Musicians to You

Engaging our young musicians to play at your venue.

Although Music Matinee has been organising concerts at The Scots’ Church for more than five years, our musicians have only recently started performing at venues like yours.

However, they have been a great success, enjoyed by both the audience (who also liked talking to the musician) and performer.

Our musicians have performed at:

·         Uniting Agewell Manningtree Hawthorn (who have just purchased a piano) – three visits

·         St Josephs Mews Hawthorn.

·         Rylands of Hawthorn

Below are details of the classical musicians able to play at your venue. This list is currently valid but will change over time. Please refer to our website www.musicmatinee.org for the most up to date list on the page ‘Musicians for You”.

When you have selected who you would like to play for you please inform us by email – musicmatinee.org@gmail.com – and we will put you in contact with the musician.

You will then make the necessary arrangements directly with the musician, including the payment (as an indication, most of our musicians charge about $250 an hour) in cash at the performance.

OUR MUSICIANS

A.   Piano

Ben Fu

Now 18-years old Ben Fu began studying piano at the age of 7. He studies with Professor Glenn Riddle at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. He is a keen chamber music player, and recitalist, and he frequently records for 3MBS radio. In 2023, he has given lunchtime concert at St. Peter’s Cathedral, St. Paul’s Cathedral and Diamond Creek Uniting Church.

Caleb Salizzo

One of Caleb Salizzo earliest memories involves spending countless hours with his grandmother, listening to opera, and dedicating even more time at the piano in an attempt to play the melodies he heard. Finally fed up with the cacophony of dissonance, his mother would urge him to take lessons, and ever since then his love and passion for music has only grown.

Shortly after beginning lessons, he made his debut as a soloist perform In Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto and would then go on to study at the University of Queensland with Anna Grinberg, and later at the Australian National Academy of Music under Australian virtuoso, Timothy Young. Caleb has performed extensively in both solo and chamber settings, with recent highlights including a regional tour with the acclaimed Topology Ensemble, collaborations with the Australian String Quartet, and vocalist Sara Macliver, performances at the Bangalow Music Festival, QPAC, and Hamer Hall as well as receiving the chamber music prize, and best performance of a work by Mozart during his time at ANAM.

Anna Goa

Anna Goa is currently studying a Master of Music degree in Piano Performance at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music under renowned pedagogue Glenn Riddle and after completing her Masters aspires to travel abroad to Europe in order to further her studies.

Anna has had success in numerous national competitions including winning the prestigious 2022 MBS National Fine Music Young Virtuoso Award, as well as the Margaret Schofield Chopin Prize in both 2019 and 2022. 

She was also a recipient of the Theme and Variations Scholarship in 2023. Other awards include winning the 3MBS Young Performer of the Year, Runner-up in the 3MBS ‘The Talent’, finalist in the MRC Great Romantics Competition, and 3rd Prize in the MYO Virtuosity Concerto Competition. Anna has performed concertos by Grieg and Beethoven with the Preston Symphony Orchestra, the Zelman Symphony Orchestra, the Melbourne Youth Orchestra and the Camerata Orchestra. She is an experienced recitalist and has been invited to present recitals for 3MBS, St Paul’s Lunchtime Concert Series and for the Austral Salon.

Angela Yin

Angela Yin is an accomplished pianist and plays the oboe and cello too. Angela’s concerts could be a combination of all three instruments.

Her availability is restricted due to other commitments. She is available on weekends, preferably on Sunday and during the educational institutions holidays.

Angela is a 16-year-old pianist, oboist and cellist from Melbourne, Australia. Under the tutelage of Glenn Riddle, she has won numerous awards in national and international piano competitions.

These include First Prize in the Brisbane International Music Festival, First Prize in the New Zealand Young Talent Music Competition, First Prize in the Australian National Bach Competition and more. In 2022, she was selected to represent Australia in the 10th Mozart International Piano Competition and was awarded third place.

She has also been awarded numerous first prizes in local eisteddfods such as Sydney Eisteddfod, Monash Youth Music Festival, Ringwood Eisteddfod and Boroondara Eisteddfod.

She is a recipient of the Elizabeth Stainkamph Award presented by the Australian Music Examinations’ Board. This musician has also been awarded the Des Stevenson Award for Piano, Frank Biesterfeldt Award for Winds and Eda Schurmann Award for Piano all presented by the Musical Society of Victoria.

