Artists | 25
ACMF – Albury Chamber Music Festival
Sally-Anne Russell – Artistic Director and Mezzo Soprano
Sally-Anne Russell is a multi-award-winning mezzo soprano and has performed on the concert platform and operatic stage in twenty five countries and discography in over 40 CD’s /DVD’s on ABC Classics, CHANDOS, MOVE, Toccata UK, NAXOS and DECCA labels, including her solo aria disc “Enchanting” with The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. Her awards include an ARIA for Pergolesi Stabat Mater with Sara Macliver, and nominations for Young Australian of the Year, Young Achiever of the Year, Green Room and Helpmann Awards.
Sally-Anne has over 80 operatic roles in her repertoire and enjoys working with all the major Opera Companies, Symphony Orchestras, Musica Viva, Australian String Quartet, ANAM, Peninsula Summer Festival and all major Festivals in Australia. International highlights include The Spoleto Festival in Italy, Washington National Opera (DC), a ten-year association as alto soloist with the Carmel Bach Festival in California. Also recitals in Vienna, Singapore, London, Scotland, and Amsterdam. Recent projects include Hermia in Brittens A Midsummer Nights Dream for Adelaide Festival, Wagners Ring Cycle with Melbourne Opera in Bendigo, Strauss’s Elektra for Victorian Opera, Dido and Aeneas in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide, Mahler Das Lied von der Erde for Canberra Festival and Handel’s Messiah with Melbourne Symphony. Concerts with Adelaide Baroque, Sydney Philharmonia, Melbourne Bach Choir, and Beethoven 9th Symphony with Auckland Philharmonic and Adelaide Symphony Orchestras.
Sally-Anne is a member of the international artistic council for the Kathaumixw Festival in Canada and chair of The Australian chapter for the Belvedere International Singing competition in Vienna.
Trybooking ACMF | 25Mario Dobernig – Artistic Director, Conductor & Percussionist
On a quest to make a difference, innovator Mario Dobernig is one of the most inspiring music makers of his generation. Mario is Artistic Director and Conductor in Chief for the Art of Sound Orchestra, the Victoria Chorale and co-artistic director of the Albury Chamber Music Festival.
He has conducted among others the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra, Kapfenberger Symphoniker, the Australian Romantic and Classical Orchestra’s YMS program, Orchestra Capella Calliope and at prestigious venues in Europe, the Middle East, China and Australia.
Discography includes online releases for ABC Classics and being a featured guest on various radio programs around the globe. He was awarded his PhD in 2014, holds Master degrees in Percussion, Conducting and Musicology as well as Bachelor Degrees in Percussion and Music Education. He has been a guest lecturer at the University of Melbourne and Monash University.
Mario has produced a number of highly successful festivals in multiple cities and countries (Australia, Austria, China, Germany, Italy) and also organizes unique cultural exchange tours for cultural groups between Australia and his other native Austria. Mario enjoys conversations in English, German, French and Italian, and has a keen interest in geopolitics.
Trybooking ACMF | 25Joshua Han – Piano
Winner of the 2024 Australian National Piano Award, Joshua Han has been praised for “complete mastery of his instrument as well as complete empathy with the music” (Sydney Arts Guide). Joshua is an accomplished performer who has appeared with distinguished orchestras including the Queensland Symphony Orchestra and North Sydney Symphony Orchestra. He is undertaking a Master of Music Studies (Performance) under Dr Paul Rickard-Ford at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
An Australian-born pianist, Joshua started piano studies at the age of four with his mother. Since receiving his first gold in the Sydney Eisteddfod at six years old, and his Licentiate of Music, Australia (LMusA) at 10 years, Joshua has achieved considerable success in music. He won first prizes at the 2014 Ettlingen International Piano Competition, Germany, and the 2015 Aarhus International Piano Competition, Denmark. In 2016, Joshua received a Fellowship Recital Diploma from Trinity College of London at the age of 14.
Joshua’s recent achievements include first prizes at the 2025 International Piano Competition J. S. Bach in Saarbrücken, Germany, and the 2024 Australian National Piano Award, where he also received the prize for Audience vote and prizes for best interpretation of Bach, Chopin, and Mozart/Beethoven. At the 2024 Lev Vlassenko Piano Competition, Joshua received Second Prize, Concerto Prize, the Queensland Symphony Orchestra Musicians’ Choice Prize and the Virtuoso Study Prize.
Trybooking ACMF | 25Timothy Reynolds – Tenor
Tenor Timothy Reynolds enjoys performing in a broad range of styles as both soloist and ensemble member, has performed with some of Australia’s premier companies and is principle tenor for Australia’s professional vocal ensemble The Song Company.
Timothy specialises in the performance of early music and small ensemble performance, particularly the music of JS Bach, and enjoys exploring and performing modern compositions.
Timothy also teaches at Victoria’s selective arts school, the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School.
Trybooking ACMF | 25Kevin Tamanini – Piano
Kevin Tamanini first started playing the piano at the age of nine and by thirteen knew it would be a lifelong passion and commitment.
While still in school, he attended the Conservatoires in Evreux, Rouen, and finally Metz. In 1998 (under Eric Vidonne’s class), he was awarded the Médaille d’Or (first prize) for piano and accompaniment (under David Selig’s class). He simultaneously studied Music History, Analysis, Harmony, Music Theory, Counterpoint, and Basso Continuo.
Kevin studied with Prof. Konstanze Eickhorst at the Musikhochschule Lübeck (Germany) before joining the Hochschule für Musik Saar in Saarbrücken (Germany) under Thomas Duis and Fedele Antonicelli. He passed his Konzertreifeprüfung (Master’s) in 2009. Kevin participated in masterclasses led by Thomas Brandis, Noel Lee, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Pascal Le Corre, and Anne Queffelec.
