Elder Conservatorium

04/11/2024

On Wednesday 23 October, the Flute Society of South Australia held the biannual David Cubbin Memorial Competition, adjudicated by Lloyd Van't Hoff. The competition celebrates the legacy of David Cubbin, former Principal Flautist of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and Lecturer at the Elder Conservatorium. Congratulations to current students Alex Byrne (who won 1st Prize) and Lucy Ryan (awarded 2nd Prize), as well as recent graduate Andi Custudio, who received an Honourable Mention.

03/11/2024

Our Sonic Arts Showcase event this year features the theme 'Generative Music', and will premiere new electronic works that pay tribute to Brian Eno on Wednesday 6 November in Scott Theatre at 6.30pm (free entry). By the end of this event we will have premiered approximately 180 new works from our Bachelor of Music (Creative Practice) students!

02/11/2024

On Thursday 17 October the Elder Conservatorium Baroque Ensemble had their final end-of-year concert at the North Adelaide Baroque Hall. 18 students took part in a concert featuring the music of Lully, Corelli, Vivaldi, Muffat and Dall'Abaco to a very full and receptive house.

02/11/2024

This weekend, the Elder Conservatorium Latin Ensemble, directed by Mark Ferguson, are heading down South to perform at the Murray Delta Juke Joint in Goolwa on Sunday, playing from 2.30pm. This year's 20-piece ensemble features Spanish vocals from second-year tenor saxophonist Anibal Araya-Reyes and third-year violinist Tim Shephard, and English vocals from Honours vocalist Tiffany Gaze. It will be an excellent vibe with tunes from Ray Barretto, Lazaro Numa and Juan Formell; alumni Jo Lawry, Jasmine Hall and Mark Ferguson; and current students.

📅 Sunday 3 November 2.00pm
📍 Murray Delta Juke Joint, Goolwa
Tickets ➡ https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1300302

01/11/2024

Today’s concert was monumental, with exquisite music from diverse cultural backgrounds. We’re incredibly grateful to composer Mr Stephen Whittington and Conductor Luke Dollman for making it happen. And thank you to our wonderful soloists Loo Sze-Wang (sheng), William Barton (didgeridoo), Yuqiong Zhang (guzheng), Lester Wong (erhu), along with the Elder Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra for your splendid performance!

01/11/2024

Elder Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra

Associate Professor Luke Dollman - conductor
Loo Sze-wang - sheng
William Barton - didjeridu
Yuqiong Zhang - guzheng
Lester Wong - erhu

Ren Guang
Colourful Clouds Chasing the Moon

Hing-yan Chan
Remnants of the Haunted Wind (World Premiere)

Peter Sculthorpe
Earth Cry

Stephen Whittington
Mountains, Clouds, Streams (World Premiere)

31/10/2024

Chamber Music Adelaide's 'On the Terrace' is a free mini-festival of 45 pop-up chamber music concerts and workshops in the iconic galleries, museums and creative spaces on North Terrace. The eclectic program features performances from some of our staff, alumni, and current students, including Recitals Australia's showcase of emerging artists – Bridget McCullough (viola); Angus McBride (bassoon) with Simón Pazos Quintana (piano); Jenny Su (piano); and Lucy Macourt (violin) with James Logan (lute).

📅 Sunday 3 November 11.00am–4.00pm
📍 North Terrace
More info and tickets ➡ https://www.chambermusicadelaide.com.au/ontheterrace

31/10/2024

Following the success of our 'Art of the Possible' Composer Concerts last week in Elder Hall (where we premiered 20 new art music works by our undergraduate composers), the students of our Bachelor of Music (Creative Practice) degree will present their work across a series of concerts throughout November.

🎼 Students from the Popular Music stream will present the Song Writer Series at UniBar and Scott Theatre, featuring their original songs in a variety of contemporary genres.

🎸 First and second-year students will perform at UniBar tonight and next Thursday 7 November, starting at 6.00pm.

🎤 Third-year and honours students will perform at Scott Theatre on Tuesday 5 November, Tuesday 12 November and Wednesday 13 November, starting at 7.00pm.

