Joel Batson
Joel completed a BMus Honours degree in
performance percussion. In August 2003, he went to the Miami School of
Music, where he is studying for a Master’s degree under Dr Ney Rosauro,
a world famous percussionist and composer. While at Victoria, Joel won
the Patricia Pratt Scholarship in Performance Music, which helped him
in his studies in the US
David Bremner
David is Principal trombone of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, a position he has held since 2002.
Prior to this appointment, he was principal trombone of the Auckland Philharmonia.
Born in New Plymouth, David began his early musical studies on cornet and euphonium under the tutelage of his father.
After moving to Trombone he went on to graduate with honours from Victoria University of Wellington studying with Marc
Taddei. He was awarded the prestigious Patricia Pratt Scholarship to study at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music,
and graduated with a Master of Music degree studying with Mark Lawrence. During this time he was a finalist in the
Gisborne Music Competition, placed 3rd in the NZ Young Musicians Competition, and won the Shenson Young Musicians
competition in California.
As a soloist, David has performed concertos with the NZ Symphony Orchestra, including the world premier of
Gareth Farrs trombone concerto, and recorded Lyell Cresswells concerto ‘Kaia’ for Naxos Records. He has also been
a featured soloist with the Auckland Philharmonia, many NZ and Australian bands, the National Youth Brass Band of
NZ on their international tour of 2003, and with the National Brass Band of NZ on their 2005 European Tour.
In 2009 his debut solo CD Gung-Ho, featuring the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and the National Brass Band of
NZ, received the Classical Music Award at the Vodafone NZ Music Awards.
A versatile musician, David has recorded with the New Zealand rock band ‘Crowded House’, performed with
the Fodens Richardson and Desford Brass Bands in the UK, and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra and Bay Brass,
as well as being a founding member of ‘Bonanza’ Trombone Quartet.
He is the Trombone tutor at the New Zealand School of Music, Music Director of the Pelorus Trust Wellington Brass
Band and was a member of the ‘Dancing with the Stars’ band.
Simeon Broom
Simeon is living in London where he performs as soloist and chamber musician as well as
currently trialling for positions in some of the top UK orchestras, including the Royal
Opera House Orchestra (Covent Garden), English National Opera and sub-Principal position
in the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.
Simeon recently returned home to NZ to perform the Sibelius Violin Concerto with the Manukau Symphony Orchestra.
Having begun the violin at the age of 4 years in Auckland, New Zealand, Simeon completed Performance
Violin studies at Auckland University with Mary O’Brien, during which he won the inaugural
University Concerto Competition, with the Elgar Violin Concerto. Simeon received a D.A.A.D
(German Academic Exchange) Scholarship and moved to Germany where he studied at the Hochschule
für Musik, Düsseldorf with Professor Ida Bieler, and played in the Gürzenich Orchestra in Cologne,
as well as performances with ‘Live Music Now’.
In 2004 Simeon was finalist in the ‘Young Musicians’ Competition New Zealand’, and has performed
as soloist with orchestras both in New Zealand and in Germany, ranging from the Auckland Philharmonic
Orchestra to the Hannover Jungend Sinfonieorchester.
Simeon studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama between 2006-2008, with David Takeno
and Jack Glickman and has completed his Masters. During this time he was finalist in the Solo Bach
Competition in London and winner of the Sonata Competition at the North London Music Festival.
Callum Bruce
Callum has been studying geology and chemistry.
He has studied under
Ewan Fordyce (geology) and Russell Frew (chemistry) in a summer bursary
which aimed to determine
ocean temperature and ice volume during the Oligocene period (25
million years ago). Using magnesium/
calcium ratios in benthic microfossils as a temperature proxy. Being
awarded the Charles Campbell-White
scholarship has allowed to continue pursuing his interests in marine
geophysics and marine chemistry.
http://www.brassnz.co.nz/education.htm
AnnetteCampbell-White
In the male-dominated world of venture
capitalists, Annette Campbell-White stands out for her daring and
successful ventures. Campbell-White has been a champion for the life
science field with particular emphasis on medical devices.
More at:
http://www.devicelink.com/mddi/archive/04/08/036.html
http://www.forbes.com/lists/2006/99/535X.html
Andrew Conley
Andrew is still living in London and has been travelling throughout Europe recently performing in various operas.