Kevin speaks several languages fluently, including French, German, English, Portuguese, Spanish, and Luxembourgish. He also has a solid knowledge of Italian, Greek, and Russian. This, combined with his interest in literature, enables him to approach the relationship between words and music with sensitivity and enthusiasm, particularly in his work with singers. As a result, Kevin has been invited to participate in various festivals, including the Francis Poulenc International Academy for French Melodies, the Opera House of Metz (France), the National Opera of Tours (France), and the Luxembourg Philharmonie. He has performed with artists such as Cécile Bonnet, Rolando Villazón, and Yuja Wang.
Since 1999, Kevin has been the répétiteur for numerous masterclasses led by renowned singers, including Sigmund Nimsgern, François Le Roux, Udo Reinemann, and Jennifer Larmore. He is also a laureate of the Saarbourg International Competition for Young Pianists (1997).
Since his arrival in Australia in 2022, Kevin has performed for the Melbourne Composers’ League and has been appointed répétiteur for various opera companies, including Opera Australia, Melbourne Opera, Lyster Opera, and BK Opera. He has also performed numerous concerts throughout the country.
Trybooking ACMF | 25Jessie Vonk – Living Legend
Jessie Vonk has lived an incredible life, touring the world as a ballerina and with her late husband, Hans Vonk, a world famous conductor.
Jessie Vonk’s sculptures can be found in America, Holland and Australia. Of course, also in the gardens of Hans Vonk Music House.
Sara Brodie – Narrator
Born in Christchurch in 1970, Sara worked in London for seven years as an actress, dancer, casting director and behind the scenes before returning to New Zealand in 1996.
In the year 2000, Sara graduated from Victoria University with an MA in Theatre. Sara’s qualification in Laban Movement Analysis for actors led her to teach movement and acting at East 15 Acting School, London. Following this, she became head of Acting at the Wellington Performing Arts Centre. By 2004, Sara was predominantly working as a freelance director. Her work as movement director and choreographer at Musica nel Chiostro, Italy and New Zealand Opera marked the beginning of Sara’s progression into opera direction.
Three years later, Sara adapted and directed the dance-theatre, interdisciplinary work The Kreutzer for the 2007 STAB Festival at BATS. Following the success of this ambitious project, Sara founded ‘Stage Left’ with Sarah Hutchings and Andrew Brettell in order to further pursue interdisciplinary works.
Most of Sara’s directorial work has included music. For Capital E National Theatre for Children, she co-wrote and directed Hear To See, which received a Chapman Tripp Award for most Original Production in 2011. Sara also directed the the heart-warming production Kia Ora Khalid, scored by composer Gareth Farr, and Skydancer, a symphonic work in collaboration with the NZSO.
Sara has directed numerous opera productions including Don Giovanni for New Zealand Opera, Ainadamar for the New Zealand Arts Festival, A Midsummer Night’s Dream at NZSM, Fatal Desire for the Asia Pacific Arts Festival and the premiere of Jenny McLeod’s Hohepa New Zealand Opera & the New Zealand Arts Festival. Sara has also had a long association with Days Bay Opera, having directed all eight of their productions.
Sara’s other diverse projects include interweaving poetry and music for North:South at Going West and Nelson Arts Festivals, The Seven Last Words for a Chamber Music New Zealand tour and creating Tracing Hamlet – a community based immersive deconstruction of Hamlet for the Wanaka Festival of Colour and Erupt Festival, Taupo. In 2011 she was approached by the Melbourne Arts Festival to create a dance-theatre production about earthquakes with the Leshan Song and Dance Company of Sichuan. Fault Lines has subsequently toured China.
Trybooking ACMF | 25Sophia Kirsanova – Violin 1
Praised as “always appealing and intriguing” (Marshall McGuire, CutCommon) and “demonstrating outstanding technique and musicality” (Latvietis), Latvian violinist Sophia Kirsanova enjoys an international career, having performed across Europe and Australia.
Sophia appeared as a soloist with renowned orchestras, including the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonia Concertante (LV), and Israel Camerata. Her orchestral career includes title chairs with esteemed chamber orchestras, Sinfonietta Riga (2005/6) and Israel Camerata (2009-18).
Evolving from her extensive solo and orchestral career, Sophia followed her passion for pedagogy and performance research. In 2018 Sophia moved to Melbourne, to complete a PhD (UoM) research exploring post-Soviet Latvian classical violin music and anticipates a solo debut album release of Latvian composers under the record label SKANI. Sophia has presented lecture recitals on her project at the Royal Academy of Music in London, the Latvian Academy of Music and Amherst College (USA).
Dr. Kirsanova teaches violin at the University of Melbourne, at international courses and maintains a private violin studio in Melbourne. Sophia performs extensively as a solo recitalist (Melbourne Recital Centre, Hanson Dyer Hall, Melba Hall) and as a chamber musician, collaborating with distinguished musicians and ensembles. Sophia is the founder and Lead Violinist of Melbourne Strings, an all-female string ensemble that has presented concerts at the Hanson Dyer Hall, regional Victoria, and the Brunswick Music Festival and is the recipient of the City of Melbourne Arts Grant and the Rosemary and John Hopkins Award.
Sophia started her music studies in Latvia at the prominent E.Darzins music school. Later she enhanced in numerous courses and masterclasses in Europe (Aurora Masterclasses, Holland Music Sessions, Perlman Music Program) and continued her studies with the renowned pedagogue Hagai Shaham at Tel Aviv University.
