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Advanced conducting techniques for wind ensembles and concert bands
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A message from NSSWE’s Artistic Director Patrick Brennan
Thank you to everyone who joined us for our NSSWE Connect Festival.
A special thank you to our Festival partners:
- Online Virtuoso
- The Sydney Conservatorium of Music, The University of Sydney
And our supporters
- Create NSW
- The Northern Beaches Council
Our Special Guest Musicians
Ann Blackburn - Workshop Details
Oboe Essentials
Date: Saturday 19 September
Time: 6:00pm
Differences in Approaching First and Second Oboe
Date: Sunday 2o September
Time: 6:00pm
Ann Blackburn
Oboist with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Ann Blackburn is currently Second Oboe with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, a position she has held since 2013.
She holds a Bachelor of Music from the Australian National University and a Diploma from the Freiburg Hochschule für Musik, where she studied with Heinz Holliger.
Ann played Associate Principal Oboe with Orchestra Victoria from 2004-2006. She has worked extensively with the Sydney and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras, the Auckland Philharmonic, Opera Australia’s Oz Opera and the Victorian Opera.
She has also performed as guest Principal with the Melbourne, Adelaide, Queensland and West Australian Symphony Orchestras and the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra. Ann has performed in recitals in New Zealand and Germany with her chamber group Trio Australasia.
Lecturer in Clarinet, Sydney Conservatorium of Music
Frank Celata - Workshop Details
Clarinet Essentials
Date: Saturday 19 September
Time: 1:00pm
Frank Celata
Associate Principal Clarinet, Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Lecturer in Clarinet, Sydney Conservatorium
Francesco (Frank) Celata graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts in 1987, having studied with Phillip Miechel and Pamela Bloom. He then studied in Amsterdam with Piet Honingh (Concertgebouw Orchestra) and Siena with Giuseppe Garbarino. In 1991 he returned to Australia, where he was appointed Principal Clarinet with the then Queensland Philharmonic Orchestra.
He joined the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in 1993 as Associate Principal Clarinet and has appeared as soloist on several occasions, including performances of Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto, Bernstein’s Prelude, Fugue and Riffs, Krommer’s Double Clarinet Concerto with Principal Clarinet Lawrence Dobell, and a concerto written for him by Gordon Kerry.
He has also appeared as soloist with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and the Auckland Philharmonia, and on a number of occasions between 2003 and 2009 he appeared with the London Symphony Orchestra as guest Principal Clarinet, performing on international tours and recordings. In 2011 he played Principal Clarinet in the inaugural performances of the Australian World Orchestra, comprising 110 of Australia’s leading musicians drawn from 47 orchestras around the world.
Frank Celata is a founding member of one of Sydney’s leading chamber ensembles, the Sydney Soloists, and is a member of the New Sydney Wind Quintet.
He is also a dedicated teacher, and since 1994 has taught clarinet at the Sydney Conservatorium, where he is a Lecturer in Clarinet.
He has given masterclasses at the Shanghai Conservatorium and Trinity College in London, and is the Artistic Director of the Australian International Symphony Orchestra Institute (AISOI). In 2013 he joined the staff of the Conservatorium of Music in Hobart as Lecturer in Orchestral and Chamber Music.
Guy du Blet - Workshop Details
Untuned Percussion – Essential Rudiments
Date: Saturday 19 September
Time: 5:00pm
Drums: The Oldest Ensemble Instrument
Date: Sunday 20 September
Time: 5:00pm
Guy du Blet
Principal Timpani of Orchestra Victoria
Guy du Blêt was born in Melbourne. He has worked and studied extensively all over the continent and has been playing with Orchestra Victoria since 1998.
He has worked with all the major symphony orchestras across Australia, as well as the Malaysian Philharmonic, the Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa (OEK), Synergy, Libra Ensemble, Speak Percussion, Ludovico’s Band and Latitude 37.
He has toured internationally with the Australian Youth Orchestra, Elision, the Malaysian Philharmonic and OEK. He is inspired by the Berliner Philharmoniker (he trained under Rainer Seegers there) and his favourite pieces of music are Mozart’s operas and Tchaikovsky’s ballets.
He counts performing Wagner’s Ring Cycle under Pietari Inkinen for Opera Australia and Bella Figura for The Australian Ballet under Nicolette Fraillon as two of the highlights of his career.
His advice to aspiring musicians? “Work harder than everyone else.”