🎟 Free Admission

31/10/2024

'Performing is an act of communion: with the composer, with your colleagues, but also – critically – with your audience, which almost wills the experience into being. It offers a mode of connection that can feel telepathic. It was the internet before the internet; it is a social media that feeds rather than depletes.'

– Professor Anna Goldsworthy

In a series of four orations delivered by noted musicians and luminaries, the 2024 ABC Boyer Lectures will explore the state of classical music in Australia in the contemporary age. The series will commence with Professor Anna Goldsworthy delivering a moving lecture with live music exploring the connections between life and music on Thursday 31 October at the ABC Ultimo Studios. The lecture will be broadcast on ABC TV and ABC iview on Friday 1 November and later heard on ABC Radio National on Saturday 2 November.

Professor Goldsworthy's lecture will be followed by lectures on Radio National throughout November by Lyn Williams AM, founder and director of Gondwana Choirs; Iain Grandage, leading Australian composer and former Artistic Director of the Perth Festival; and accomplished violist, conductor and composer, Aaron Wyatt.

2024 celebrates the 65th anniversary of the ABC/Boyer Lectures, and this will be the first time music features as a Boyer Lecture subject. The distinguished composer, writer and ABC broadcaster Andrew Ford (long-term presenter of 'The Music Show' on Radio National) will host the four speakers and link the series.

Read more ➡ https://www.abc.net.au/about/media-centre/press-releases/2024-abc-boyer-lecture-series-explores-classical-music-in-the-co/104530906

📸: Alex Frayne

30/10/2024

Tonight! Join multi-award-winning vocalist extraordinaire Jazzmeia Horn as she performs material from her latest release 'Messages' with the top graduating jazz musicians from the Elder Conservatorium and special guests DEM MOB from CASM - Centre for Aboriginal Studies in Music The University of Adelaide. Celebrate Helpmann Academy's 30th anniversary and its enduring musical legacy with performances by jazz alumni in the foyer before the concert and during the interval. This event also includes the presentation of the Helpmann Academy Jazz Awards 2024.

Presented in partnership with The University of Adelaide, Helpmann Academy and the City of Adelaide.

📅 Thursday 31 October 7.00pm (Tonight – doors open 6.00pm)
📍 Adelaide Town Hall
Tickets ➡ https://events.humanitix.com/a-night-of-jazz-with-jazzmeia-horn-2024

26/10/2024

GUITARISSIMO
Saturday, October 26th 2024, Elder Hall, 6:30 p.m.
Director: Dr Oliver Fartach-Naini

Richard Charlton (*1955) From Impressions from the Dreamtime
- The Legend of Fire
- The Black Swan
Alex Clayton

Phillip Houghton (1954-2017) Ophelia... a haunted Sonata
- Fear… and the angel
- Suffering and madness... am I but a dream of a shadow?
- Chant... of the flower-moon
- Water... memories - halls of ghosts - wash away
- Death... with moons in your hair
Aimee Wilson

John Dowland (1563–1626)
Máximo Diego Pujol (*1957)
Johann Kaspar Mertz (1806–1856) Sir John Smith his Almain
Página de Radio
Unruhe
Kurenai (Claire) Nishioka

Francisco Tárrega (1852–1909)
Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887–1959)
Roland Dyens (1955–2016) Capricho árabe (Serenata)
Étude VIII
Tango en Skaï
Marcus Howard

INTERMISSION

Nicolas Vallet (c.1583–1642) - Prelude
- Pavane En Forme de Complainte
- Onder de Lindegroene
- Carillon de Village
James Logan

James Rawley (*1997) The Huntsman
Kurenai (Claire) Nishioka & Marcus Howard

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) Divertimento No. 5 KV539b
- Adagio
- Minuet–Trio–Minuet
- Adagio
- Romance (Andante)
- Polonaise

Domenico Scarlatti (1685–1757) Sonata in D minor K. 417, Fuga, Allegro moderato
arr. Jacques Chandonnet

Coco Nelegatti (*1959) Al Tano Giovanni
Elder Conservatorium Guitar Ensemble




Alex Clayton, a former student of Greg Cook is now undertaking his second year of undergraduate study at the Elder Conservatorium of Music with Dr Oliver Fartach-Naini. He has had masterclasses with Andrea González Caballaro (Spain), Xiao Xiao (China) and Leonardo Bravo (Argentina/Japan). Alex also has experience performing with the Opal Guitar Quartet.