Trybooking ACMF | 25William Newbery – Viola
William completed a Bachelor of Music Degree with 1st class honours at the Elder
Conservatorium in Adelaide, Australia followed by the Advanced Performance Programme at the Australian National Academy of Music and a Diplom at the Hochschule für Musik Köln in Germany. In 2023 William completed an honours year in conducting at the Elder Conservatorium.
He has performed in several of Australia’s leading orchestras including the Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney Symphony Orchestras. William has been a permanent member of the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra since 2007.
William has been broadcast in recital several times on ABC Classic FM and has tutored for youth orchestras in Adelaide, Hobart and for the Australian Youth Orchestra Young Symphonists Programme. He has been a guest soloist with the Nelson Symphony Orchestra in New Zealand. As a chamber musician William has performed throughout Australia and Europe and has collaborated with a diverse range of artists.
In 2018 William appeared several times as guest associate principal and principal viola with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. He holds an honours degree in conducting from the Elder Conservatorium and has conducted several orchestras in Tasmania including mini-TSO programmes. William currently hosts the TSO’s 6pm series and is a board member of the Tasmanian Chamber Music Festival.
Trybooking ACMF | 25Michael Fortescue – Double Bass
Michael’s early musical training was in Canberra, playing with Canberra Youth Orchestra, Canberra Symphony Orchestra, and Australian Youth Orchestra. After a year with Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, he moved to Tasmania to study with Jan Sedivka at UTAS.
He commenced work with TSO in 1976. He undertook studies in 1988-89 with Francois Rabbath at Conservatoire Lili et Nadia Boulanger Paris IX. He left TSO in 2013. He is former board member of TSO, deputy chair Music Fund of Australia Council, chair of Music Panel of TAAB, president of Hobart branch of Musicians Union and lecturer in double bass and improvised music at UTAS.
Currently chair of Kickstart Arts and freelance specialist in whiskers and kicks.
Trybooking ACMF | 25Sam Anning – Double Bass
Melbourne bassist-composer Sam Anning’s third septet album Earthen, is dedicated to the indomitable spirit of Indigenous Australian music icon, Uncle Archie Roach. Featuring an ensemble of long-time collaborators, Andrea Keller, Kyrie Anderson, Mat Jodrell, Carl Mackey, Julien Wilson, and Theo Carbo, the album draws on the deep well of Roach’s wisdom, connection to the moment, resilience of spirit, and the medicinal power of music.
Anning’s experience as bassist for three years with Roach before his passing in 2022 was a profound and musically enriching journey. Roach was an award-winning singer-songwriter, musician and respected elder, known for his songs that often told powerful, poignant stories about Indigenous Australian experiences, particularly the pain and trauma of the Stolen Generations. The experience offered Anning a unique opportunity to contribute to a powerful legacy of social activism and healing through music, providing a profound connection with his music and his audiences, reflecting on the themes of loss, resilience and hope.
“We were gathered around Archie’s bed in the ICU, Stephen Magnusson and I had taken our instruments and were playing softly as he greeted and farewelled family. After singing some of his songs with us, he opened his eyes and said: “This hospital gives me medicine, which is good, but THIS [the music] is the medicine I need.” He then gestured toward my bass “This is earthenware”, then at Stephen’s guitar “and this is earthenware. They are made from the earth, music comes from the earth and these instruments carry it, and it goes back to the earth”.
In these final words to us he had distilled the entire experience we had had playing with, and marveling at, this great story-teller and songman. He showed us the ultimate power of music: it is medicine that comes from the earth, passes through us, heals, connects, cleanses, allows us to briefly transcend our physical bodies, and goes back to the earth as do we. I am honoured and grateful for the time spent, lessons learned, and music made with the great Uncle Archie Roach.”
Trybooking ACMF | 25Susan Ferguson – Vocalist
Susan Ferguson is a singer, presenter and educator whose performing career has taken her across Australia, Singapore, China and the US in genres from jazz to pop, musical theatre to children’s theatre and opera.
Susan completed a Bachelor of Music in Classical Voice at the Elder Conservatorium in 1989, and a Graduate Diploma of Education in 1990. She began her professional career singing in the Chorus for the State Opera of South Australia in 1990 and has been a regular chorus member ever since.
Susan has been working for the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra since 2013 developing, presenting and singing in children’s shows The Bush Concert (including performances in Mandarin in Harbin, China), Around the World, Herman and Rosie, Milli Jack and the Dancing Cat, and Orchestra Fantastica.
From 2002-2013, Susan performed over 400 concerts across Australia and Singapore as the lead singer and principal presenter for the Musica Viva in Schools’ jazz ensemble Marmalade Jam. She also performed as lead vocalist with Marmalade Circus at the 2012 Elder Park ‘Carols By Candlelight’ and at the 2002 Sydney Festival ‘Jazz in the Domain’ concert.
Trybooking ACMF | 25Mark Ferguson – Piano
Composer/arranger/pianist Mark Simeon Ferguson was born into a musical family in Whyalla, South Australia and raised in Clare. In 1999 he was a finalist in the National Jazz Awards and that same year he completed his Master of Music at the University of Adelaide where he is currently Head of Jazz.
In recognition of his significant contributions to music education, jazz performance, and composition, Mark was awarded the 2022 APRA/AMCOS Luminary Award for South Australia.
