Young Performers Awards are adjudicated by respected musicians, composers, educators and classical music experts. We thank each of them for their time and expertise in supporting the career development of young Australian instrumentalists.

Dene Olding AM - Artistic Advisor and Chair of Adjudication Panel

Dene Olding is recognised as one of Australia’s most outstanding violinists. He is currently first violinist for the Goldner String Quartet and the Australia Ensemble and Concertmaster Emeritus of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. As a soloist he has worked with all of the Australian Symphony and Chamber Orchestras in a range of repertoire. He has performed over forty concertos and worked with some of the world’s leading conductors including Edo de Waart, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Stuart Challender, Sir Charles Mackerras, Jorge Mester, Gunther Herbig, Werner Andreas Albert, David Porcelijn and Vladimir Ashkenazy. He gave the Australian premiere performance of Lutoslawski’s Chain 2 with the composer conducting, Elliott Carter’s Violin Concerto and the Violin Concerto of Philip Glass. In addition, he has performed world premieres of violin concertos by Carl Vine, Ross Edwards, Bozidar Kos and the Double Concerto for violin and viola by Richard Mills, written for himself and his wife, Irina Morozova.

Dene has also held the position of Leader and Director of the Australian Chamber Orchestra and is often sought after to lead/direct concerts with many other orchestras. He has also been the Artistic Director of the Mostly Mozart Festival at the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Festival Chamber Music Concert Program. He appears regularly at the Australian Festival of Chamber Music and at many festivals in Australasia and Europe. In 2010 he appeared at the Edinburgh Festival as soloist with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and conductor, Vladimir Ashkenazy.Dene attended the Juilliard School In New York from the age of fourteen as a scholarship student of Ivan Galamian and Margaret Pardee. He graduated in 1978 with the Master of Music Degree and was awarded the Morris Loeb Prize. Other studies included master classes with Nathan Milstein and further lessons with Herman Krebbers and Gyorgy Pauk. In 1985, he was awarded the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellowship to further his musical studies and during that year, became a Laureate of the Queen Elisabeth of Belgium International Violin Competition. In 2011, Dene gave the premiere performance of the Carl Vine violin concerto with the Australian Youth Orchestra at the Sydney Opera House.

As a member of the Goldner String Quartet and the Australia Ensemble, he regularly tours to Europe, Asia and New Zealand. He has been awarded the Centenary Medal of Australia and has received numerous awards and accolades for his performances in all spheres of music-making. Dene is passionate about the future of classical music and sees his role as Artistic Adviser and frequent jury member for the Michael Hill International Violin Competition as making an important contribution to that end. He also directs the annual Music in the Hunter Festival, a chamber music event that takes place in the Hunter Valley wine-making country near Sydney and manages to combine a passion for Aikido and sailing with his busy musical career and spending time with his wife, Irina and son, Nikolai.

In 2017 Dene was recognised as a Member of the Order of Australia for his services to music in the Queen’s Birthday honours list.

2022 ABC Young Performers Awards Adjudicators: Semi-Final and Final Rounds

Susan Blake - Cello

Susan Blake graduated as Student of the Year from the Sydney Conservatorium of music in 1978. She won the ABC Concerto Competition in 1977, performing the Elgar cello concerto with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, followed by a national tour.
After winning a Churchill Fellowship, Susan completed postgraduate studies at the Basel Music Academy, studying with Heinrich Schiff, graduating in 1982 with
the Solistendiplom.
In 1995, she completed further specialist study in Baroque and Classical cello with Anner Bylsma. Since 1985, Susan has been Lecturer in cello and chamber music at the University of Sydney Conservatorium of Music, and was appointed a Senior lecturer in 2010. She regularly gives summer courses in Europe, Australia, and Hong Kong.
As well as teaching, Susan is a frequent soloist with orchestras and ensembles in Australia and Europe and records for ABC Radio, ABC Classics, Sounds Australia, and Tall Poppies.
She has extensive interest in 18th century music, performing regularly with other specialists playing on original instruments. As a founding member of the ''Ensemble of the Classic Era", Susan has toured extensively for Musica Viva Australia and has performed at all the major music festivals.
Susan plays a cello made by Giovanni Grancino in Milan in 1701.

Andrew Haveron - Violin

Andrew has performed concertos with conductors such as Sir Colin Davis (LSO), Sir Roger Norrington, Jiří Bělohlávek (BBCSO), Stanislaw Skrowachewski (Halle) and John Wilson (CBSO), performing a broad range of well known and less familiar repertoire.
In 1999 Andrew was appointed first violinist of the internationally acclaimed Brodsky Quartet. A busy schedule saw the quartet perform and broadcast in their unique style all over the world collaborating with a varied selection of outstanding artists such as Anne-Sophie Von Otter, Julian Lloyd-Webber, Dmitri Ashkenasy and Alexander Baillie through to their iconic ‘cross-genre’ work with Elvis Costello, Björk, Paul McCartney and Sting. Andrew recorded more than fifteen albums with the quartet, many of which received industry awards such as “Diapason d’or” and “Choc du Monde”.
Andrew is also in great demand as on orchestral leader and enjoys frequent invitations to work with all the major symphony orchestras in the UK and many further afield. In July 2007 he became leader of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, broadcasting frequently on BBC Radio 3 and enjoying many appearances at the Proms including the famous “Last Night”. At the request of conductor Valery Gergiev he also led the ‘World Orchestra for Peace’. Andrew has also been the leader of ‘The John Wilson Orchestra’ since its inception. Most recently, Andrew has been appointed leader of the Philharmonia Orchestra.
In 2004 Andrew received an honorary Doctorate from the University of Kent for his services to music. He plays on a violin made in 1709, by Carlo Tononi.
He became Joint Concert Master of the Philharmonia Orchestra in 2012.

Robert Johnson - French Horn

Robert Johnson studied the French horn at the NSW Conservatorium. After holding principal horn positions with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra and Opera Australia Orchestra, appointed Principal Horn with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in 1986, he retired in 2017. As soloist with the SSO, Robert has performed in works by Mozart, Strauss, Britten and Edwards. In 2005 he was the horn soloist in the SSO’s first performance of Messiaen’s from The Canyons to the Stars. In 2009 he premiered Lightfall with the SSO by Christopher Gordon. Robert has also appeared as guest principal with all the major Australian orchestras, the Australian Chamber Orchestra and New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. He has played chamber music with the Australia Ensemble, Sydney Soloists and the New Sydney Wind Quintet, and has appeared at the Huntington and Townsville chamber music festivals. Robert has worked as Senior Horn Lecturer at the Sydney Conservatorium and Canberra School of Music. He has appeared as Artist in Residence at universities in Brisbane, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth and Hong Kong. In addition to playing the horn, Robert is a countertenor and has conducted Ensembles including the SSO and the Chamber Soloists of Sydney.

Andrew Meisel - Double Bass

Andrew Meisel was born in Sydney and began his musical and double bass studies at the age of 16. He graduated from the Sydney Conservatorium in 1996 after five years of study with Brett Berthold and in the same year was awarded a Big Brother Scholarship for overseas study. Andrew spent five months in London under the guiding hand of Thomas Martin before returning home to take up a rank and file position with the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra. His other teachers have included Timothy Cobb in New York and Ed Barker in Boston.
Andrew currently holds the position of Associate Principal Double Bass with AOBO and has also performed as Guest Principal with the Tasmanian and Sydney Symphony Orchestras, Australian Chamber Orchestra, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra and Kirov Ballet. Andrew performs regularly with chamber ensembles including the Australia Ensemble, Sydney Omega Ensemble, Huntington Estate Music Festival, Norway’s Bit 20 contemporary ensemble and Kowmung Music Festival. He appeared with the Eggner Trio to perform Schubert’s Trout Quintet in the ABC Classic 100 Chamber Music Concert, held in conjunction with the inaugural Musica Viva Festival in 2008.