Dr Michael Duke - Workshop Details
Saxophone Essentials
Date: Saturday 19 September
Time: 5:00pm
Altissimo Register and Extended Techniques
Date: Sunday 20 September
Time: 5:00pm
Dr Michael Duke
Associate Professor in Saxophone, Sydney Conservatorium
Michael Duke completed his Bachelor of Music degree with Honours at the Victorian College of the Arts under the instruction of saxophonist Graeme Shilton. He then received both Master’s and Doctorate degrees in music performance from Indiana University, studying under renowned classical saxophonists Eugene Rousseau, Thomas Walsh, Jean-Yves Fourmeau and Arno Bornkamp.
While pursuing jazz studies at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Michael studied with Shannon LeClaire, Jim Odgren and George Garzone and performed in the ensembles of Phil Wilson, Greg Hopkins, Victor Mendoza and Joe Lovano.
Michael has enjoyed an extensive performance career both in Australia and abroad. He has performed with many of Australia’s premier orchestras, including the Sydney Symphony, Melbourne Symphony, Orchestra Victoria, the Australian Philharmonic and Pops Orchestra and the Australian Chamber Orchestra.
In the United States, he has performed with the Owensboro Symphony Orchestra (Kentucky), the Camerata Symphony Orchestra (Indiana), the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, and the Cedar Rapids Symphony (Iowa). In 2002 he won the Indiana University Woodwind Concerto Competition for his performance of Jacques Ibert’s Concertino da Camera for alto saxophone and orchestra.
He has also been invited to perform at numerous North American Saxophone Alliance National conferences and World Saxophone Congresses and has lectured at the Australian National Band and Orchestra Clinic. In 2010 Michael was a featured artist at the prestigious International Society for Contemporary Music World New Music Days conference in Sydney, presenting two concerts of new music for saxophone.
As a freelance musician in the Boston area, Duke backed such artists as Gloria Estefan, The Four Tops, Bill Cosby and Gary Burton. He has also performed with the Danilo Perez Big Band, the Jim Widner Big Band, and the Greg Hopkins Big Band.
In addition to his work as a clinician and tutor (Australia, USA, Hong Kong and Denmark), Michael has taught on the faculties of Simpson College in Iowa (2002-2005), Eastern Nazarene College in Massachusetts (2007-2008) and as an associate instructor at Indiana University in
Bloomington, Indiana (1998-2000). In July 2008, he started as the first ever full-time classical saxophone lecturer in Australia at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
Michael has two commercially available solo recordings: Duo Sax – Music for Two Saxophones on the Saxophone Classics (UK) label and Australian Portrait: HD Duo on the Cala (UK) label.
Antoinette Halloran - Workshop Details
Antoinette Halloran
Soprano who performs regularly with all the major Australasian opera companies and symphony orchestras
One of Australia’s most accomplished and best-loved sopranos, Antoinette Halloran performs regularly with all the major Australasian opera companies and symphony orchestras and appears frequently on national television and radio. In 2020, she sings the title role in Tosca for Opera Queensland and, for State Opera of South Australia, Mrs Lovett is Sweeney Todd and Olive in Summer of the Seventeenth Doll.
2017/2018 engagements included the title roles in Tosca for West Australian Opera (Helpmann Award nomination) and The Merry Widow for State Opera of South Australia, Praskovya in The Nose for Opera Australia, The Fox in The Cunning Little Vixen for Victorian Opera, associate artist for José Carreras’ National Tour and concert appearances with the Melbourne, West Australian, Wellington and Christchurch Symphony Orchestras. In 2019, she sang Lady Macbeth (Macbeth) and Mrs Lovett (Sweeney Todd) in Perth and The Fox in Adelaide.
A graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts and recipient of an Honours Degree in Music from the University of Melbourne, Antoinette has appeared in many productions ranging from opera to musical theatre and cabaret.
Leading appearances for Opera Australia have included the title roles in Madama Butterfly and Rusalka, Mimi in La bohème, Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire (Green Room Award), Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, Fata Morgana in The Love for Three Oranges and Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus; for New Zealand Opera – Mimi, Cio-Cio-San and Mrs Lovett in Sweeney Todd; for Victorian Opera – Fiordiligi in Così fan Tutte, Adina in L’elisir d’amore and Mrs Lovett (Helpmann Award nomination); for Opera Queensland – the title role in The Merry Widow; for State Opera of South Australia – Micaela in Carmen.
Antoinette also featured as a guest judge and panelist on the ABC television series Operatunity Oz and has appeared regularly on the hit show Spicks and Specks; she was a presenter for ABC’s Art Nation – covering stories on opera and music theatre.