Mark frequently collaborates with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra with his children’s shows The Bush Concert and Herman and Rosie performed almost annually, and his orchestration of Jamie Goldsmith and Jack Buckskin’s Pudnanthi Padninthi featured at all mainstage concerts. He orchestrated Electric Fields’ 2024 Adelaide Festival commission Litjatitjatilu and created new arrangements for the ASO’s collaboration with Cuban trumpet star Lazaro Numa in the same year. In 2025 the ASO commissioned him to create Around the World, a new children’s show about an adventurous Bar-tailed Godwit.
In 2024 The Australian String Quartet commissioned his String Quartet #1: The Precarious Existence of the Plucky Hooded Plovers and his jazz quartet performed alongside the ASQ in their inaugural Barossa Weekend of Music.
Mark has written two song-cycles and numerous arrangements for the SA Primary Schools Music Festival, and he is the composer for award-winning international touring science-infused theatre company That Science Gang.
In 2022, Mark released his seventh album, Where Emus Roam the Streets, which was commissioned by ABC Jazz. In 2025 he composed the UNESCO Cities of Music International Jazz Day relay song which was performed and recorded by more than 20 different jazz groups across the globe.
He has been musical director for numerous theatre and cabaret productions including Tina Arena’s Songs My Mother Taught Me, Camille O’Sullivan’s Helpmann Award-winning show Changeling and more than ten galas for the Adelaide Festival Centre. As a pianist he has worked with artists from Mark Murphy and Jazzmeia Horn to Rufus Wainwright, Meow Meow and Barb Jungr.
Eliza Shephard – Flute
Winner of the ABC Young Performers Award, Eliza Shephard is a vibrant performer based in Melbourne and is quickly paving her way as an educator, improviser, and collaborator.
Her project ‘March of the Women’ celebrates female composers and 2023 is the fourth rendition of this honouring. A fervent contemporary musician, Eliza has established a course on experimental flute techniques, ‘The Extended Flute’, and is a specialist on the Glissando Headjoint.
Her talents as a flute player and creative artist earned her the position of a finalist in the Classical Freedman Fellowship in 2021, and she has received many accolades for the boldness and imagination she brings to her projects.
Eliza is known as ‘fiery’ on stage, and captures the audience’s attention throughout her performances. With over twenty years experience on stage, Eliza is a confident and established performer in a wide range of styles. Her recitals are award-winning, and draw from Eliza’s many years in dance and theatre. She has performed in festivals, recital series and touring productions.
As an educator, Eliza has held positions in primary and high schools and is a Teaching Associate at Monash University. She is enthusiastic about engaging with students, with a particular focus on accessibility to students in rural and regional areas.
Eliza has a passion for contemporary techniques on the flute, and has established ‘The Extended Flute’, a course aimed at flutists of all ages for them to experience and experiment with extended techniques.
Trybooking ACMF | 25Natasha Fernside – Clarinet
Natasha is a versatile clarinetist deeply involved in Melbourne’s vibrant contemporary and classical music scenes. She has performed throughout the United States, United Kingdom, China, Singapore, India and Europe. She is a sought-after artist, frequently touring and collaborating with various chamber and orchestral ensembles, including Rubiks Collective, Victoria Opera, Short Black Opera Company, Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria (Australian Ballet and Opera Australia), Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Tasmania Symphony Orchestra and in the Melbourne theatre scene in 2024 productions of ‘Groundhog Day’, ‘Sunset Boulevard’ and ‘A Christmas Carol’.
Natasha holds her Bachelor of Music degree from the Queensland University of Technology, her Bachelor of Music (Degree with Honours) and her Master of Music (Music Performance) from the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. She has also studied internationally while living in New York City, USA and Darmstadt, Germany. Complementing her performance career, Natasha is deeply passionate about teaching, she serves as a dedicated tutor at Melbourne Youth Music, Victorian State Music Camp, and also adjudicates music performance competitions. Natasha imparts her knowledge and skills as a faculty member at the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School, Monash University, and through her private studio in Melbourne. Natasha is a D’Addario Australia Artist.
Trybooking ACMF | 25Scott Marshall – Oboe
Originally from Sydney, Scott began his musical studies at the age of fourteen. After graduation from the Conservatorium High School, he continued at the Sydney Conservatorium to complete his Bachelor of Music, graduating with merit in 1992. In the same year Scott was awarded a Big Brother Scholarship coupled with an Australian Music Foundation in London Scholarship to further his studies in the United Kingdom.
Upon return from the UK Scott travelled to Los Angeles to study with one of Americas finest Oboists, Allan Vogel. It was during this time he had the opportunity to perform in the National Repertory Orchestra, in summer residence at the Breckenridge Music Festival. Scott has performed with the Adelaide, Sydney and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras as well as touring with the Australian Chamber Orchestra and The Brandenburg Orchestra.
Scott was an examiner of woodwind for the Australian Music Examinations Board for 14 years before moving to Wodonga in 2019. He is currently a Junior School Teacher at Trinity Anglican College, Albury.
Trybooking ACMF | 25John Foster – Trumpet
John Foster (Trumpet) is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading artists on both modern and historical trumpets and is currently artistic director of both the renowned Australian Baroque Brass and Queensland Baroque Orchestra. John was a member of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra from 2001-2013, performing, touring and recording extensively with such conductors as Lorin Maazel, Vladimir Ashkinazy, Charles Dutóit, David Zinman, Sir Neville Mariner, Sir Charles Mackerras, to mention just a few.
John has appeared as a soloist worldwide performing with leading orchestras and ensembles, including: the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Philharmonia, Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Norwich Baroque (United Kingdom), Royal College of Music Orchestra (London U.K.), Christchurch Symphony Orchestra (NZ), Belgium’s leading baroque orchestra ‘Il Fundamento’ and was a soloist for the opening of Kammer Orkestra Basel’s (Switzerland) 2012 season.