Paul Stanhope - Conductor

Paul Stanhope is a Sydney-based composer, conductor and educator. His compositions have had prominent performances in the UK, Europe, Asia as well as North and South America. After studies with Andrew Ford, Andrew Schultz and Peter Sculthorpe in Australia, Paul was awarded the Charles Mackerras Scholarship which enabled him to study at the Guildhall School of Music in London in 2000.
In May 2004 Paul’s international standing was confirmed when he was awarded first place in the prestigious Toru Takemitsu Composition Prize. He has been awarded four APRA/Australian Music Centre Art awards in Instrumental, Orchestral, Choral and Vocal music categories and was also the first composer to receive a Sidney Myer Creative Fellowship in 2013 and 2014.
Over the last few years, Paul has enjoyed collaborating with the musicians of the Australian Chamber Orchestra and director Tim McGarry in creating the children’s music theatre piece ‘There’s a Sea in my Bedroom’ which premiered in 2019, with a digital release on the Sydney Opera House’s channel in 2020. ‘Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge’, based on the children’s book by Mem Fox, is a joyful and touching follow up collaboration with the ACO to be premiered in May 2021, this time under the directorship of Sandie Eldridge. A new work, Giving Ground for chamber orchestra, will be premiered by the ACO Collective in August 2021.
Paul is an Associate Professor of Composition at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, The University of Sydney and also the Artistic Chair of the Australia Ensemble, UNSW.

Simon Tedeschi - Piano

Simon Tedeschi is one of Australia’s most renowned classical pianists. Recipient of the Young Performer of the Year Award, the Creativity Foundation’s Legacy Award (USA), the New York Young Jewish Pianist Award and a Centenary of Federation Medal, he has performed for audiences, royalty and world leaders worldwide, from the Sydney Opera House to Carnegie Hall via Abu Dhabi and Shanghai.
Acclaimed by respected critics and peers as “true greatness” (SMH), Simon performed his first Mozart piano concerto in the Sydney Opera House aged nine, later studying in the USA and performing with the Colorado, Fort Worth and Illinois Symphony Orchestras. Since returning in 2009, he regularly performs as soloist with all the major Australian symphony orchestras, and tours nationally for festivals, venues and presenters including Musica Viva Australia both solo and in chamber recitals. Uncommonly for a classical pianist, Tedeschi also dabbles in jazz, and has co-written and toured internationally the Sydney Opera House’ Meeting Mozart show (for children), and a number of shows combining words and music, with Australian theatre icon, John Bell AO OBE.
With numerous recordings for ABC Classics/Universal Music, including The Gershwin Collection, Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, R. Strauss’ Enoch Arden, Schumann, Schubert and concerti by Mozart, Tchaikovsky and Grieg, Simon is now fast gaining renown as a writer of note, with his critically acclaimed literary debut, Fugitive (for Upswell Publishing) released in May 2022; he is also recipient of the prestigious Calibre Essay Prize for 2022.

Janet Webb - Flute

After obtaining an Arts/ Music degree, Janet began her musical career as Principal Flute in the Singapore Symphony in 1980.
From 1985 -2017 she became Principal Flute in the Sydney Symphony.
She also performed regularly as a soloist and chamber musician, a highlight playing in a double concerto with Sir James Galway.
Janet has performed as guest principal in major orchestras including the ACO, AOBO, Queensland, Adelaide, Tasmanian, Canberra Symphonies and Sadlers Wells Ballet.
In 2010 Janet was chosen as a juror for the International Nicolet Flute Competition held in Beijing. She is also a juror for the Australian Flute Competition.
Janet is also in great demand as a mentor and teacher and regularly performs chamber music and solo recitals.
She is both President of the Roseville Music Club and the NSW Flute Society.

2021 ABC Young Performers Awards Adjudicators: Round 1

Adam Chalabi - Violin

Adam Chalabi holds the position of Associate Professor at the University of Queensland School of Music. He is first violinist of the internationally renowned Tinalley String Quartet and held the position of Concertmaster of Orchestra Victoria from 2009-2014. He has appeared as guest concertmaster with numerous orchestras within Australia and overseas including the Sydney, Melbourne, Queensland and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras. He previously held the position of Head of Strings at the Australian National Academy of Music. Adam has recorded extensively on the DECCA, ABC Classics, Capriccio and Move record labels and is regularly broadcast as a recitalist and chamber musician on ABC Classic.
Between 2002-2009 Adam was Principal Violin with the Zurich Chamber Orchestra. Born in London, Adam began his violin studies at the age of four with the Suzuki Method and attended the Purcell School and Royal Northern College of Music under the tutelage of Maciej Rakowski. He is very grateful to have been supported by the Countess of Munster, Ian Fleming and Lawrence Atwell Charitable foundations. Adam plays on a Joseph Panormo violin circa 1805.

Jeffrey Crellin - Oboe

Jeffrey Crellin held the position of Principal Oboe of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra for 44 years, with his farewell concerts taking place in March 2021. He won the national final of the ABC Concerto & Vocal competition (now Young Performers), in 1973 with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and also reached the grand final in 1972 with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra where he was a runner up to his older brother, Keith Crellin. Originally from Brisbane, his teachers were Frank Lockwood, Jiri Tancibudek, and, with the support of a Churchill Fellowship awarded in 1974, with Heinz Holliger in Freiburg, Germany. He continues his teaching activities at the Australian National Academy of Music.

Alice Giles - Harp

First Prize winner of the 8th Israel International Harp Contest, Artistic Director of the World Harp Congress Sydney 2014, Alice Giles has had a wide-ranging solo career, from London’s Wigmore Hall, New York’s Merkin, ‘92nd St Y’ and Carnegie Halls, to Mawson Station, Antarctica. Regarded by Berio as foremost interpreter of his Sequenza II, founding Director of the Seven Harp Ensemble (SHE), she has commissioned and performed many new works.
Guest artist at international festivals, soloist with orchestras, acclaimed recitalist and recording artist, she has given Master Classes in most of the major music institutions, and is Lecturer at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Her annual master courses are held on the NSW South Coast.
She was awarded an AM (Member of the Order of Australia) for “Significant service to the performing arts as a harpist, mentor and educator, and through contributions to Australia’s musical landscape.”

Robert Johnson - French Horn

Robert Johnson studied the French horn at the NSW Conservatorium. After holding principal horn positions with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra and Opera Australia Orchestra, appointed Principal Horn with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in 1986, he retired in 2017. As soloist with the SSO, Robert has performed in works by Mozart, Strauss, Britten and Edwards. In 2005 he was the horn soloist in the SSO’s first performance of Messiaen’s from The Canyons to the Stars. In 2009 he premiered Lightfall with the SSO by Christopher Gordon. Robert has also appeared as guest principal with all the major Australian orchestras, the Australian Chamber Orchestra and New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. He has played chamber music with the Australia Ensemble, Sydney Soloists and the New Sydney Wind Quintet, and has appeared at the Huntington and Townsville chamber music festivals. Robert has worked as Senior Horn Lecturer at the Sydney Conservatorium and Canberra School of Music. He has appeared as Artist in Residence at universities in Brisbane, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth and Hong Kong. In addition to playing the horn, Robert is a countertenor and has conducted Ensembles including the SSO and the Chamber Soloists of Sydney.