In 2022, Angela was awarded her Licentiate Diploma of Music (Australian Music Examinations’ Board) with High Distinction on Piano. In the same year, she completed her Associate Diploma of Music on Oboe with High Distinction. Additionally, she has been broadcasted live on the Australian radio station 3MBS Fine Music Melbourne on multiple occasions. Recently, she has won first prize in the Play Bach Competition based in Germany. 

When playing Oboe or Cello there would need to be arrangements to cover the fees for the piano accompaniment. This could be selected from the pianist on this list. 

Chai Jie Low

Chai Jie Low is a Melbourne-based pianist and chamber musician hailing from Brisbane. Chai Jie made her concerto debut with the Queensland Pops Orchestra at the age of 16 and has performed throughout Australia, Europe, USA and the UK. She completed her undergraduate and postgraduate studies with First Class Honours at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, and was awarded a scholarship to undertake postgraduate study at the Guildhall School of Music in London in 2022-23. She is currently a PhD Candidate in Music, with a passion for performing and researching Romantic piano repertoire of the nineteenth century.

B.   Viola

Jamie Miles

Jamie Miles is an Eighteen-year-old violist and currently a second-year student at both the Australian National Academy of Music and the University of Melbourne (BMus), studying with Caroline Henbest. Jamie is sessional/casual member of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and was a featured performer in the 2024 Bendigo Chamber Music Festival. In 2023 he was the principal violist of the flagship Australian Youth Orchestra, the winner of the national Melbourne Recital Centre Bach Competition and was a contestant in the German Broadcasting Association (ARD) International Viola Competition in Munich. In 2022, he claimed second prize in the 3MBS Victorian Young Performer of the Year Awards.

Jamie graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School in 2022, achieving a perfect score (50/50) for VCE Music Investigation, and was awarded a Margaret Schofield Memorial Scholarship for tertiary music studies. Jamie received his AMEB Licentiate Diploma (L.Mus.A.) with Distinction and the Australian String Teachers Association (AUSTA) Viola Award for the best viola exam nationwide in 2020.

As a keen composer, he has won several local competitions, including the Australian Guild of Music’s ‘UNLOCK’D’ contest, winning the Solo Instrument category with his Caprice for Solo Viola. Several of his compositions and arrangements are published by Sheet Music Marketplace and are available online.

He plays a 2003 John D. Johnston viola, generously on loan from Jannie Brown.

Jamie is accompanied on piano (and guitar as appropriate) by his father Bill, who also brings a keyboard to venues without a piano.

In 2019, Dr Bill Miles retired from tertiary teaching, having taught at Melbourne, Monash, RMIT and the Australian Catholic University. He has been chairperson of the examination setting panels and a chief assessor of the VCE Music Performance and Music History and Styles study designs and the External Advisor – Music for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma.

Bill is a committee member of Kids’ Conference International and the Monash Youth Music Festival, conductor and musical director of the Vocally Wild choir based in the City of Bayside, coordinates Community Arts Voice for 3MBS-Melbourne and presents Sunday Night Late from 10 until midnight every week on 3MBS.

Lucas Levin

Lucas Levin has given solo, chamber and orchestral performances across four continents.
Starting on the Suzuki program with a cardboard violin, prize-winning violist Lucas has a wealth of performance experience, co-directing Qualia Ensemble in various chamber music recitals, regularly playing with Inventi Ensemble and Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and also teaches a private studio of violin and viola students.

He studied a Masters of Music at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he studied with Paul Silverthorne, Hélène Clément and Jon Thorne. There he graduated with a first-class degree, as well as a Dip RAM for an outstanding final recital.

Lucas plays on a 1992 American viola made by Tetsuo Matsuda in Chicago.

C. Cello

 Oliver Russell

Oliver is a freelance cellist based in Melbourne, recently returned from a contract tutti cello position with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra. He is an extremely passionate solo, chamber and orchestral musician, having performed at festivals across Australia and the USA including with ensembles such as the Queensland, Melbourne and West Australian Symphony Orchestras and the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra.

In 2022 Oliver graduated from the Australian National Academy of Music where he studied with Howard Penny. Prior to studying at ANAM he completed his Bachelor of Music in Performance at the Queensland Conservatorium, studying with Meta Weiss and David Lale. While studying at ANAM, Oliver received first prize in the ANAM Chamber Music Competition in 2021 and 2022 for performances of Brahms’ Clarinet Trio in A minor and Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time. In 2022 he also received the ANAM Brett Dean prize for best performance of an Australian work. Oliver is very grateful to have had the privilege of performing in masterclasses with internationally renowned musicians such as Daniel Müller-Schott, Johannes Moser, Guy Johnston and Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt. 