John has been invited to present master classes throughout the world, including at the Julliard School of Music (USA) Sydney Conservatorium of Music, the Royal Northern College of Music (Manchester), the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts, Northwestern University (Chicago) Bern University of Applied Sciences (Switzerland) Conservatorio of Belo Horizante, University UFMG (Brazil), the Cleveland Institute of Music (USA), among countless others.
Mr Foster has also enjoyed performing with such ensembles as the Academy of St Martin in the Fields (UK), the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Concerto Grosso Heidelburg, Kammermusik Potsdam, Hannoverschen Hofkapelle, Berlin Baroque, St Thomas Boys’ Choir of Leipzig, (Germany), Le Concert Lorrain (France), Collegium Musicum Grossmunster (Switzerland), Barokorkest Concerto Vivo (Holland), Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, Symphonie Orchesta de Macau, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra and the Canberra Symphony Orchestra among others.
Trybooking ACMF | 25Shaula Salathe – Celtic Harp
Lady Shaula is an Australian-based singer-songwriter, often found behind her celtic harp, but just as often behind pianos, church organs, conductor baton or in her studio happily composing for film and more.
She loves chatting to audiences, explaining and educating, before transporting them on some magical musical journey. Classically trained, her golden voice and musical style is within the ‘classical crossover’ genre.
Not easily categorised.
Having played Carlotta in Cameron MacIntosh’s Phantom of the Opera, (Sydney season), she travels the world as a solo artist, and translator spending a few months in Europe each year.
Her music is available on iTunes and across the internet.
David Macfarlane – Organ
David Macfarlane is equally at home on both harpsichord and organ, being the only Australian to have studied both as first study instruments at the University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna (MDW), organ with Michael Radulescu and harpsichord with Gordon Murray and Augusta Campagna. David also studied conducting and choir training as part of the church music course and has held positions as Director of Music in churches with significant music programs. When based in Vienna, David officiated on the historically classified 1741 Dacci organ in the church of Salvator am Wienerfeld where he was the Director of Music. Then, and in numerous subsequent tours of Europe, David has performed in many countries, including Germany, Belgium, France, Austria, the United Kingdom, Jersey, Italy, Slovenia, Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic.
His multi-faceted musical knowledge and ability is reflected in the range of areas in which he is at home, reflected by performing commissioned Australian compositions, his interpretation of music from the German and French romantic genres, historically informed performances of music from the Renaissance and Baroque and many performances as a continuo player.
Trybooking ACMF | 25Madeline Jevons – Violin
Melbourne/Naarm based violinist Madeleine Jevons enjoys a vibrant freelance career. Melding her passions for music-making, curation and community, she inhabits a varied space in the Australian music scene. Madeleine holds a Bachelor of Music Performance at the former VCA (2010) and graduated from the Honours course in Music Performance (2011). She is a 2014 graduate of the Australian National Academy of Music, and has toured throughout Europe, to the United States and across Australia.
Madeleine is passionate about chamber music and is a current and founding member of the Penny Quartet. She was part of the winning string quartet (2010) and a finalist (2011) in the University of Melbourne Alumni Chamber Competition and received the Corinna D’Hage Mayer string scholarship (2011). In 2013 Madeleine was the recipient of the St. Silas Outstanding Achievement Award at ANAM, culminating in a curatorship which focussed on merging improvised and experimental performance with classical works. Madeleine was nominated for the prestigious Freedman Fellowship award in 2019.
As a lover of all musical genres, Madeleine appears regularly on contemporary recordings and live performances. Paul Kelly’s ARIA award winning “Conversations With Ghosts” and subsequent tour, multiple collaborations with Penny Quartet, recording the work of jazz pianist Tim Stevens and touring with artists such as Kate Miller-Heidke and Thndo.
Madeleine has performed extensively in orchestras including Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria, Australian World Orchestra and has been a contract member of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. In 2015 Madeleine held an Emerging Artist position with the Australian Chamber Orchestra and is a member of the ACO Collective. She has featured as a soloist with ACO Collective and the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra. In 2025-6, Madeleine is undertaking the Musica Viva FutureMaker fellowship.
Trybooking ACMF | 25Molly Kadarauch – Cello
Molly Kadarauch is one of Australia’s pre-eminent and versatile cellists who has concertized at leading venues all over the world as well as within Australia as a former member of the Australian Chamber Orchestra, and as a chamber musician, soloist, and symphony orchestral player.
In 2010 she founded Sutherland Trio together with Elizabeth Sellars (violin) and Caroline Almonte (piano) who have performed frequently at the Melbourne Recital Centre, Australian Digital Concert Hall, Port fairy Spring Music Festival and other regional touring venues with Musica Viva as well as recording for ABC Classic FM. In April 2025 they are honoured to be performing at Government House as part of the Governor’s Performance Series.
As a young student Molly was a recipient of multiple awards and prizes, her playing hailed as “brilliant and passionate with mature artistry, style depth and beauty”. (Times tribune and Independent cost Observer, CA)
She completed her undergraduate tertiary studies at the New England Conservatory of Music (Boston) with Laurence Lesser (former student of Piatigorsky) followed by a 2-year Fulbright Scholarship to Berlin where she continued under the guidance of Wolfgang Boettcher (former principal cellist of the Berlin Phil).
While based in Berlin for 5 years she enjoyed a successful and varied free-lancing career often performing in the Berliner Philharmonie with various ensembles and with her prize-winning string quartet from the Hochschule.