Rebecca Lagos - Percussion

Rebecca is Principal Percussionist with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra having previously held the positions of Assistant Timpanist/Tutti Percussionist with SSO and Principal Timpanist with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. She has performed with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, West Australian Symphony Orchestra, ACO, Seymour Group, Sydney Alpha Ensemble, The Australia Ensemble and Taikoz. Rebecca was a member of Synergy Percussion from 1987-1999 and has often returned as a guest artist. With Synergy she premiered and recorded works by numerous Australian composers. The group recorded concertos for percussion ensemble by Takemitsu and Carl Vine with the SSO. In 2006 Rebecca premiered Nigel Westlake’s percussion concerto, “When the Clock Strikes Me”, with the SSO and was awarded “Best Performance of an Australian Composition” at the APRA 2007 Classical Music Awards.

Ian Munro - Piano

Born in Melbourne and educated at the VCA, Ian was taught the piano by Roy Shepherd, a pupil of Alfred Cortot. While completing his studies in Vienna and London, he won a number of prizes in international competitions (Barcelona, Lisbon, Busoni, Leeds), leading to solo performances across Europe, the USA and Asia, and recordings for the BBC, Hyperion, Naxos, ABC Classics and Tall Poppies. He returned to composing in 2000. My first major work 'Dreams' (2002) was awarded Premier Grand Prix at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels. Since joining the Australia Ensemble, many of Ian's works have been written for chamber ensembles, and have been performed by a wide variety of soloists and groups, including the Australian Chamber Orchestra, clarinettist Sabine Meyer, l'Orchestre National de Belgique, Brentano, Goldner and Modigliani string quartets and the St Petersburg Symphony. Recent commissions include a flute concerto for the Melbourne and Adelaide Symphony Orchestras and a song cycle for soprano Sara MacLiver.

Karin Schaupp - Guitar

KARIN SCHAUPP’s playing has been hailed by the German press as “so perfect, so complete, that it seems like a miracle”. In her teens she won prestigious international prizes in Italy and Spain, and is today sought after internationally as a recitalist, soloist and festival guest, making countless television and radio appearances. Karin has released six best-selling solo albums for Warner Music and ABC Classic as well as various award-winning ensemble and orchestral albums, including Wayfaring (2018) with cellist Umberto Clerici, the ARIA-award winning Songs of the Latin Skies (2017) with Australian songstress Katie Noonan; and the ARIA nominated Fandango (2011) with Flinders Quartet. Performance highlights include performing as soloist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, some 150 performances of Lotte’s Gift, performances at a Commonwealth Games Closing Ceremony, Goodwill Games Opening Ceremony, World Expo (Japan) and Hong Kong Arts Festival, and a Musica Viva International Concert Season tour with Pavel Steidl.

Julian Smiles - Cello

Julian's diverse career combining solo, chamber music and orchestral performance reaches national and international audiences. Active as a soloist, Julian has performed concertos with orchestras and appeared as a recitalist and guest chamber musician throughout Australia. He was the Canberra Symphony Orchestra's Inaugural Artist in Focus in 2018. As cellist of the Goldner String Quartet and the Australia Ensemble at UNSW he has performed to critical acclaim at major venues and festivals throughout the world, made over 30 CDs on leading labels, and premiered many works by Australian and international composers. He is in demand as a teacher and chamber music mentor and holds the position of Senior Lecturer in Cello at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

Liam Viney - Piano

Pianist Liam Viney has collaborated with dozens of composers, ensembles, and symphony orchestras. He is a leading authority on Australian duo piano music, with a focus on the collaborative creation of new works. Liam has commissioned and premiered dozens of new works for piano, two pianos, and chamber ensembles from composers in Australia and the United States with funding from sources such as the Australia Council for the Arts, and the Fromm Foundation, Harvard. As a solo performer Liam has performed with symphony orchestras in concertos ranging from those of Mozart and Beethoven to Prokofiev and Ligeti. In recent years, his work has been nominated for Australian Music Centre/APRA Awards for Excellence. Liam has been featured on eight commercial CDs on labels such as ABC Classics, Tall Poppies, and Naxos. Liam has served on the keyboard faculty of California Institute of the Arts and is currently Professor and Head of School at the School of Music, University of Queensland.

Janet Webb - Flute

After obtaining an Arts/Music degree, Janet began her musical career as Principal Flute in the Singapore Symphony in 1980. In 1985 she was appointed as Principal Flute in the Sydney Symphony - a position she held until 2017. Throughout her career she has also performed as a soloist and chamber musician - including a double concerto with Sir James Galway. Janet has appeared as guest principal in many orchestras including ACO, AOBO, Queensland, Adelaide, Tasmanian and Canberra Symphony orchestras, Sadlers Wells Ballet. In 2010 Janet was chosen from flautists worldwide as a juror for the International Nicolet Flute Competition held in Beijing. She is regularly a juror for the Australian Flute Competition. Janet is a busy chamber musician, a teacher, and appears as guest Principal Flute in the major orchestras. She is also President of the Roseville Music Club and President of the NSW Flute Society.






Archives
2018 ABC Young Performers Awards Adjudicators: Round 1 Section 1
Alan Vivian

A former national winner of the ABC Instrumental and Vocal Competition, Alan Vivian studied in Sydney and Vienna. He has held the long-term positions of Principal Clarinet with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Australian Chamber Orchestra and Canberra Symphony Orchestra. He was Guest Principal Clarinet with the BBC Symphony Orchestra in London and performed with the Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera as well as acting as Principal Clarinet with all of Australia’s state orchestras.
As a chamber musician he has been a member of the Australia Ensemble and Canberra Wind Soloists, performing in over twenty countries on 5 continents, and has toured widely as a concerto soloist and recitalist. He has recorded for the Sony, EMI, Polygram, ABC Classics and Revolve labels and is a featured artist in Pamela Weston’s book, Clarinet Virtuosi of Today.
During his teaching career, Alan has presented master classes throughout the world, including a period as a Visiting Artist at the Paris Conservatoire. He held the position of Senior Lecturer in Clarinet at the ANU School of Music from 1985-2012.

Andrew Haveron

Andrew has performed concertos with conductors such as Sir Colin Davis (LSO), Sir Roger Norrington, Jiří Bělohlávek (BBCSO), Stanislaw Skrowachewski (Halle) and John Wilson (CBSO), performing a broad range of well known and less familiar repertoire.
In 1999 Andrew was appointed first violinist of the internationally acclaimed Brodsky Quartet. A busy schedule saw the quartet perform and broadcast in their unique style all over the world collaborating with a varied selection of outstanding artists such as Anne-Sophie Von Otter, Julian Lloyd-Webber, Dmitri Ashkenasy and Alexander Baillie through to their iconic ‘cross-genre’ work with Elvis Costello, Björk, Paul McCartney and Sting. Andrew recorded more than fifteen albums with the quartet, many of which received industry awards such as “Diapason d’or” and “Choc du Monde”.
Andrew is also in great demand as on orchestral leader and enjoys frequent invitations to work with all the major symphony orchestras in the UK and many further afield. In July 2007 he became leader of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, broadcasting frequently on BBC Radio 3 and enjoying many appearances at the Proms including the famous “Last Night”. At the request of conductor Valery Gergiev he also led the ‘World Orchestra for Peace’. Andrew has also been the leader of ‘The John Wilson Orchestra’ since its inception. Most recently, Andrew has been appointed leader of the Philharmonia Orchestra.
In 2004 Andrew received an honorary Doctorate from the University of Kent for his services to music. He plays on a violin made in 1709, by Carlo Tononi.
He became Joint Concert Master of the Philharmonia Orchestra in 2012.