Aimee Wilson commenced classical guitar studies with Ian Seaborn at the age of 10 and is now in her second year of her Bachelor of Classical Performance, studying at the Elder Conservatorium with Dr Oliver Fartach-Naini. Aimee has had masterclass with international guitarists including Song-Ou Lee, Patricio Zeoli and Xingye Li. Her performance highlights include the 2023 Korean International Guitar Festival as a member of the Elder Conservatorium guitar ensemble and the Adelaide Guitar Festival as a soloist in the Guitar Orchestra in 2023 and 2024.

Kurenai (Claire) Nishioka started learning classical guitar at the age of 4 in Japan. She moved to Australia in 2023 where she now studies privately with Dr Oliver Fartach-Naini. In 2024, she received a full scholarship to attend the Sydney Guitar Summer School and won second prize in the Adelaide Eisteddfod open-age category. Claire has also had the honour of receiving masterclasses from Park Kyuhee (Korea), Kozo Tate (Japan), and Gian Marco (Italy).

Marcus Howard, 19, is a second year undergraduate student at the Elder Conservatorium of Music, studying with Dr Oliver Fartach-Naini. A multi-instrumentalist with experience performing on electric guitar, drums and bass guitar, Marcus decided to pursue the classical guitar after studying with Caleb Lavery-Brook in 2022. In this short time playing classical guitar, Marcus has performed at the Dunstan Playhouse, Her Majesty’s Theatre and Elder Hall as well as performing in a masterclass with Spanish guitarist Andrea González Caballero and Jonathan Paget.

James Logan is a lutenist from Adelaide, South Australia. He studies under the direction of Tim Kersten in Adelaide and has studied with Jacob Heringman in Yorkshire. He has played in period ensembles under the direction of Peter Holman and Rachael Beesley, as well as playing contemporary/folk music with theatre groups Butterfly Theatre and Shakespeare South Australia.
More recently, James studied abroad in Leeds under supervision from the scholar of The Purcell Society, Dr. Bryan White, which gave him a taste for musicological work. He is currently back in Adelaide completing his final year as a Bachelor of Music student.

The Elder Conservatorium Guitar Ensemble is a core component of the Elder Conservatorium's classical guitar program and comprises Elder Conservatorium students as well as alumni and external members. Weekly rehearsals under the direction of Dr Oliver Fartach-Naini culminate in public concerts and community outreach engagements. The ensemble’s sustained commitment to new music has led to numerous world premiere performances, including new compositions by Ian Seaborn, Stephen Whittington, Anne Cawrse, Grant Sheridan, Carl Crossin, Coco Nelegatti and Jaime Zenamon. Working with distinguished guests is a key strand in the ensemble’s objective to establish the foundations for a successful career in music. Such collaborations have in the past involved Jonathan Paget (Perth), Duo Agostino and Richard Charlton from Sydney as well as Martha Masters (USA). Performance highlights include the Sydney Guitar Summer School 2022, Adelaide International Guitar Festivals 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018 as well as festival performances in South Korea in 2010, 2017 and 2023. Tonight’s ensemble members are Caleb Lavery-Brook, Marcus Howard, Kurenai Nishioka, Alex Clayton, Aimee Wilson and Megan Robson.

Oliver Fartach-Naini’s pioneering ventures range from Persian art music and tango to his award-winning Schubert collaboration for Deutsche Grammophon and his solo album Suite Latina, which US magazine CLASSICAL GUITAR included in its list of ‘Top Ten Classical Guitar Albums of 2019’. Described as a ‘musician of the very top order’ (The Australian) and ‘an essential conduit for some of today’s best music’ (Fanfare Magazine, USA), he has performed the world over and recorded 11 CDs for various labels. A passionate educator, he is author of the AMEB’s classical guitar syllabus and associate director of postgraduate programmes at the University of Adelaide’s Elder Conservatorium of Music.