Between 1996 – 2004 Molly joined the Australian Chamber Orchestra as an associate principal cellist and core member until she relocated to Melbourne to continue concertizing and teaching where she made her Melbourne recital debut with Benjamin Martin at The Edge, Federation Square.
Molly’s multi-faceted career has included performing as guest principal with many of the major Australian and New Zealand Symphony Orchestras including the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Auckland Philharmonic. Chamber music festival appearances include Huntington, Port Fairy, Peninsula, Music by the Springs (Hepburn Springs), Adelaide and the Melbourne International Cello Festival.
As a soloist she has concertized in France, England, USA and Germany and has performed concertos with the Palo Alto Chamber orchestra, Freemont Symphony Orchestra (CA), Australian Chamber Orchestra, Heidelberg Symphony orchestra, Melbourne Musicians, and Orchestra 21.
She performs on an instrument by Pietro Antonio Testore.
Molly is also a passionate educator and has over the past 20 years enjoyed working with students from various ages and abilities as well as at the Melbourne Conservatorium, Queensland Conservatorium (Griffith University), Australian National Academy of Music, the ACO Academy, the Australian Youth Orchestra, Melbourne Youth Orchestra and with Sutherland Trio as a mentor group for young “Strike a Chord” competition prize-winners.
Trybooking ACMF | 25Edward Higgs – Percussion
Having grown up in Bendigo, Edward Higgs studied percussion at the Victorian College of the Arts under Peter Neville, graduating with Honours. Throughout these formative years, Edward began to delve deeper into his great passion and affinity with timpani and the orchestra. In the following years, Edward spent considerable time honing his craft with Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra Principal Timpanist Matthew Goddard; and was rewarded with the position of Principal Timpanist of the Australian Youth Orchestra for their 2008/09 seasons. In 2009/10, Edward worked and studied in Sydney with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and the Sinfonia, under the guidance of SSO Principal Timpanist Rick Miller.
Throughout the European winters of 2010 and 2011, Edward travelled to Germany to study with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. During these tours, intensive lessons were undertaken from Berlin Philharmonic Principal Timpanists Rainer Seegers and Wieland Welzel, among other prominent teachers in Germany. Throughout his career, Edward has worked as a Guest Principal Timpanist and Percussionist with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria, as well as performing as a soloist with the Australian National Academy of Music and the Monash University Academy of Music Orchestra.
Trybooking ACMF | 25Michael Evans-Barker – Percussion
Michael Evans-Barker is a musician with over 30 years experience performing and teaching on the full range of percussion instruments.
Apart from his classical work with the Art of Sound Orchestra, Michael performs regularly in the Melbourne jazz scene.
His recording with the Nadav Rayman Trio was nominated for the 2021 Australian Music Prize. Michael has composed music for the Australian Shakespeare Theatre Company, and recorded and toured with Australian music icon Steve Kilbey and All India Radio.
Trybooking ACMF | 25Peter Macleod-Miller – Parish Priest, Prince of Albury, Festival President, Local Legend
Peter Macleod-Miller is the rector of St. Matthews Anglican Church in Albury. Once a bastion of conservatism, Peter has now built a church community that welcomes everyone – especially for lunch after the Sunday service.
A local activist, Peter wears many (stylish) hats, working to advocate for community members in need of food, shelter and support with mental health.
His passion for the arts, and in particular, music, is evidenced in his tireless advocacy for music making in our local area, culminating in the inception of our wonderful Albury Chamber Music Festival, alongside many other musical and arts endeavours variously held within the beautiful settings of St Matthew’s and his historically significant private residence, Adamshurst, as well as with-in the region generally.
More about Peter can be discovered on the ABC Compass feature – One of a Kind
Trybooking ACMF | 25Moodemere Quartet
The Moodemere Quartet is made up of local musicians
Damien Jones (violin),
Tara Chambers (violin),
Jessie Swan (viola) and
Catriona Byles (cello).
Named after the stunning Lake Moodemere in Rutherglen, their goal is to bring the beauty of chamber music to Albury/Wodonga and its surrounds.
Trybooking ACMF | 25Lux Alba – Chamber Choir
Lux Alba Founded by its director Rebekah Beall, the choir debuted in December 2017. Typically, the repertoire performed by the choir is sacred a cappella music.
The name ‘Lux Alba’ when translated means ‘white light’ and was inspired by a quote from Arvo Part, ‘I could compare my music to white light which contains all colours.
Only a prism can divide the colours and make them appear; this prism could be the spirit of the listener’. We were drawn together because of our love for music and feel blessed for every opportunity we can share this passion with you, our prism.
St Matthew’s Choir –
St Matthew’s Choir sings Service settings in the Anglican liturgical tradition, including Anglican double-chant psalms, a wide selection of motets, anthems, mass settings and congregational hymns, providing a sung Eucharist each Sunday.
The choir also deliver a monthly Choral Evensong using words from the Book of Common Prayer, which has been used since the 16th Century, and featuring beautiful Magnficat and Nunc Dimitus settings by composers such as Gibbons, Stanford, Walmisley amongst many others.
The St Matthew’s Parish Choir is led by musical director Rebekah Beall, and is currently primarily accompanied by organist and former director Malcolm Halford.
Rebekah Beall – Soprano / Musical Director
Locally based in the Albury/Wodonga area, Rebekah has sung with and been a featured soloist with many other local choirs including St Matthew’s Church Albury, Swell Vox, Vocal Dimensions, Women in Harmony, Vocal Consort and events such as RSCM’s ‘Sing Away A Day’.
In 2017 Rebekah founded and continues to direct the Lux Alba Chamber Choir and in 2018 was awarded a vocal scholarship at the Murray Conservatorium where she studied under the late David Carolane (OAM) and international choral director and rising star Jeff Mosher.