Claire Edwards

Claire Edwardes is an internationally acclaimed Australian percussion soloist, chamber musician and artistic director of Sydney based innovative new music group, Ensemble Offspring. She has been described by the press as a ‘sorceress of percussion’ and is well known for her powerhouse style of playing and inimitable stage presence. Claire is the only Australian musician to win the 'APRA Art Music Award for Excellence by an Individual' three times (2016, 2012, 2007), was the recipient of a recent Australia Council and a Freedman Fellowship and the winner of numerous European (resident there for seven years) instrumental and percussion competitions as well as 1999 Australian Young Performer of the Year. Recently appearing as soloist with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra at the Myer Music Bowl and on Play School to an audience of thousands of children, Claire is passionate about percussion and new sounds being widely disseminated.

David Elton

David Elton joined the London Symphony Orchestra in 2017. Prior to this he was the Principal Trumpet of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra from 2012, after having previously held the same position with the West Australian and Adelaide symphony orchestras. He has also performed as a guest principal with orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Australian Chamber Orchestra, and Hong Kong Philharmonic, and is a member of the Australian Brass Quintet. As a soloist he has performed recitals in the UK, Germany and USA, and has played concertos (including James Ledger’s Trumpet Concerto written for David and the WASO) with the SSO, ASO, WASO, and the ACO.

Diane Doherty

Diana Doherty joined the Sydney Symphony Orchestra as Principal Oboe in 1997, having held the same position with the Symphony Orchestra of Lucerne (1990–1997). She was born in Brisbane and completed her undergraduate studies at the Victorian College of the Arts. In 1985 she won the Other Instruments section of the ABC Instrumental and Vocal Competition, and was named Most Outstanding Competitor Overall. In 1989 she completed her post-graduate diploma in Zurich, studying with Thomas Indermühle.
Career highlights since then include first prize at the Prague Spring international competition in 1991; being named joint winner of the 1995 Young Concert Artist auditions in New York and subsequent American recital tours; the premiere of Ross Edward's Oboe Concerto (Bird Spirit Dreaming) with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Lorin Maazel followed by performances with the New York, Royal Liverpool and Hong Kong philharmonic orchestras; and performing concertos written for her by composers such as Graeme Koehne and Allan Zavod. She has also performed as a soloist with the major symphony orchestras in Australia and New Zealand, the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Musica Viva, Ensemble Kanazawa Japan, New York Chamber Symphony and Symphony Orchestra of Lucerne.
Her recordings include an album of oboe concertos with the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, Romantic concertos, Blues for DD, a Bach Album, Souvenirs, concertos by Ross Edwards and Carl Vine, and Inflight Entertainment by Graeme Koehne.

Don Bate

Don Bate is an acclaimed Australian music producer and performer. He is currently the Executive Producer of Music Production for ABC Classic FM. Previous to this position Don was the Principal Trombone of the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra from 1990 to 2013 and before that the Associate Principal Trombone of the Opera Australia Orchestra. He has appeared as soloist with the TSO and has been a guest principal with Australian orchestra’s including the Australian Chamber Orchestra and the ASO. An active chamber musician, he has worked with a wide range of ensembles giving concerts and radio broadcasts nationally. As an educator Don was on staff at the Tasmanian Conservatorium of music, teaching within the brass department and directing chamber ensembles. Don is a graduate of the Canberra School of Music having majored in Trombone with Michael Mulcahy, Conducting with Leonard Dommet and Composition with Donald Hollier.

Ian Munro

Ian Munro is one of Australia’s most distinguished and awarded musicians with a career that has taken him to thirty countries in Europe, Asia, North America and Australasia. As a composer, Ian is the only Australian to have been awarded the Premier Grand Prix at the Queen Elisabeth Competition for Composers (2003), and was in 2011 the Featured Composer for Musica Viva Australia.
After completing his early training in Melbourne with Roy Shepherd, Ian furthered his studies in Vienna, London and Italy with Noretta Conci, Guido Agosti and Michele Campanella, launching his international career in the UK. He has performed with leading orchestras throughout the UK, Poland, Italy, Portugal, Russia, USA, China, New Zealand, Belgium, Switzerland and Uzbekistan, and with all the leading orchestras in Australia in over sixty piano concerti.
Ian has recorded for ABC Classics, Hyperion, Cala, Naxos, Marco Polo, Tall Poppies and the UK label Warehouse as soloist and chamber musician. Recent discs include the collected music by Tasmanian composer Katherine Parker and Elena Kats-Chernin’s piano concerto commissioned for Ian Munro by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. A widely experienced chamber musician, Ian joined the acclaimed Australia Ensemble @UNSW in Sydney in 2000, for which he has also composed and arranged several works.

Karin Schaupp

Karin Schaupp is one of the most outstanding guitarists on the international scene. She performs widely on the international stage as a recitalist, concerto soloist and festival guest, and has given countless recitals in Australia, Europe, Asia, the US, Mexico and Canada. Karin’s playing receives the highest acclaim from critics and audiences alike and she is held in great esteem by her peers worldwide. Her unique stage presence and magical, passionate playing have inspired several composers to write works especially for her.
Karin has recorded an extensive discography for Warner Music International and ABC Classics. Her acclaimed solo debut Soliloquy (1997) for Warner Music was praised by UK Classical Guitar Magazine as "a pace-setting performance in all respects…". This was soon followed by the ARIA nominated bestseller Leyenda (Warner 1998), and then Evocation (Warner 2000), Dreams (ABC Classics 2004), Lotte’s Gift (ABC Classics 2007), and Cradle Songs (ABC Classics 2010).
Her chamber music collaborations have also led to a number of recordings including three albums with the ARIA award winning ensemble Saffire, The Australian Guitar Quartet, a duo album with Genevieve Lacey (recorders), the ARIA nominated Fandango (ABC Classics 2011) with Flinders Quartet, the double ARIA nominated Songs of the Southern Skies (KIN 2012) with Australian songstress Katie Noonan, and Karin and Katie's latest release, Songs of the Latin Skies (KIN 2017), which was awarded the 2017 ARIA for Best World Music Album. In March 2018, ABC Classics released Karin's latest recording project, Wayfaring, with cellist Umberto Clerici.

Keith Crellin OAM

Associate Prof Keith Crellin OAM, Head of Strings Elder Conservatorium University of Adelaide and ex-founding member of the Australian String Quartet, is the current Conductor and Musical Director of Corpus Medicorum.
Keith Crellin is head of the String Department and conductor-in-residence at the Elder Conservatorium of Music at the University of Adelaide. As the first violist to win the ABC Young Performers Award in 1972, Keith soon established himself as one of Australia's leading soloists and chamber music players.
Keith was a founding member of the Rialannah String Quartet, performed with the Petra String Quartet and was a regular member of the Australian Contemporary Music Ensemble. He held positions as Lecturer in Viola and Chamber Music at the Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music, Director and Principal Conductor of the Conservatorium Orchestra and Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Tasmanian Youth Orchestra.
In 1985, he became a founding member of the Australian String Quartet based in Adelaide, a position he held for sixteen years and with which he performed in many countries, travelled widely throughout Australia and made numerous recordings. Throughout this time he held a position as a lecturer in violin, viola and chamber music, initially at the South Australian College of Advanced Education, and from 1991, as a senior lecturer at the Elder Conservatorium of Music.
He has conducted concerts and recordings with the Tasmanian and Adelaide Symphony Orchestras and has been conductor of Australian Youth Orchestra Young Symphonists program and tutor in the A.Y.O Young Australian Concert Artists program on a number of occasions. He has attended many National Music camps as tutor and conductor and now divides his time between teaching, performing and conducting. In 2003, he took up the position of artistic director and conductor of the Adelaide Youth Orchestra. In 2004 he was awarded the University of Adelaide’s Stephen Cole prize for excellence in teaching, and in 2008 was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for services to classical music as a performer and educator.