He toured with Diva Opera's production of Carmen throughout England, France, and parts of Switzerland throughout 2010,
and performed with Dame Kiri and Jose Carreras in a gala concert at the Royal Albert Hall in December. He is going
up to Scotland at the end of March to perform Belcore in L'Elisir D'amore with Haddo House Opera. Later this year,
he will be performing in The Merry Widow in London (Yvonne Kenny is also in the cast – Andrew last performed with her
at the NZ festival in Wellington for their production of Der Rosenkavalier), and as Schaunard in La Boheme in Bristol.
He is also performing with Garsington Opera this year in their new theatre – of which he’s looking forward to seeing.
More at:
http://www.andrewconley.com/
http://www.opera.net.nz/node/44
Ellen Deverall
Ellen graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in 2010 with a Masters with Distinction in clarinet.
She was awarded at the ceremony the DipRAM for an outstanding final recital along with the Regency Award
for overall excellence. While studying, Ellen won two of the Principal’s Discretionary Awards - the
Paddy Purcell Prize for wind playing and the Keith Pearson Memorial Orchestral Award.
Ellen is a member of the St James Quintet, winners of the 2009 ROSL ensemble prize and the
Martin Musical/Philharmonia Scholarship. They have performed at the Queen Elizabeth Hall,
Wigmore Hall, the Purcell Room and several times on BBC Radio 3. They have performed for HM
The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, Princess Alexandra, HRH The Princess Royal, Archbishop Desmond Tutu,
the late Sir Charles Mackerras and Sir Harrison Birtwhistle. They were 2009 – 2010 Royal Academy
of Music Leverhulme Chamber Music Fellows and are currently young artists with the ConcordiaFoundation
and Park Lane schemes. They are currently preparing for their audition for the prestigious YCAT scheme.
In an orchestral setting Ellen has performed at the Royal Festival Hall, the Queen Elizabeth Hall
and Cadogan Hall under conductors such as George Benjamin, Sir Colin Davis and Thierry Fischer. She
was accepted onto the Encuentro de Musica y Acadaemia de Santander where she performed chamber works
with Michel Arrignon and Hansjorg Schellenberger. She has performed as a soloist to Her Majesty the
Queen and played recitals at St-Martins-in-the-fields, the Norfolk and Norwich Festival, Cadoghan Hall
and as a soloist with the RAM Chamber Orchestra. She has been invited several times to perform in the
ROSL Edinburgh Fringe Festival series. Ellen was a finalist in the 2010 Clarinet and Saxophone Society
Soloist Competition of Great Britain.
Ellen is immensely grateful to the Kia Ora Foundation for the assistance she has had through the Patricia
Pratt Scholarship. Without this financial support, her studies in London would not have been possible.
Mok-hyun Gibson-Lane
MOK-HYUN GIBSON-LANE was awarded Second Prize in
the New Zealand Young Musician of the Year Competition held in
Auckland, New Zealand. The finals of the New Zealand Young Musicians
Competition will take place on Sunday, March 21 at the Auckland Town
Hall. The finalists will be accompanied by t he Auckland Philharmonia
conducted by Marc Taddei. The event will be recorded for television in
New Zealand and will be the subject of a ninety minute special.
Gibson-Lane will perform the Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in E
minor by Edward Elgar.
Malavika Gopal
Whilst at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, Malavika won the
duo concerto competition and was a prize winner in the Bales Violin Competition. She participated
in many masterclasses with notable soloists & musicians and also served as concertmaster in a number
of orchestral concerts at NEC. During her time in Boston, she also played in the Boston Philharmonic
and played in Carnegie Hall with various other ensembles. More recently her string quartet formed in Boston,
moved to Lucerne, Switzerland where they wereinvited to study with the world renowned, Alban Berg Quartet.
In March 2010 they were prize winners in their first international competition - Illzach Chamber Music Competition.
Michael Jamieson
Michael has recently returned from a month home in New Zealand where he performed with
the APO (Gershwin, Bernstein and solo in Milhaud's Creation du Monde). He also gave some classes at the NZSM.
Michael is actually looking at beginning a doctorate in the Netherlands, but nothing is certain yet.