25/10/2024

Big shoutout to the four amazingly talented young artists: Liam McBride (horn), Alex Byrne (flute), Daniel Brideoake (piano) and Arjun Singh (cello) for your sensational performance, and congratulations to the joint first prize winners Alex and Arjun. Also, thank you to our wonderful collaborative pianist Simón Pazos Quintana for your support and artistic contributions!

24/10/2024

We are delighted to announce that internationally acclaimed didjeridu virtuoso William Barton will be performing in next week's lunchtime concert! Under the baton of Associate Professor Luke Dollman, the Elder Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra presents a fascinating program that transcends cultural boundaries and celebrates the profound connection between humanity and the natural world.

You'll hear Ren Guang's 'Colourful Clouds Chasing the Moon' and the world premiere of Hing-yan Chan's 'Remnants of the Haunted Wind' (featuring renowned Sheng player Loo Sze-wang), before William Barton takes the stage in Peter Sculthorpe's iconic 'Earth Cry'. The concert will culminate with the world premiere of Stephen Whittington's new work 'Mountains, Clouds, Streams', inspired by the subtle colours and tonal gradations of Chinese inkbrush landscape painting. The work combines a Western orchestra with traditional Chinese instruments to evoke the mystery and profundity of the natural world and our place within it – themes that have featured in Chinese poetry, art and music for millennia.

Presented in partnership with OzAsia Festival, this concert is supported by the National Foundation for Australia-China Relations 澳中基金会.

📅 Friday 1 November 1.10pm
📍 Elder Hall

Tickets ➡ https://uofa.sales.ticketsearch.com/sales/salesevent/130304

📸: Keith Saunders

23/10/2024

Congratulations to Liam McBride (horn), Alex Byrne (flute), Daniel Brideoake (piano) and Aj Singh (cello) being selected to perform at our annual“Top Class” concert this Friday, supported by the Peter Brooker Prize for Musical Excellence. We cannot wait!!!

21/10/2024

Over two nights at The University of Adelaide's Art of the Possible Festival, the composition students of the Elder Conservatorium are taking over Elder Hall. This is the first concert of its type in many years for our composition students so it is a wonderful chance to support and enjoy their creativity. Come along for one night or both! 🎼

📅 Tuesday 22 October 7.00pm
📅 Wednesday 23 October 7.00pm
📍 Elder Hall

Get tickets on Humanitix - AoTP Composer Concerts hosted by Art of the Possible. Elder Hall, University of Adelaide, North Terrace, Adelaide SA 5000, Australia. Dates from Tuesday 22nd October 2024. Find event information.

18/10/2024

The remarkable Adelaide Connection led by conductor Lauren Henderson got a big round of applause for their performance this afternoon! Well done and thank you so much for a terrific concert!

18/10/2024

Lunchtime Concert - Friday 18 October - The Adelaide Connection

16/10/2024

📣 CONCERT POSTPONED 📣

With much regret we advise that this Friday night's Elder After Hours concert, 'David Shifrin and Friends', has been postponed due to circumstances outside of our control. We are in the early stages of rescheduling David's visit to late 2025, and in the meantime we will be refunding all tickets purchased (ticket holders will receive further communication from Martin Victory, our Elder Hall Manager, once their refund has been processed). We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience.

15/10/2024

Applications are now open for the second iteration of Helpmann Academy's NA>NESS Development Grants. Valued up to $3,000 each, this grant supports a wide range of opportunities such as creating new works, research and development, and taking on professional development projects such as workshops, mentorships, or residencies.