Nathan Waks

Nathan Waks began his studies at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music with cellist Lois Simpson and chamber musician Robert Pikler. He won the ABC National Concerto Competition and travelled to Europe to further his musical education, training with Mstistlav Rostropovich in Moscow and Paul Tortelier in Paris.
From being the youngest Principal Cellist of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra at age 19 to performing as a soloist with major Australian orchestras, Waks has enjoyed a career that has featured recording of film scores and accompaniment to international recording artists. He has organized concerts for singers Frank Sinatra, Rod Stewart and Tiny Tim. He is a founding member of the Australian Chamber Orchestra and the Australian Music Centre and has held directorships at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Symphony Australia, the Australia Council and the Australian National Academy of Music. He has toured to more than 50 countries and recorded for a decade with The Sydney String Quartet. He creates new music with Waks Generation, a collaboration with DJ and son, Sam, and has worked on musical projects with composer Charlie Chan.
Nathan Waks is now proprietor and Executive Director of Kilikanoon and Seppeltsfield wineries. Nathan plays a David Tecchler-made 1723 cello.

Rebecca Lagos

Rebecca is Principal Percussionist with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra having previously held the positions of Assistant Timpanist/Tutti Percussionist with SSO and Principal Timpanist with the TSO.
She has performed with the MSO, WASO, ACO, Seymour Group, Sydney Alpha Ensemble, The Australia Ensemble and Taikoz.
Rebecca was a member of Synergy Percussion from 1987-1999 and has often returned as a guest artist. With Synergy she premiered and recorded works by numerous Australian composers. The group recorded concertos for percussion ensemble by Takemitsu and Carl Vine with the SSO.
In 2006 Rebecca premiered Nigel Westlake’s percussion concerto, When the Clock Strikes Me, with the SSO and was awarded “Best Performance of an Australian Composition” at the APRA 2007 Classical Music Awards.

Robert Johnson

Robert Johnson studied the French horn at the NSW Conservatorium. After holding principal horn positions with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra and Opera Australia Orchestra, appointed Principal Horn with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in 1986, he retired in 2017. As soloist with the SSO, Robert has performed in works by Mozart, Strauss, Britten and Edwards. In 2005 he was the horn soloist in the SSO’s first performance of Messiaen’s from The Canyons to the Stars. In 2009 he premiered Lightfall with the SSO by Christopher Gordon. Robert has also appeared as guest principal with all the major Australian orchestras, the Australian Chamber Orchestra and New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. He has played chamber music with the Australia Ensemble, Sydney Soloists and the New Sydney Wind Quintet, and has appeared at the Huntington and Townsville chamber music festivals. Robert has worked as Senior Horn Lecturer at the Sydney Conservatorium and Canberra School of Music. He has appeared as Artist in Residence at universities in Brisbane, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth and Hong Kong. In addition to playing the horn, Robert is a countertenor and has conducted Ensembles including the SSO and the Chamber Soloists of Sydney.

Stephen McIntyre AM

Stephen McIntyre is known nationally and internationally as one of Australia's most eminent pianists and teachers. He has performed as soloist and chamber music player in many countries, and was Head of Piano at the Victorian College of the Arts from 1977 until 1993. He has appeared as concerto soloist with all major Australian orchestras.His cycle of the complete piano music of Ravel won the National Critics Award.
He was Principal Artistic Advisor for Musica Viva Australia during 1995-96, Director of the Chamber Music Program for the Melbourne International Festival from 1989-1999 and Artistic Director of the Port Fairy Spring Music Festival from 2005 to 2009.
Stephen McIntyre is Associate Professor in the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music at the University of Melbourne. In 2003, he was the recipient of the Sir Bernard Heinze Award for distinguished contribution to music and in 2007 he was made a member of the Order of Australia (AM).

Tamara Anna Cislowska

Tamara-Anna Cislowska is one of Australia’s most acclaimed and recognised pianists. ARIA award-winning soloist, recitalist and chamber music specialist, she performs in Australia and worldwide to critical and public acclaim. Tamara has won international prizes in London, Italy and Greece, including the Rovere d’Oro, and in Australia has earned awards such as ABC Young Performer of the Year, a Freedman Fellowship from the Music Council of Australia, the 2012 Art Music Award for ‘Performance of the Year’ (ACT) and most recently the 2015 ARIA for 'Best Classical Album' for her landmark recording of the piano works of Peter Sculthorpe. Tamara’s recordings are nominated for two ARIA awards in 2017: for ‘Best Classical Album’ and ‘Best Original Soundtrack’.
In Australia she was the youngest pianist to win ABC Young Performer of the Year at age 14, the most awarded prizewinner at the Sydney Performing Arts Challenge, and winner of the prestigious David Paul Landa Memorial Scholarship for pianists. She has toured Japan and the United States as cultural ambassador for Australia.
Tamara is a regular guest of major orchestras and festivals in Europe, America and Australasia, including as soloist with the London Philharmonic, the New Zealand, Christchurch and Auckland Philharmonia orchestras and all Australian Symphony Orchestras with conductors such as Matthias Bamert, Edo de Waart, Asher Fisch, Johannes Fritzsch, Christopher Hogwood, and James Judd. Festivals include the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, the Musica Viva, Huntington, Canberra and Soundstream Festivals, MONA FOMA, and Sydney Opera House’s All About Women festival.

Virginia Taylor

Virginia is recognised internationally as a leading pedagogue, flute performer and musician.After winning 1st prize in a number of prestigious competitions, including the Symphony Australia Young Performers Awards, the Annual Pan Pacific Scholarship Award, and the Australian National Flute Competition, Virginia’s solo career began which has seen her perform concerti, solo recitals and chamber music across many countries.
As an orchestral musician, Virginia performed as Principal Flute with the Australian Chamber Orchestra for over 10 years, as well having been guest principal flute with many of the major symphony orchestras within Australia and overseas.
Virginia has released a number of CDs on ABC Classics, Tall Poppies, Move Records and a number of other labels. As part of a classical flute and guitar chamber duo with guitarist Timothy Kain, Virginia has been instrumental in commissioning many new Australian works for this combination and with Timothy, has given many world premiere performances, including works by Elena Kats-Chernin, Nigel Westlake and Mark Isaacs. In April 2017, her latest CD “First Milonga , Last Tango” was digitally released by the ABC.
After 20 years as Associate Professor of Flute at the ANU School of Music, Virginia accepted the appointment as “Head of Flute” at Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University. Virginia is also “Head of Flute” at the Australian National Academy of Music, Melbourne.

2018 ABC Young Performers Awards Adjudicators: Round 1 Section 2
Andrew Barnes

In 1995, Andrew won a position with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, where he played full time for 3 years. During this period he was a founding member of the [new] Adelaide Wind Quintet, a finalist in the ABC Young Performers Awards and appeared as soloist with the Adelaide and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras.
Andrew was appointed to the distinguished faculty of Indiana University School of Music in 1998 where he taught bassoon and coordinated chamber music. He returned to Australia in 2002 to take up the position of Lecturer of Bassoon and Chair of Woodwind at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Since that time Andrew has been regular principal bassoon with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, the Australia Ensemble and a founding member of the New Sydney Wind Quintet. He has also performed regularly as principal with the Sydney, Melbourne and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras and the Queensland Orchestra. Andrew is currently Senior Lecturer of Bassoon and Coordinator of Chamber Music at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

Dr. Di Bresciani OAM

In the 1980’s her research achieved international recognition, with an invitation to visit the USSR by Dimitri Kabalevsky, publications in research journals and participation in Research Commissions for the International Society for Music Education. In 1988 Di founded the Youth Music Foundation of Australia Inc (YMF) which is affiliated with leading music /arts institutions in Australia, Italy, the US and the UK.
In 2003 Di was selected Woman Achiever of the Year by the Australian Brain Foundation. Di is a life member of the Melba Trust Foundation, a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Music Teachers, a senior adjudicator for the Australian Music Examinations Board, a Life Governor of University College, Melbourne, Founder and Managing Director YMF and a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Di was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) of Australia in the Queen’s Honours List 2013 for her contributions to the visual arts, music and philanthropy. On April 6th, 2014 Trio Bresciani was launched at Melba Hall University of Melbourne, with three of Australia’s finest young musicians. On July 6th 2014 the Trio was launched in Brisbane Queensland. Trio Bresciani is the intersection between the hidden impulses of painting and music.