In concert, she has sung with Elvis Costello and the Brodsky Quartet for the Sydney Festival, Mozart’s Requiem with the Hong Kong Philharmonic, Carmina Burana with the Melbourne Chorale, El Niño with Sydney Philharmonia and Haydn’s Creation and Fauré’s Requiem with the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic.
Antoinette has also been a regular visitor to Japan, China and Indonesia where she is much in demand as a guest artist. She recorded Puccini Romance for ABC Classics with tenor Rosario La Spina and the Queensland Symphony Orchestra.
She was a recipient of the Puccini Award and has performed throughout Europe and America with thanks to the Acclaim Awards.
Deborah Hart - Workshop Details
Making Friends with the Stage Fright Dragon
Date: Sunday 20 September
Time: 4:30pm
Deborah Hart
Orchestral musician and qualified Acceptance and Commitment Therapy practitioner
Deborah Hart has been a professional french horn player for over 30 years with Orchestra Victoria (1995-2011), Melbourne Symphony and West Australian Symphony Orchestra among others. She spent two years in The Netherlands where the highlight of her career was playing first horn with the Netherlands Radio Orchestra in the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam for two weeks in performances that were broadcast all over Europe.
She has taught all levels of brass players from beginners at country primary schools to professionals, but has always been interested in musical performance anxiety – trying to work out how to play at her capacity during auditions and important high profile performances.
Deborah discovered ACT (acceptance and commitment therapy) in 2010 and has spent a number of years applying it to her own performance struggles and in 2015 started coaching other musicians who have gone on to win at a number of auditions for professional orchestras both in Australia and internationally.
After completing her Master of Counselling in 2016, in 2017 she began running workshops for music students and has presented her workshops on performance anxiety at ANAM, Queensland Conservatorium, WAAPA, UWA and JMSS (John Monash Science School).
Robert Johnson - Workshop Details
French Horn Essentials
Date: Saturday 19 September
Time: 6:00pm
Audition Preparation
Date: Sunday 20 September
Time: 12:30pm
How a Horn Section Works
Date: Sunday September 20
Time: 6:00pm
Robert Johnson
Former Principal French Horn of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Robert Johnson studied horn at the NSW Conservatorium and after spending a year in the ABC Training Orchestra he joined the West Australian Symphony Orchestra as Third Horn. He was appointed Principal Horn in 1977 and appeared numerous times as soloist with the WASO and the Perth Wind Quintet, which regularly toured Western Australia and recorded for ABC Radio.
He joined the Sydney Symphony Orchestra as Associate Principal Horn before leaving in 1979 to pursue further study in Europe and the USA. Returning to Sydney in 1981, he took up the position of Principal Horn with the Elizabethan Sydney Orchestra, and in 1986 he rejoined the SSO as Principal Horn.
In 1990 Robert Johnson performed Strauss’s Horn Concerto No.1 and devised a program for the SSO’s Music for Spring series, appearing as soloist and conductor. In 1991 he acted as Artistic Director for the Amadeus Wind Players’ series of concerts at the Sydney Conservatorium, and also appeared as soloist with the SSO in performances of Ross Edwards’ Aria and Transcendental Dance at the Seymour Centre. Other highlights with the SSO include performances of Mozart’s Horn Concerto No.2 in 1992 and Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings in 1993.
Robert Johnson works regularly with the Australia Ensemble and Sydney Soloists, and was a founding member of the Chamber Soloists of Sydney. He has also taught at the Sydney Conservatorium and the Canberra School of Music.
Eric Klay - Workshop Details
Lower Brass Essentials
Date: Saturday 19 September
Time: 3:00pm
Warm-ups and Breathing Demystified
Date: Sunday 20 September
Time: 3:00pm
Eric Klay
Former Principal Bass Trombone of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Eric Klay was the Principal Bass Trombone with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, from 1977 to 2013. Prior to this he held the same position with Orchestra Victoria from 1976 to 1977.
From 1979 to 1991, Eric was a member of the Melbourne Brass Ensemble, which produced four recordings, two of which were all Australian music. They performed many live broadcasts for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and undertook numerous tours for Musica Viva, Australia’s premier chamber music provider.
Eric performs all styles of music, having backed Sammy Davis Jnr, Frank Sinatra, Jerry Lewis, Debbie Reynolds, Bob Hope, Nelson Riddle/Linda Ronstadt, Elton John, Debra Byrne, John Farnham and Meat Loaf on their Australian tours. He has also played on countless jingles, recording sessions and soundtracks for iconic Australian movies such as The Man From Snowy River I and II, Mad Max II, Babe, Babe – Pig in the City, Crocodile Dundee I and II, Lantana and The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith.