'The HA>NESS Development Grant brought abundance and opportunity to my artistic practice. With the gracious support from HA>NESS I was able to achieve things that I had never dreamed of achieving within my career.'
– Amelia Watson, 2023 Recipient

⏱ Applications close on Sunday 3 November 2024

The HA>NESS Development Grants program is dedicated to fostering the creative and professional progression of emerging artists across various

15/10/2024

In former times, music criticism may have held the lofty position of guiding public opinion and directly influencing the course of the arts. However, a variety of forces may have changed all that, and today's vastly different media landscape may just be part of it. 'Changes and Challenges: A Panel Discussion on Music Criticism' will discuss how critics envision their work, the contribution they aspire to make, the principles to which they hold, and the challenges they face. Panel speakers will include members of the Adelaide Critics Circle and other Adelaide-based critics, including Edmund Black, Peter Burdon, Chris Reid, Shannon Pearce, Graham Strahle, and Stephen Whittington. Discussion and Q&A chaired by Gillian Dooley.

📅 Tuesday 29 October, 7.00pm arrival for 7.30pm start
📍 Hartley Concert Room, The University of Adelaide

Admission free of charge – Bookings essential to plan for refreshments ➡️ https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1303774

13/10/2024

Are you a musician who is currently (or was previously) working as a teacher in a school, for a commercial provider, the VET sector, or privately? We invite you to participate in a research project led by the University of Canberra in partnership with Arts South Australia. The survey is part of an Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Project 'New approaches to measuring Australia's creative workforce: Beyond the Census'.

The purpose of the study is to measure Australia's Creative Workforce – particularly those who are classified as embedded creatives, in this case musicians working in education. We want to understand the career trajectories and motivations of musicians working in schools and the wider education sector, the skills and innovations they bring to their work, and the impact of their work on their employers and the curriculum.

The online survey takes about 20 minutes to complete ➡ https://uoc.syd1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_06Cj8cksayGKLlA

📸: Erika Fletcher

13/10/2024

'Music education is not necessarily about creating thousands of professional musicians. It's about creating opportunities for children and adults to access the unique and very profound cognitive, health and social benefits that come along with it.'

Thanks to The University of Adelaide's Division of External Engagement team for this lovely profile on Dr Emma Gregan, our Head of Brass!

Login Home Staff News News 2024 09 30 Current: Celebrating our colleagues: Emma Gregan Celebrating our colleagues: Emma Gregan Posted on Sep 30 2024 by a1232371 Dr Emma Gregan, Lecturer, Classical (Horn), Elder Conservatorium of Music. I started playing the horn when I was eight. A lot of parents pr...

11/10/2024

Hayley Wedding, a BMus (Education and Pedagogy) and University of Adelaide Master of Teaching Graduate, is one of four national finalists nominated for the 2024 ARIA Music Teacher Award! Hayley teaches at Seaview High School and has raised participation in the music program from 6% in 2021 to 43% this year.

Now in its eighth year, the ARIA Music Teacher Award in partnership with The Song Room highlights the vital role that music teachers play in fostering a love of music among students across Australia, shining a light on the importance of music education to improve students' wellbeing, learning and community connection. Every year, the public helps determine the winner of the ARIA Music Teacher Award, with the winner announced at the ARIA Awards on Wednesday 20 November, broadcast on Channel Nine and Stan.

Voting for the ARIA Music Teacher Award is now open. You can vote once a day up until 11.59pm AEST Wednesday 13 November ➡ https://www.aria.com.au/vote/music-teacher-of-the-year

In Hayley’s teaching practice, she makes it her daily mission to create a supportive environment and empower students to thrive and reach their full potentia...

11/10/2024

Congratulations to conductors Lloyd Van’t Hoff, Euan Safey and the amazing Elder Conservatorium Wind Orchestra for a dynamic performance this afternoon! Well done!!! 🤩🤩🤩🥳🥳🥳🥳

10/10/2024

Mark Ferguson, Head of Jazz, and students, Victoria Katsoulis, Daisy Davidson, Emily Dennis, James Ho and James Nisbet recently spent three days and two nights in Port Augusta (Monday 23–Wednesday 25 September) for the final Open Music Academy (OMA) tour of the year. The group's packed schedule saw them providing inspirational performances and bespoke workshops for over 700 students from reception to Year 12 across three schools.

The group also gave a community performance with repertoire ranging from standards to compositions by Mark Ferguson and a piece about the local Jacaranda trees from Daisy Davidson, herself originally from Port Augusta. The concert, hosted by Port Augusta Performing Arts, finished with a standing ovation and loud calls for encores.