Don Bate

Don Bate is an acclaimed Australian music producer and performer. He is currently the Executive Producer of Music Production for ABC Classic FM. Previous to this position Don was the Principal Trombone of the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra from 1990 to 2013 and before that the Associate Principal Trombone of the Opera Australia Orchestra. He has appeared as soloist with the TSO and has been a guest principal with Australian orchestra’s including the Australian Chamber Orchestra and the ASO. An active chamber musician, he has worked with a wide range of ensembles giving concerts and radio broadcasts nationally. As an educator Don was on staff at the Tasmanian Conservatorium of music, teaching within the brass department and directing chamber ensembles. Don is a graduate of the Canberra School of Music having majored in Trombone with Michael Mulcahy, Conducting with Leonard Dommet and Composition with Donald Hollier.

Dr. Natalia Ricci

Natalia Ricci has made many recordings for the BBC, ABC, Canadian, Italian, Norwegian and New Zealand national radios and has also appeared in live concert telecasts in Italy, Norway, Spain and Australia. She has performed in international music festivals such as theBanff Summer Chamber Music Festival, Canada, the International Bartok Festival, Hungary, the GradusInternational Music Festival, Spain, the London Objective Music Festival, UK, the Deia International Festival, Mallorca, the Sydney Symphony Contemporary Music Festival and the International Festival of Spanish Music and Dance, Encuentros Españoles, in Sydney.
Natalia joined the permanent staff of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 1999 where she has taught in both the Piano and Ensemble departments. In 2009 on invitation, she took up the position of Senior Lecturer in Piano at the University of Auckland, NZ. Since her return to the Sydney Conservatorium, Natalia has been a permanent member of the Piano Unit and in addition, was Keyboard Coordinator of the Chamber Music Program at SCM, coaching many groups in this program over the past few years.

Ole Böhn

Ole Böhn has pursued an extensive career as soloist, chamber musician, and teacher. Since his debut in 1969, he has performed regularly with orchestras in Europe, the US and South America. In 1983 he toured the People's Republic of China.
He has collaborated with conductors such as Moshe Atzmon, Herbert Blomstedt, James Conlon, Lukas Foss, Michael Giehlen, Marek Janowski, Franz Welser-Möst, and Oliver Knussen, and is a frequent performer on radio and television world-wide.
He is the concertmaster of the Norwegian National Opera and has previously held a similar position with the Copenhagen Symphony Orchestra, and worked for shorter periods as concertmaster of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Teatro del Fenice in Venice, Theatro Municipal, Rio de Janeiro, the Residentie Orchestra in Den Haag, Cape Town Symphony Orchestra, The Beethoven Orchestra, Bonn and the Hamburg State Opera.
He joined the Sydney Conservatorium of Music as Associate Professor in 2009

Stephanie McCallum

Currently an Associate Professor of Piano at Sydney Conservatorium, University of Sydney, Stephanie has performed internationally in recital, as soloist with major Australian orchestras, and with AustraLYSIS, Sydney Alpha Ensemble, ELISION, Australia Ensemble, ACO, Kammer, Halcyon and other groups. Her live solo performances of Alkan have been described by critics as ‘titanic’, ‘awe-inspiring’, ‘stupendous’, ‘virtuosic pianism of the highest calibre’ and ‘one of the glories of Australian pianism’. She appears on over 40 CDs including 19 solo albums ranging through Liszt, Weber, Magnard, Xenakis and premier recordings of Alkan, Kats-Chernin and even newly transcribed Beethoven. Further recent premiere recordings of Alkan and of Ropartz, on Toccata Classics, have attracted much international acclaim. Her most recent performances and recordings have involved solo and four hands work on historic nineteenth century pianos. In June she released a CD on Toccata Classics containing previously unrecorded piano music by French early Romantic, Alexandre Boëly, performed on an 1853 Erard piano contemporary with the compositions.

Susan Blake

Susan Blake graduated as Student of the Year from the Sydney Conservatorium of music in 1978. She won the ABC Concerto Competition in 1977, performing the Elgar cello concerto with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, followed by a national tour.
After winning a Churchill Fellowship, Ms Blake completed postgraduate studies at the Basel Music Academy, studying with Heinrich Schiff, graduating in 1982 with the Solistendiplom. In 1995, Ms Blake completed further specialist study in Baroque and Classical 'cello with Anner Bylsma.
In 1985, Ms Blake became Lecturer in cello and chamber music at the University of Sydney Conservatorium of Music and was appointed a Senior Lecturer in 2010. Ms Blake regularly gives summer courses in Europe, Australia and Hong Kong.
As well as teaching, Ms Blake is a frequent soloist with orchestras and ensembles in Australia and Europe and records for ABC Radio, ABC Classics, Sounds Australia and Tall Poppies.
Ms Blake has extensive interest in 18th century music, performing regularly with other specialists playing on original instruments.

Warwick Ross LLB

Admitted to practice as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Victoria Warwick Ross has completed:
• Twenty years as a Double Bassist with major orchestras in Australia and the United Kingdom including membership of The London Mozart Players, The English Sinfonia, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Sydney Symphony Orchestra;
• Five years as audio engineer and producer of audio recordings with a Sydney recording studio; and
• Twenty two years in senior music administration and management including positions held with Arts Promotions & Management Services, London; Michael Edgley International and The Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust.

2018 ABC Young Performers Awards Adjudicators: Semi-Finals
Alan Vivian

Alan Vivian is one of the country’s highest profile musicians. He has held the long-term orchestral positions of Principal Clarinet with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Australian Chamber Orchestra, and Canberra Symphony Orchestra. He has also performed as Guest Principal Clarinet with the BBC Symphony in London and with the Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera, as well as acting as Principal Clarinet with all of Australia’s major symphony orchestras.
As a chamber musician, he has been a permanent member of the Australia Ensemble, performing the masterpieces of the chamber repertoire for clarinet throughout Europe, the USA, China and Australasia. He was a member of the Canberra Wind Soloists for more than twenty years. As a concerto soloist and recitalist, he has toured extensively. His performance touring has taken him to over twenty countries on five continents. He has recorded for the Sony, EMI, Polygram, ABC Classics and Revolve labels, and is a featured artist in Pamela Weston’s book, Clarinet Virtuosi of Today.
As a teacher, Alan Vivian has presented master classes throughout Australia and the world, most recently as a Visiting Artist at the Paris Conservatoire. Former students are scattered throughout the globe, having been competition prize winners, recipients of international scholarships, and occupying permanent positions in Australia’s orchestras. He was Professor of Clarinet at the Australian National University from 1985 until 2012.