Following her passion for sacred music and choral directing, the beginning of 2025 saw Rebekah appointed as Choir Director of St Matthew’s Church Albury choir, where she hopes and has begun work to implement a scholarship programme for junior choristers, to provide opportunities for children to learn musicianship, vocal and choral skills.
The Scots School Albury – Cantabile
Cantabile is an auditioned choir for Year 5-9 unbroken voices. Students rehearse weekly to refine their intonation, blending and part work.
Cantabile choir is a special part of the co-curricular program at Scots, bringing together students from both Junior and Senior School.
Cantabile performs at key calendar events, including the Music Festival, Albury Wodonga Eisteddfod, Year 12 Final Chapel and Speech Day.
Ensemble Director: Caoimhe McMillan
Ensemble Accompanist: David Coughlan
Trybooking ACMF | 25Trinity Anglican College Choirs
Trinity Anglican College has a special relationship with St Matthew’s Albury.
TAC believe in the power of the Performing Arts to inspire, engage, and empower students. Whether they are seasoned performers or engaging onstage for the first time, all students are welcomed and encouraged to participate.
TAC believe that every student deserves the opportunity to discover their artistic potential and cultivate a love for the Performing Arts.
Trybooking ACMF | 25ACMF ’25 – featuring Australian Composers:
- Ross Edwards
- Ciara Ferguson
- Mark Ferguson
- John Foster
- Stuart Greenbaum
- Brett Jones
- Frederick Septimus Kelly
- Peter Leech
- Jodie O’Regan
- Shaula Salathé
Andrew Perkins
Dr Andrew Perkins was born in Warkworth, New Zealand and is a highly respected composer and educationalist. In 1985, his Requiem for Peace was performed by mezzo soprano Anthea Moller, Auckland University Singers, and members of the Auckland Philharmonia conducted by Juan Matteucci. During 1992 he was appointed Auckland Philharmonia’s third Composer In Residence, composing Symphony Der Bote for mezzo soprano and orchestra, and Ways of Light and Life (poetry by Martin Andrew) for baritone and chamber group. In 2013, Andrew completed his PhD (Music Composition) at Melbourne University where he was employed as a sessional tutor and lecturer during his candidature and afterwards until the end of 2016. Andrew now resides in Dunedin where he continues to compose and work as a Teaching Fellow at the Music Department, University of Otago.
Andrew has had a number of works recorded and performed internationally including Waltz-Fantasia for orchestra (Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, 2010; New Zealand Symphony Orchestra 2012). In 2012, the Bach Musica choir and orchestra, with solo soprano Gina Sanders conducted by Rita Paczian, performed and recorded Andrew’s dramatic Christchurch Vespers: Vespers for the Feast of Pentecost which received a standing ovation from a capacity audience. In 2014, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra conducted by Hamish McKeich performed and recorded in English and in French Andrew’s setting of The Radish and the Shoe for narrator and orchestra (text by Louise Jalbert). Andrew’s Concerto Grosso for flute, harpsichord, and strings was premiered and recorded in 2016 by Adrianna Lis, Rosemary Barnes, and the Auckland Chamber Orchestra conducted by Peter Scholes. Andrew’s Three Spanish Songs for mezzo and orchestra was exquisitely performed and recorded during 2018 by Sally-Anne Russell with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra conducted by Marc Taddei. Nga Manu O Te Ngahere for flute, clarinet, and cello (2022) was commissioned by NZ Forest and Bird, and has been recorded and performed several times during 2022-24.
Peter Leech
A graduate of the Elder Conservatorium and the Victorian College of the Arts, Peter Leech studied composition with Richard Meale, Colin Brumby, Peter Brideoake and Graeme Koehne. An internationally recognised orchestral and choral conductor (winning First Prize at the 2003 Mariele Ventre International Competition in Bologna, Italy), Peter has directed leading orchestral and choral ensembles in Australasia, the UK and European Union to wide critical acclaim. During his undergraduate composition studies Peter won several prizes, and in the 1990s was a founding member of Twelfth Mode and Libra contemporary ensembles in Adelaide and Melbourne. In Australia Peter’s choral works have been premiered by the choir of St Peter’s Cathedral, Adelaide, Pro Canto Singers and Adelaide University Choral Society. In 1996 Peter moved to the UK to undertake a PhD in musicology, where he developed his compositional craft in conjunction with his professional conducting activity. Over the last 25 years Peter’s choral works have been performed and/or recorded by the Cathedral Singers of Christ Church, Oxford, the choir of St George’s Hanover Square, the choir of the Oxford Oratory, Cardiff University Chamber Choir, Bristol Bach Choir, the City of Oxford Choir, Harmonia Sacra, Collegium Singers (Somerset), Panta Rhei Vocaal (The Netherlands), Polyphonic Voices (Melbourne) and Cappella Fede, the last of whom performed his settings of Gaudeamus omnes and Duc, alma lux for prestigious concerts in Rome in 2018 and 2019. More recently, the choir of Salford Cathedral premiered Peter’s Magnificat faux bourdon, and the BBC Singers recorded his six-part setting of Adam lay ybounden for broadcast on BBC Radio 3. A small selection of Peter’s choral works have been recorded by Harmonia Sacra on the Nimbus Alliance CD Lux memoriaque, with his setting of In Flanders Fields being hailed by reviewer Laura Wiebe (Choral Journal, USA) as ‘one of the stunning moments on this recording’. Peter’s current composing projects include a cycle of Christmas carols set to fifteenth-century texts in homage to Benjamin Britten’s Ceremony of Carols, and settings of psalms in German inspired by the music of Hugo Distler. www.peterleech.com