He has had a number of regular orchestral gigs including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra(!), Radio
Chamber Orchestra and Orkest van het Oosten, in addition to the Rotterdam Philharmonic. His saxophone Quartet,
Hanumi, has commissioned a brand new work from young composer Dylan Lardelli and they have been working hard to
push their "agenda" of New Zealand music in Europe (premieres of music by Michael Vinten, Gareth Farr and Michael).
Michael has had his own music performed by 2 groups in the last Grachtenfestival in Amsterdam, and has a commission
to write another work for his quartet and the chamber choir "Canteklaer" that we worked with a year or so ago.
More At:
MichealJamieson.com
Hanumi
The Four Baritones
Wade Kernot
Wade used the Patricia Pratt Scholarship he was awarded in 2008 to fund his studies at the prestigious
National Opera Studio in London. Since then he has been involved in final rounds of many competitions including
the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World, The Neue Stimmen and the Lexus Song Quest. He has participated in Masterclasses
with Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Kurt Moll, Dennis O'Neil, Siegfried Jerusalem, Gerald Finley, Gwynne Howell, Sir Donald
Macintyre and was invited to attend the Solti/Te Kanawa Accademia di Bel Canto in Tuscany. He has performed Principal
roles at many festivals including the Edinburgh Festival, Verbier Festival, Tirol Festspieler, Linari festival,
St Gallen Festspieler and Opera Under the Stars in Broome, Australia. He has also performed principal roles for
Opera New Zealand and Southern Opera. He is currently in his first year of a two year full time contract performing
many various principal roles for Theater Sankt Gallen in Switzerland.
Jane Kircher-Lindner
Jane is currently based in Perth and is the principal bassoon with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra.
Prior to this she was principal bassoon with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, a position she was appointed
to at age 23. Her love of orchestral music has seen her performing around the world with esteemed international
festival orchestras including the Pacific Music Festival Orchestra (Japan) under the baton of Charles Dutoit,
and the Verbier Festival Orchestra (Switzerland) with James Levine. Additionally, she has performed on several
occasions as guest principal bassoon with the NZSO.
Jane has appeared as a soloist with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra twice, the St Matthews Chamber
Orchestra (Auckland), and the Victoria University Orchestra as a winner of the Victoria University Concerto
Competition. In demand as a chamber musician, she performs with a variety of ensembles including the Arundo Reed
Quintet, with whom she has recorded for ABC Classic FM.
Jane studied at Victoria University of Wellington and graduated with a Bachelor of Music with First Class Honours.
With the assistance of the Patricia Pratt Scholarship she completed a Master of Music in Orchestral Performance
at the Manhattan School of Music in New York.
Jane currently teaches bassoon at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts and at the University of Western Australia.
Anna Leese
New Zealand Soprano Anna Leese is a graduate of the University of Otago, the Royal College of Music and the
Benjamin Britten International Opera School. Her many awards include the 2005 Richard Tauber Prize.
Recent concert engagements have included Mahler’s second symphony with Bernard Haitink, Vaughan Williams’s
Sea Symphony with the Malaysian Philharmonic, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in Madrid with Carlo Rizzi, and Elijah
with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, conducted by Thierry Fischer. She made her debut at the 2006 BBC Proms with
the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Sir Roger Norrington, and has appeared in a number of opera gala concerts with Jose
Carreras. Her recordings include a debut recital disc for EMI with Graham Johnson, and a Haydn disc on the Michael Storrs Music label.
Anna Leese made her Covent Garden debut as Tamiri (Il re pastore), returning for Musetta (La boheme), Micaela (Carmen),
First Lady (Die Zauberflöte) and Echo (Ariadne). For the New Zeland Opera, she has sung Ilia in Mozart’s Idomeneo, Cleopatra
in Giulio Cesare and Tatyana in Eugene Onegin. She sang Antonia in Hoffmann for the Cologne Opera, Tatyana for the Flanders
Opera, and made her North American debut with the Canadian Opera Company, as Musetta. Anna Leese is an Associate Artist of
the Classical Opera Company.
Engagements include L’amico Fritz for Opera Holland Park, Pagliacci for the New Zealand Opera and concerts of Das
Rheingold (Freia) with the Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra.