Catherine McCorkill

Catherine was a core member of the Australia Ensemble, resident at UNSW, from 1995-2012, touring nationally and to the USA, Canada, UK, Vietnam, Thailand, South America and New Zealand. She performed regularly as Principal Clarinet on many tours with the Australian Chamber Orchestra from 1994-2012, and was featured soloist with the ACO playing the Mozart Concerto on basset clarinet in 1997. She has appeared as a soloist with most orchestras in Australia and was a regular performer at the Huntington Festival and Australian Festival of Chamber Music. She has been a lecturer at the Sydney Conservatorium, Victorian College of the Arts, WA Academy of Performing Arts and has tutored for the Australian Youth Orchestra and Australian National Academy of Music. Awarded a Churchill Fellowship after graduating from ANU, studying with Donald Westlake, Catherine furthered her studies with Hans Deinzer, Antony Pay, Gervase de Peyer and Guy Deplus in Europe and the USA.

Charmian Gadd

From humble beginnings, violinist Charmian Gadd has achieved a worldwide career as a soloist, chamber musician and teacher. Her first teacher was her mother, teaching herself at the same time. Then as a student at the Conservatorium High School, celebrating its centenary this year, she studied with Phillis MacDonald and later Richard Goldner, leading to overseas study with Josef Gingold and Henryk Szeryng .
In 1962 she won the ABC Concerto and Vocal Competition. Overseas prizes in Philadelphia and Vienna followed .
Under management in London in the 1960s and 70s she played extensively in the UK, Scandinavia, USA and Canada. In 1969 she settled in the USA, with Associate Professorships first in Pittsburgh and then in the Pacific Northwest. Her students are all over the world.
In USA she was a founding member of the Piano trio, Trio Concertante and on return to Australia in 1987 she joined Kathryn Selby in the Macquarie Trio. She was Chairman of Strings at the Canberra School of Music and returned to Sydney Conservatorium in 1990. Now retired on the Central Coast she has served on the juries of several major international Competitions including the Menuhin Competition in Folkestone and the Japan Chamber Music Competition in Osaka.

Dr. Di Bresciani OAM

In the 1980’s her research achieved international recognition, with an invitation to visit the USSR by Dimitri Kabalevsky, publications in research journals and participation in Research Commissions for the International Society for Music Education. In 1988 Di founded the Youth Music Foundation of Australia Inc (YMF) which is affiliated with leading music /arts institutions in Australia, Italy, the US and the UK.
In 2003 Di was selected Woman Achiever of the Year by the Australian Brain Foundation. Di is a life member of the Melba Trust Foundation, a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Music Teachers, a senior adjudicator for the Australian Music Examinations Board, a Life Governor of University College, Melbourne, Founder and Managing Director YMF and a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Di was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) of Australia in the Queen’s Honours List 2013 for her contributions to the visual arts, music and philanthropy. On April 6th, 2014 Trio Bresciani was launched at Melba Hall University of Melbourne, with three of Australia’s finest young musicians. On July 6th 2014 the Trio was launched in Brisbane Queensland. Trio Bresciani is the intersection between the hidden impulses of painting and music.
Di was previously –
• Board Member Australian Festival of Chamber Music
• Vice President Soiree Musical Inc
• Director Australian Cultural Fund
• Art Committee Member Peter MacCallum Institute
• Board Member Australian Society for Music Education
• Board Member Rose Music Pty Ltd
• Managing Director Yamaha Music Foundation of Australian Inc
• Board Member Australian Festival of Chamber Music
• Council Member University College Melbourne
• Council Member University College Past Students’ Association

Greg Pikler

Born into a musical family Gregory Pikler came late to the guitar after earlier flirtations with the cello and flute. Heading to London to study at the RCM he found himself instead joining the Omega Guitar Quartet, one of the pioneering groups in the field of ensemble guitar music.
Feeling that he should be making more of a contribution to the classical guitar in Australia he returned to take up a part-time position at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and was subsequently appointed Lecturer in Guitar in 1979, a position he held continuously for well over 30 years. During that time he was assistant Head of School, chaired the Conservatorium’s String Department, a rare honour for a classical guitarist, and also served as a member of Sydney University’s Academic Board. Seeking a less fretful existence and feeling strongly that it was time for the guitar lectureship to have a younger incumbent, he retired from academia in 2012.
Gregory has managed a number of international orchestral tours including the ACO, has been the federal specialist guitar adviser for the MEAB, a Doctoral and Masters examiner for a number of Australasian universities, and served on many national and international instrumental juries.
His varied solo and chamber music career has taken him from a rain forest in Queensland to the Handel Festival in Germany, from Cable Beach in Broome to the First International Guitar Festival in Florence, from a basketball court in Manila to Westminster Abbey in London. When needed he continues to play the orchestral guitar parts with both OA and the SSO.

Nathan Waks

Nathan Waks began his studies at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music with cellist Lois Simpson and chamber musician Robert Pikler. He won the ABC National Concerto Competition and travelled to Europe to further his musical education, training with Mstistlav Rostropovich in Moscow and Paul Tortelier in Paris.
From being the youngest Principal Cellist of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra at age 19 to performing as a soloist with major Australian orchestras, Waks has enjoyed a career that has featured recording of film scores and accompaniment to international recording artists. He has organized concerts for singers Frank Sinatra, Rod Stewart and Tiny Tim. He is a founding member of the Australian Chamber Orchestra and the Australian Music Centre and has held directorships at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Symphony Australia, the Australia Council and the Australian National Academy of Music. He has toured to more than 50 countries and recorded for a decade with The Sydney String Quartet. He creates new music with Waks Generation, a collaboration with DJ and son, Sam, and has worked on musical projects with composer Charlie Chan.
Nathan Waks is now proprietor and Executive Director of Kilikanoon and Seppeltsfield wineries. Nathan plays a David Tecchler-made 1723 cello.

Raff Wilson

He began his professional life working for music publishers such as Boosey & Hawkes and Alfred Publishing Australia, and subsequently with Symphony Australia and ABC Classic FM.
For the Sydney Symphony Orchestra he produced numerous recordings, and innovative concert performances of Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Vaughan Williams’ Sinfonia Antartica, and Australia’s first opera, Don John of Austria, by Isaac Nathan. Working for the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra from 2010 to 2017, he contributed to major developments in that orchestra’s artistic evolution, including the city’s acclaimed first performance of Ring cycle, conducted by Music Director Jaap van Zweden.
Raff trained as a singer, studying with Robert Gard (Australia) and Clifford Lister (England). He holds a degree in languages from the University of Sydney.
Raff is the Director of Artistic Planning for the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

Stephanie McCallum

Currently an Associate Professor of Piano at Sydney Conservatorium, University of Sydney, Stephanie has performed internationally in recital, as soloist with major Australian orchestras, and with AustraLYSIS, Sydney Alpha Ensemble, ELISION, Australia Ensemble, ACO, Kammer, Halcyon and other groups. Her live solo performances of Alkan have been described by critics as ‘titanic’, ‘awe-inspiring’, ‘stupendous’, ‘virtuosic pianism of the highest calibre’ and ‘one of the glories of Australian pianism’. She appears on over 40 CDs including 19 solo albums ranging through Liszt, Weber, Magnard, Xenakis and premier recordings of Alkan, Kats-Chernin and even newly transcribed Beethoven. Further recent premiere recordings of Alkan and of Ropartz, on Toccata Classics, have attracted much international acclaim. Her most recent performances and recordings have involved solo and four hands work on historic nineteenth century pianos. In June she released a CD on Toccata Classics containing previously unrecorded piano music by French early Romantic, Alexandre Boëly, performed on an 1853 Erard piano contemporary with the compositions.

Warwick Ross

Admitted to practice as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Victoria Warwick Ross has completed:
• Twenty years as a Double Bassist with major orchestras in Australia and the United Kingdom including membership of The London Mozart Players, The English Sinfonia, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Sydney Symphony Orchestra;
• Five years as audio engineer and producer of audio recordings with a Sydney recording studio; and
• Twenty two years in senior music administration and management including positions held with Arts Promotions & Management Services, London; Michael Edgley International and The Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust.