Eric was invited to give Master Classes and a recital at the 1995 International Trombone Symposium held at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. In 1996, Eric toured as soloist with the Queensland Symphonic Winds to Singapore and Hong Kong, performing Concerto for Bass Trombone written for him by Paul Sarcich. He then released his CD Wind Song on the Move label, to worldwide critical acclaim.
Eric won the Elton John Award in 2002 and undertook a period of study with Charles Vernon and Michael Mulcahy in Chicago. In 2004, the Australian Music Examination Board (AMEB) invited Eric to be the Consultative Editor for their low brass publications. In 2011, Eric was invited to the Third International Trombone and Tuba Festival at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, China where he taught Master Classes, gave a recital and conducted the trombone choir.
In 1993, meeting a need for his students, Eric published Daily Exercises for Bb/F Trombone (now in its fourth printing), a standard text for serious students’ worldwide and included in the syllabus at Northwestern University in Chicago.
In 2008 in conjunction with Michael Mulcahy of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, he released “Full Circle”, a collection of works for trombone by noted Australian composers. These include world premiere recordings of “Sonata for Three Trombones and Two Percussion” by Richard Mills, “Trombone Quartet” by Barry McKimm and “At A Loss” by Stuart Campbell.
Actively involved in community music through teaching, conducting and arranging, Eric was the Music Director of the Nicholas Chamber Orchestra, based in the Dandenong Ranges. For twenty years Eric taught at the Harrietville Summer Music Camp. In 2018 he toured Guangzhou, Xi‘an and Urumqi giving Masterclasses and private tutoring.
Mathew Levy - Workshop Details
Tuned Percussion Xylophone/Glockenspiel Essentials: Two Mallet Playing
Date: Saturday 19 September
Time: 1:00pm
Tuned Percussion Marimba/Vibraphone: Four Mallet Playing
Date: Sunday 20 September
Time: 1:00pm
Mathew Levy
Principal Percussion of Orchestra Victoria
Sydney-born Mathew Levy began his musical journey playing both percussion and violin.
He holds a First Class Honours degree from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, and has completed post-graduate study at the Australian National Academy of Music and the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.
Before joining Orchestra Victoria in 2019, Mathew worked as a freelancer throughout Australia and overseas, performing with the Melbourne, Sydney and West Australian Symphony Orchestras, Sydney Symphony Sinfonia, Australian World Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, and Royal Ballet Sinfonia.
He has toured extensively, travelling to Europe, the USA, England and China, playing in prestigious venues such as the Royal Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Berlin Konzerthaus, Sydney Opera House, Birmingham Symphony Hall, and the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing.
Mathew is a past winner of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Snare Drum Award, the Reuben Scarf Award for Percussion, and the Sydney Conservatorium of Music Concerto Competition.
Dr John Lynch - Workshop Details
Conductors Workshop and Discussion Forum
Festival opening and workshop for conductors led by Associate Professor John Lynch and a keynote by Professor Anna Reid, Dean of the Sydney Conservatorium
Date: Friday 18 September
Time: 6:00pm
Dr John Lynch
Director of Bands and Wind Symphony Conductor, Sydney Conservatorium of Music
A dual citizen of Australia and the United States, John Lynch is a leading international wind band conductor. He is the Director of Bands and Wind Symphony Conductor at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music where he has created the first graduate degrees in wind conducting in Australian history.
He was previously Director of Bands and Professor of Music at the University of Georgia and the University of Kansas. Other positions include those at Northwestern University and Emory University.
He is the Artistic Director of the Verbrugghen Ensemble (professional ensemble-in residence at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music), and was director of the Northshore Concert Band, the Atlanta Youth Wind Symphony, and the Greater New York Wind Symphony (founder).
He has performed throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, South America, Asia, and Australia including the national conferences of the College Band Directors National Association, American Bandmasters Association, National Association For Music Education (U.S.A.), Australian National Band and Orchestra Conference, the Midwest Clinic, World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles; Interlochen, Barcelona’s Grec Festival; as well as invited tours of China, Argentina, and Europe.
Owen Morris - Workshop Details
Trumpet Essentials
Date: Saturday 19 September
Time: 2:00pm
Performing with Pressure Not Against It
Date: Saturday 19 September
Time: 4:30pm
From Warm-ups to Winning Auditions
Date: Sunday September 20
Time: 2:00pm
Owen Morris
Principal Trumpet with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Owen is currently Principal Trumpet with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, a position which he has held since mid 2019. Prior to this he was Principal Trumpet with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra from 2016.