More at:
AnnaLeese.com
Gemma New
Born and raised in Wellington, Gemma New pursued conducting early by working with the Christchurch Symphony
Orchestra, Christchurch Youth Orchestra, NZSO National Youth Orchestra and Southern Opera Company. Since moving to
the US in August 2009, engagements for Gemma have included the BBC Scottish Symphony, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra,
Cabrillo Festival Orchestra & Hebrides Ensemble in conducting masterclasses and the Macon Symphony Orchestra,
Orchestre Symphonique de Trois-Rivières & Hot Springs Festival Orchestra in concert. Gemma is currently a cover
conductor for the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, chorusmaster for Peabody Opera
Theater and assistant conductor of the Peabody Concert Orchestra. She directs the Baltimore-based Lunar Ensemble,
which performs both premieres and canonical works.
More At:
GemmaNew.com
Madeleine Pierard
Madeleine completed an MMus at the RCM International Opera School, where she sang the roles of Helena
(A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Thaïs and Cherubino among others. Following that, Madeleine went to the
National Opera Studio in London and is now a Jette Parker Young Artist for two years at The Royal Opera
in Covent Garden, where she debuted as Sandman (Hansel and Gretel). Other ROH roles coming up are
Sacerdotessa (Aida), Noémie (Cendrillon) and Lisa (La Sonnambula). Madeleine has performed extensively
throughout the UK and New Zealand. Highlights coming up include solos in the Beethoven 9 and Poulenc Stabat
Mater with the London Philharmonia at The Royal Festival Hall and on tour with the NZSO with
Jonathan Lemalu and Simon O’Neill in September 2011. In 2008, Madeleine was named a New Generation Artist
by The Arts Foundation of New Zealand.
More At:
www.madeleinepierard.com
Video of Her Life
Rachelle Pike
Rachelle is in her first year of a Master degree at the Manhattan School of Music. After 8 months of study under the
tutelage of Ms Joan Patenaude Yarnell she has seen much success at school, being cast in the lead role of de Falla's El
Amor Brujo under the baton of Grammy Award winning conductor José de Eusebio and internationally renowned director Nicholas
Muni. Other highlights of her year include performing with Ken Merrill and an up coming main stage review of Kurt Weill
songs with Carolyn Marlow. The Patricia Pratt Scholarship was instrumental in Rachelle's international studies and she
is excited to begin her second year in the fall of this year.
Jesse Robertson
After winning the scholarship as a third year in 2006, Jesse went on to complete his honours degree in 2007, with a
dissertation on modelling the Alpine Fault mylonite belt supervised by Professor Richard Norris.
Following that, Jesse won an Australian Postgraduate Award scholarship from the Australian Government, and a
Merit scholarship from the Australian National University to study for a PhD at the Research School of Earth Sciences
in Canberra, beginning in 2008. His thesis, which he is in the final stages of completing, is in physical volcanology
on the fluid dynamics of lava flow emplacement.
Once Jesse finish his thesis he is hoping to pursue postdoctoral opportunities in either Canada or the UK, and
returning to NZ once he’s gained a bit more research experience.
More At:
Jesse Robertson at ANU
Victoria Simonsen
Since graduating from the Royal Northern College of Music with the 2006 Gold Medal, Victoria Simonsen (cello)
has developed a varied career performing in the UK and abroad. Accolades include being selected for a Purcell Room
Debut (Park Lane Group 2009) and the Countess of Munster's Recital Scheme Soloist (2007-09); winning the English-Speaking
Union Music Scholarship 2010, Royal Over-Seas League Strings Competition, Countess of Munster's 'Star' Award, Barbirolli
Cello Prize and the prestigious Silver Medal of the Worshipful Company of Musicians.
As a committed chamber musician, she is regularly invited to the International Musicians Seminar Prussia Cove
Open Chamber Music and for six years, until mid-2009, she was a member of the Barbirolli Quartet with whom she performed
throughout the UK, including Wigmore Hall and BBC radio, and was selected for the European Concert Hall Organisation
'Rising Stars' Series. Born in Auckland, Victoria was winner of the NZ Young Musician of the Year and she moved to
the U.K. in 2002 to study primarily with Ralph Kirshbaum and Karine Georgian.
While still a student she was appointed Section Principal Cellist with the Orchestra of Opera North (2005-07) before
moving to London and joining the renowned Philharmonia Orchestra. Victoria receives continuing musical guidance from
Professor Julius Berger at the Leopold Mozart Zentrum in Augsburg. She currently divides her time between living in the UK and Germany.
More at:
Tashmina.co.uk
Philharmonia.co.uk