2018 ABC Young Performers Awards Adjudicators: Finals
Alan Vivian

Alan Vivian is one of the country’s highest profile musicians. He has held the long-term orchestral positions of Principal Clarinet with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Australian Chamber Orchestra, and Canberra Symphony Orchestra. He has also performed as Guest Principal Clarinet with the BBC Symphony in London and with the Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera, as well as acting as Principal Clarinet with all of Australia’s major symphony orchestras.
As a chamber musician, he has been a permanent member of the Australia Ensemble, performing the masterpieces of the chamber repertoire for clarinet throughout Europe, the USA, China and Australasia. He was a member of the Canberra Wind Soloists for more than twenty years. As a concerto soloist and recitalist, he has toured extensively. His performance touring has taken him to over twenty countries on five continents. He has recorded for the Sony, EMI, Polygram, ABC Classics and Revolve labels, and is a featured artist in Pamela Weston’s book, Clarinet Virtuosi of Today.
As a teacher, Alan Vivian has presented master classes throughout Australia and the world, most recently as a Visiting Artist at the Paris Conservatoire. Former students are scattered throughout the globe, having been competition prize winners, recipients of international scholarships, and occupying permanent positions in Australia’s orchestras. He was Professor of Clarinet at the Australian National University from 1985 until 2012.

Bernadette Harvey

Dr Bernadette Harvey is an acclaimed soloist and chamber musician and a senior lecturer of piano and piano pedagogy at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. She completed a masters and doctorate of musical arts at the Eastman School of Music (Rochester, New York) and has taught at the New England Conservatory and the Longy School of Music at Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 1997 she was the Artistic Director of the Australian Women’s Music Festival and in 2000 she was awarded the Centenary Medal for her contributions to Australian music. Harvey is currently researching injury-preventive keyboard techniques to enable her wide circle of students to maintain prosperous and injury-free careers.

Catherine McCorkill

Catherine was a core member of the Australia Ensemble, resident at UNSW, from 1995-2012, touring nationally and to the USA, Canada, UK, Vietnam, Thailand, South America and New Zealand. She performed regularly as Principal Clarinet on many tours with the Australian Chamber Orchestra from 1994-2012, and was featured soloist with the ACO playing the Mozart Concerto on basset clarinet in 1997. She has appeared as a soloist with most orchestras in Australia and was a regular performer at the Huntington Festival and Australian Festival of Chamber Music. She has been a lecturer at the Sydney Conservatorium, Victorian College of the Arts, WA Academy of Performing Arts and has tutored for the Australian Youth Orchestra and Australian National Academy of Music. Awarded a Churchill Fellowship after graduating from ANU, studying with Donald Westlake, Catherine furthered her studies with Hans Deinzer, Antony Pay, Gervase de Peyer and Guy Deplus in Europe and the USA.

Charmian Gadd

From humble beginnings, violinist Charmian Gadd has achieved a worldwide career as a soloist, chamber musician and teacher. Her first teacher was her mother, teaching herself at the same time. Then as a student at the Conservatorium High School, celebrating its centenary this year, she studied with Phillis MacDonald and later Richard Goldner, leading to overseas study with Josef Gingold and Henryk Szeryng .
In 1962 she won the ABC Concerto and Vocal Competition. Overseas prizes in Philadelphia and Vienna followed .
Under management in London in the 1960s and 70s she played extensively in the UK, Scandinavia, USA and Canada. In 1969 she settled in the USA, with Associate Professorships first in Pittsburgh and then in the Pacific Northwest. Her students are all over the world.
In USA she was a founding member of the Piano trio, Trio Concertante and on return to Australia in 1987 she joined Kathryn Selby in the Macquarie Trio. She was Chairman of Strings at the Canberra School of Music and returned to Sydney Conservatorium in 1990. Now retired on the Central Coast she has served on the juries of several major international Competitions including the Menuhin Competition in Folkestone and the Japan Chamber Music Competition in Osaka.

Gerard Willems

Gerard Willems is Associate Professor in Piano at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. In 2008 Gerard was Guest Professor at the Hochschule fur Musik Freiburg, Germany.
Gerard has performed in the USA, the United Kingdom, Europe, Asia, New Zealand, Australia and Israel having performed under conductors such as Sir Bernard Heinze, Nicholas Braithwaite, John Lanchbery, Nicholas Milton, Avnir Biron and Patrick Thomas. He has broadcast for Australian, Dutch, French, Austrian and Israeli radio. He completed a concert tour of Norway in 2010 where he played in Troldhaugen in Bergen. His many recordings include Piano Concerto No 1 by Franz Liszt with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the Complete Piano Trios by Mozart and the 32 Piano Sonatas by Beethoven. The Sonatas were awarded the ARIA prize in 1999 and 2000 as “best classical album of the year”.
Gerard Willems teaches and gives masterclasses worldwide and is invited to be on juries of national and international piano competitions. He is regarded as a specialist in the first Viennese school. In 2012 he was appointed Artistic Director of the Southern Highland International Piano Competition and decorated with an AM for services to the arts as a concert pianist, educator and mentor to young musicians. In 2017 Gerard Willems toured USA giving lectures at UCLA, Brigham University and Juilliard in New York. He also gave masterclasses in Helsinki at the Sibelius Institute and Freiburg Hochschule in Germany and was piano examiner for Schola Cantorum in Paris. He plans to return to Europe in 2019 for concerts and lectures.

Nathan Waks

Nathan Waks began his studies at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music with cellist Lois Simpson and chamber musician Robert Pikler. He won the ABC National Concerto Competition and travelled to Europe to further his musical education, training with Mstistlav Rostropovich in Moscow and Paul Tortelier in Paris.
From being the youngest Principal Cellist of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra at age 19 to performing as a soloist with major Australian orchestras, Waks has enjoyed a career that has featured recording of film scores and accompaniment to international recording artists. He has organized concerts for singers Frank Sinatra, Rod Stewart and Tiny Tim. He is a founding member of the Australian Chamber Orchestra and the Australian Music Centre and has held directorships at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Symphony Australia, the Australia Council and the Australian National Academy of Music. He has toured to more than 50 countries and recorded for a decade with The Sydney String Quartet. He creates new music with Waks Generation, a collaboration with DJ and son, Sam, and has worked on musical projects with composer Charlie Chan.
Nathan Waks is now proprietor and Executive Director of Kilikanoon and Seppeltsfield wineries. Nathan plays a David Tecchler-made 1723 cello.

Raff Wilson

He began his professional life working for music publishers such as Boosey & Hawkes and Alfred Publishing Australia, and subsequently with Symphony Australia and ABC Classic FM.
For the Sydney Symphony Orchestra he produced numerous recordings, and innovative concert performances of Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Vaughan Williams’ Sinfonia Antartica, and Australia’s first opera, Don John of Austria, by Isaac Nathan. Working for the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra from 2010 to 2017, he contributed to major developments in that orchestra’s artistic evolution, including the city’s acclaimed first performance of Ring cycle, conducted by Music Director Jaap van Zweden.
Raff trained as a singer, studying with Robert Gard (Australia) and Clifford Lister (England). He holds a degree in languages from the University of Sydney.
Raff is the Director of Artistic Planning for the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

Warwick Ross

Admitted to practice as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Victoria Warwick Ross has completed:
• Twenty years as a Double Bassist with major orchestras in Australia and the United Kingdom including membership of The London Mozart Players, The English Sinfonia, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Sydney Symphony Orchestra;
• Five years as audio engineer and producer of audio recordings with a Sydney recording studio; and
• Twenty two years in senior music administration and management including positions held with Arts Promotions & Management Services, London; Michael Edgley International and The Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust.