performances across the country.

In their inaugural year, they were nominated for the Freedman Fellowship award, were the recipients of the John and Rosemary Macleod Travelling Fellowship and winners of the Australian National Academy of Music Chamber Music Competition. Since then, the Penny Quartet have been ensemble in residence at the Four Winds Festival, presented independent recital tours across Australia and made their international debut as full scholarship holders at the St. Lawrence String Quartet seminar at Stanford, CA.

Penny Quartet regularly collaborate and record with various composers and contemporary musicians, both independently and as Festival artists. They have been part of the “Local Heroes” subscription series at the Melbourne Recital Centre since late 2017 and are 2018 recipients of the Contemporary Masters Award. Penny Quartet are also 2019 Featured Artists with Musica Viva Australia's regional touring program.

With diverse individual backgrounds and experiences across the globe, the group brings together years of knowledge and training to create a mature quartet sound. The Penny Quartet's repertoire is wide and varied; a love for the core quartet repertoire is intertwined with an urge to explore less charted territory.

Dr Christopher Sainsbury is an accomplished composer and a highly experienced music educator. He has made a sustained contribution to Australian music as a working composer in both professional and community music arenas for many years. His output ranges from sublimely simple songs to large orchestral works. With flair for melody and the art of orchestration, the Boston Globe reviewed his work as “cinematically tonal” and “dotted with vivid orchestral touches”.

Dr. Sainsbury lectures at the ANU School of Music and is the Festival's cultural advisor.

www.sainsburymusic.com

Since its formation as an official Army unit in 1954, the Band of the Royal Military College has been at home on the parade ground and in the concert hall. The Band is a 63 piece professional symphonic wind ensemble that provides musical support to Defence establishments in the ACT including the Corps of Staff Cadets at Duntroon. The Band performs music for all types of ceremonial, social and cultural activities as well as being the official Band for all Regal, Vice Regal, Diplomatic and State functions that are held in the National Capital.

In addition to its ceremonial role, the Band is a prominent participant in the musical life of Canberra. Its long running and popular concert series in association with the Canberra Theatre, 'Music at Midday' enjoys a loyal following of lovers of fine music and quality entertainment. The band has also featured in the Canberra International Music Festival and the Canberra Symphony Orchestra series.

In recent years the Band has supported deployed forces overseas including Bougainville, Timor Leste and the Solomon Islands. It undertook representational duties in London in 2000, assisting in the commemoration of the Centenary of Federation and travelled to Gallipoli for Anzac Day in 2003. Recent overseas engagements have also seen members of the Band performing in Switzerland, Turkey, Tonga, Malaysia and Japan. In May 2004 the Band was granted Freedom of Entry to the City of Canberra in recognition of the close links between the Band and the community. The Band Sergeant Major is Warrant Officer Class 1 Gary Caira and for the remainder of 2018 the band will be commanded by Major Glenn Rogers. In January 2018, Major Darren Cole will take over command of the band.

Leanne Jin is nineteen years old and currently completing a Bachelor of Music (Performance) at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, studying with Natalia Ricci. She is planning a career as a concert pianist and chamber musician.

She is one of the winners of the Theme & Variations Foundation award for 2018 and intends to apply the award towards international competitions and masterclasses next year in both the United States and Europe.

Leanne is also the 2018 Winner of the Theme & Variations Emerging Artists Series.

Young Australian organist Jonathan Lee currently holds the position of John Perrin Organ Scholar at Wesley Uniting Church, Canberra. He is a student of internationally acclaimed organist, Christopher Wrench. Jonathan gained his Licentiate Diploma in Music, Australia (LMusA) with Distinction in 2016 and Associate Diploma in Music, Australia (AMusA) with Distinction in 2015. He won the Intermediate section of the Sydney Organ Competition (2015, 2016), and was a Finalist in the Open Section (2018). Jonathan has been appointed Organ Scholar at Hereford Cathedral (UK), to commence in September 2019.

Miles began playing the cello when he was 4 years old. By the age of 16, Miles began to study at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. At the age of 19, Miles completed his Bachelor of Music Performance with First Class Honours, having studied under Julian Smiles. Miles commenced studying under Kasia Hans, who he continues to work with.

Miles has had masterclasses with some of the world’s best cellists, such as Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt, Richard Aaron, and Phillip Muller. Miles has also been taught by Tamas Varga, Fred Sherry, Hannu Kiiski, and Howard Penny.

Miles performed at the Canberra International Music Festival in 2017/18. In 2017 Miles played with the Simon Bolivar Quartet and was part of the Festival Orchestra. In 2018 Miles played Sculthorpes Requiem for Cello Alone in the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior. Miles also performed with the Orava Quartet and the Pietra Quartet, as well as being part of the Festival Orchestra.

Miles is a Causal Cellist with Opera Australia and Sydney Symphony<!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536859905 -1073732485 9 0 511 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0cm; margin-right:0cm; margin-bottom:8.0pt; margin-left:0cm; line-height:107%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:11.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; margin-bottom:8.0pt; line-height:107%;} @page WordSection1 {size:595.3pt 841.9pt; margin:72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt; mso-header-margin:35.4pt; mso-footer-margin:35.4pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} -->Miles began playing the cello when he was 4 years old. By the age of 16, Miles began to study at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. At the age of 19, Miles completed his Bachelor of Music Performance with First Class Honours, having studied under Julian Smiles. Miles commenced studying under Kasia Hans, who he continues to work with.

Miles has had masterclasses with some of the world’s best cellists, such as Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt, Richard Aaron, and Phillip Muller. Miles has also been taught by Tamas Varga, Fred Sherry, Hannu Kiiski, and Howard Penny.

Miles performed at the Canberra International Music Festival in 2017/18. In 2017 Miles played with the Simon Bolivar Quartet and was part of the Festival Orchestra. In 2018 Miles played Sculthorpes Requiem for Cello Alone in the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior. Miles also performed with the Orava Quartet and the Pietra Quartet, as well as being part of the Festival Orchestra.

Miles is a Causal Cellist with Opera Australia and Sydney Symphony