Ciara Louise Ferguson is a pianist, composer, singer and teacher living on Kaurna land in Adelaide, South Australia. She works in varying genres including jazz, classical, music theatre, cabaret and pop, and has been a backing vocalist, pianist, and/or vibraphonist for artists including Tina Arena, Lior, Eddie Perfect, Paul Grabowsky, and Wendy Matthews. Ciara is a 2025 ABC Jazz Artist in Residence, and featured in the Adelaide Festival Centre’s 2025 UNESCO International Jazz Day performance. In 2024, she performed as a vocalist and vibraphonist with the Australian String Quartet at their Barossa Weekend of Music; presented sets of her original music at the Adelaide Jazz Festival and PianoLab; and was a backing vocalist for AURUS at WOMAdelaide. Ciara works regularly for the Adelaide Cabaret Festival: she has been musical director for ‘Class of Cabaret’ since 2023; played keyboard for the Opening Gala in 2024; and sang backing vocals/played piano for the 2022 show ‘Songs My Mother Taught Me’ featuring Tina Arena. She recently recorded albums with her own quartet (‘River Walks’, which has been featured on ABC Jazz’s ‘The Dinner Set’ with Monica Trapaga, who described it as “beautiful… a stunning album”), Soylent Green (with whom she performed at Wangaratta Festival of Jazz and Blues in 2022), and the ABC Jazz Commission ‘Where Emus Roam the Streets’. Ciara was the 2024 Creative Original Music Adelaide (COMA) Emerging Jazz Writer’s Award recipient. She graduated with First Class Honours in Jazz Performance (Piano) from the University of Adelaide in 2021, where she also won the 2019 Helpmann Academy award for Top Piano Undergraduate. She works as a choir director, piano teacher and accompanist in schools including St. Peter’s College, and Adelaide High School; teaches jazz improvisation classes at Marryatville High School; and accompanies the Elder Conservatorium’s Adelaide Connection jazz choir.
Brett Anthony Jones is a Melbourne-based composer, who started studying piano at the age of 7, later studying viola. Brett’s works have been performed many times in Melbourne, and as far afield as Albury and New York.
A man of eclectic tastes, Brett’s repertoire has encompassed everything from Franz Schubert to Frank Zappa. His compositional style focusses on translating linguistic concepts into music. In particular, he is interested in the structure and rhythms of the spoken word, and how elements of language are organized.
Brett’s interest in musical form has led him to develop “indeterminate forms” where performers can choose how segments of of music can be assembled and ordered.
Jodie O’Regan is an Australian composer and librettist who creates music for singers; from pedagogical material to pieces for soloists to full length concert works. Inspired by the melodies and stories of Celtic folksongs, her music has been described as lyrical, expressive and “beautifully supporting the texts”.
Jodie’s instincts have been honed over a lifetime working with singers. After initially training and performing as a contralto, Jodie was drawn to singing, directing and composing for classical and folk vocal ensembles. Collaborating with her husband, baritone Emlyn O’Regan, Jodie has arranged a number of Celtic and roots folk songs for two voices, and has toured extensively with him to folk festivals.
She has worked with community singers through choirs, singing workshops and residencies. After studying the Kodaly approach to teaching musical literacy to children, she adapted the techniques to work with adults. Her work was recognised with a grant from the Australian Kodaly Scholarship to publish material for teaching Kodaly to adults. She has published a broad collection of compositions and arrangements for community choirs, and pedagogical pieces. She works as a teaching-artist with Lullaby Project Australia and was awarded Artist Of The Year in 2023.
Her larger sacred pieces include Forsaken, a dramatic setting of Psalm 22 for choir, organ, handbells and soloists, and Letters To A Queen, a chamber oratorio following the journey of one of the Wise Kings to Bethlehem. Her dramatic works include a score for Nashville Shakespeare Festival’s production of Pericles for full cast and band, Fire Songs, a chamber work celebrating Irish Goddess Brigid for 2 sopranos, harp, flute, cello, handbells and percussion, an operetta for soloists and piano of Polly who famously put the kettle on, and a setting of Beatrix Potter’s The Tailor Of Gloucester for soloists, string quartet and narrator. Jodie has worked with numerous singers to develop art songs including mezzo-soprano Sally-Anne Russell, soprano Desiree Frahn, soprano Karina Bailey, soprano Amber Evans, soprano Bethany Hill and tenor Matthew Lykos.
As well as libretto Jodie writes poetry and is working on her first play.
Jodie has a BA in Anthropology, graduate qualifications in Professional Communication and a Masters in Music. She has studied composition with Alan Belkin, Olla Palmqvist, Tony Lillywhite and Carl Crossin. She currently studies acting with Tony Knight and has undertaken training in playwriting.
Trybooking ACMF | 25Kosta Constantinou – Portraits & Events Photographer
Our beloved ‘House’ Photgrapher Kosta returns for ACMF | 24.
Kosta’s Melbourne based photography service Living Imagery is a photography service specialising in portraits, headshots, commercial bookings and events.
His exquisite photographs have captured the joy and beauty that is Albury Chamber Music Festival for the past two years, with stunning portraits and beautifully framed candid shots.
Kosta’s raison d’être is to capture true and living moments, in order to deliver photos full of the essence of his subjects, whether it is one on one portraiture or capturing the spirit of big events and celebrations.
Kosta’s images can be enjoyed in our 2022, 2023 and 2024 Galleries, and we can’t wait to see his beautiful shots of Festival ’25.