Owen has had extensive orchestral experience including performing as guest Principal Trumpet with the Australian World Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Philharmonia and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. Owen has also performed with the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra and with other chamber groups such as the Australian Brass Quintet, Omega Ensemble and Sydney Brass.
Owen also enjoys performing concertos regularly with orchestras and bands across the country and internationally. Some of these experiences include performing concertos with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Adelaide Youth Orchestra, Adelaide Wind Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Sinfonia and Seraphim Trio. Owen also performed the Haydn Trumpet Concerto with the Sydney Youth Orchestra on their 2017 International Tour to Europe.
A passionate educator, Owen enjoys teaching at institutions such as the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music and the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM). In addition to this, Owen teaches privately and also offers masterclasses to other universities and ensembles.
As a certified Peak Performance Coach, Owen incorporates his knowledge of teaching and performance with an in-depth insight into the mental aspects and training required to perform at an elite level. This unique combination provides a comprehensive insight into maximising potential and achieving great results.
Matthew Ockenden - Workshop Details
Bassoon Essentials
Date: Saturday 19 September
Time: 2:00pm
Playing in Groups: From Solos to the Symphony Orchestra
Date: Sunday 20 September
Time: 2:00pm
Matthew Ockenden
Associate Principal Bassoon of the Opera Australia Orchestra
Matthew Ockenden holds the position of Associate Principal Bassoon of the Opera Australia Orchestra. Matthew joined what was then the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra in 1999.
Matthew commenced his bassoon studies at the Conservatorium High School in Sydney, under the tutelage of Gordon Skinner. He subsequently completed a Bachelor of Music at the Sydney Conservatorium before travelling through Europe and continuing his study with various teachers.
Matthew settled in Germany, studying Gustavo Nunez at the Essen Hochschule for Music and later Matthew Wilkie.
Since returning to Australia, Matthew has been active in the Australian music scene. He has performed as a guest principal musician with the Australian World Orchestra and most of the major symphony orchestras in the country.
A founding member of the Sydney Omega Ensemble, Matthew has a passion for chamber music. He has performed extensively with groups such as the Sydney Soloists and the Australia Ensemble.
Matthew is also a dedicated educator and advocate for the future of the arts in Australia. He has taught in a number of institutions including the Canberra School of Music.
Lecturer in Flute, Sydney Conservatorium of Music
Emma Sholl - Workshop Details
Flute Essentials
Date: Saturday 19 September
Time: 3:00pm
Audition and Practice Tips
Date: Sunday 20 September
Time: 3:00pm
Emma Sholl
Associate Principal Flute, Sydney Symphony Orchestra Lecturer in Flute, Sydney Conservatorium
Emma Sholl began working with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra at the age of 19 and was awarded the Second Flute post the following year – one of the youngest musicians ever appointed. In 2003 she was appointed Associate Principal Flute.
She was named 2MBS Young Performer of the Year in 1997, and won the 1999 National Orchestral Flute Competition, the Other Instruments category in the 2001 ABC/Symphony Australia Young Performers Awards, and the 2002 National Solo Flute Competition.
In 2002-03, several awards – including the Martin Bequest and Dorothy Fraser Scholarship – enabled her to study in Geneva with Jacques Zoon. During that time she performed in St Petersburg and Moscow as part of the World Orchestra for Peace conducted by Valery Gergiev.
As a guest principal, she has appeared with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, Australian Chamber Orchestra, and the Adelaide, Queensland, Tasmanian and West Australian symphony orchestras. In 2011 and 2013 she performed in the Australian World Orchestra.
As a soloist she has appeared with the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, performing Bach with Geoffrey Lancaster. Other solo engagements have included the ASO and TSO as well as the SSO, and she recorded Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No.4 with Angela Hewitt, Alison Mitchell and the ACO.
Emma Sholl has performed in recital for Musica Viva and ABC Classic FM and in 2015 released Vignettes, an album for flute and harp with Jane Rosenson. As a chamber musician, she has performed in many festivals around Australia, and with such groups as the Australia Ensemble, Sydney Soloists, Sydney Omega Ensemble and Southern Cross Soloists. She has taught for the Australian Youth Orchestra, the Australian National Academy of Music and is Lecturer in flute at the Sydney Conservatorium.
Emma Sholl plays a 14k rose gold Burkart flute.
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