All programming is open to discussion. Example – Classical Cannon repertoire presented with contemporary Australian music such as Bach Suites for Solo Cello with works by Australian composers Paul Dean, Sarah Hopkins, Liza Lim and Peter Sculthorpe

D. Harp

Isabel Amoranto & Grace Hordern

Isabel Amoranto

Isabel Amoranto is passionate about bringing the distinct sound of the harp to transform musical experiences. Inspired by music's consoling and unifying ability, she seeks to bring sensitivity and intention to her solo, chamber, and orchestral performances. She is fascinated by her instrument's versatility and its often-overlooked repertoire. Isabel is completing her studies at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music and hopes to continue sharing her musical discoveries with new and eager audiences.

Grace Horden

Grace Hordern is a classically trained harpist and recent performance graduate from the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. She was drawn to the harp from hearing its beautiful Tchaikovsky ballet cadenzas in her ballet classes and, after a couple years of asking for lessons, she began at age nine. Grace has trained under the MSO principal harpist, Yinuo Mu, and performed in solo, chamber and orchestral settings. Her musical highlights have included playing ‘Andante’ from Mozart’s Flute and Harp Concerto, touring Mahler 1 in Singapore and Malaysia as well as sharing her harp skills through teaching harpists of all ages. 

E.  Flute

Kelsy De Prada

Kelsy De Prada is a fine flutist based in the south-east of Victoria who regularly performs as a soloist and chamber musician. A performer of all styles, she also performs on two members of the other flute family called the piccolo and alto flute. This year Kelsy is looking forward to performing a variety of concerts including a flute and piano recital with the Music Matinee concert series, a flute trio season at the Hutt Art Gallery in Ferntree Gully and regular appearances with the Riddell Ensemble in Healesville.

F.  Oboe

Brienne Gawler

Melbourne-based oboist, Brienne Gawler arts manager and educator. Her artistic practice has a focus on curating innovative musical experiences rooted in creativity and collaboration. She graduated with her Master of Music (Research) degree with First Class Honours from The University of Melbourne in 2022. Brienne is the recipient of numerous accolade including the John Gaitskell Memorial Mensa Prize and she has attained her Licentiate Diploma on oboe and her Associate Diploma on oboe and piano from the Australian Music Examinations Board. She has been broadcast on ABC Classic and has appeared in concert with Inventi Ensemble and Crosswinds Ensemble. Also she was awarded first prize in the Gilbert Glausiuss Competition at The 11th International Akaroand.

G.   Bassoon

Chris Haycroft

Chris Haycroft is a bassoonist originally from the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. After completing a Bachelor of Music at the Queensland Conservatorium in Brisbane, Chris relocated to Melbourne to attend the Australian National Academy of Music. In 2017 Chris relocated again to complete the Fellowship program with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, before returning to Melbourne to complete a Masters of Music at the University of Melbourne. Chris now officially calls Melbourne home and freelances with ensembles such as the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Orchestra. He has a passion for orchestral music and chamber music, with a particular sweet spot for French music of the mid 20th century.

H.   Ensembles

Duo 1. Illuminatio comprises (oboe) Brienne Gawler (piano) Chai Jie Low and special guest Chris Haycroft (bassoon). Their bios. are above

Illumiatio curate a bespoke musical experience that illuminate composers and their music through exhilarating performances. Making the unfamiliar familiar, they shine a light on contemporary Australian music as well as celebrated works from the classical Western canon. Their performances illuminate their shared passion for creativity and collaborative music making.

Duo 2. Qualia Ensemble comprises Yi-Shingi (Piano) & Lucas Levin (Viola).

Qualia was formed at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

From their new home of Melbourne they bring their extensive chamber music experience to the less frequently heard  beauty of the viola-piano duo repertoire.

 Their credits are extensive, with prizes for solo playing, trios, quartets and leider, performances in China, USA, Norway, live radio broadcasts and masterclasses with pre-eminent performers and educators such as Alfred Brendel, Imogen Cooper, Frank Huang, Gyorgy Pauk, Maxim Rysanov, Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider, Maxim Vengerov and many others.

Lucas plays a 1992 American viola made by Tetsuo Matsuda in Chicago and his teachers include Paul Silverthorne, Helene Clement, Jon Thorne, Simon Oswell and Julian Quirit.

Yi-Shing is a former chamber music fellow and resident artist at the Royal Academy of Music and Birmingham Conservatoire. She studied under the tutelage of Michael Dussek and also enjoys and has given many recitals accompanying vocalists

Duo 3. of Caleb Salizzo (Piano) and Oliver Russell (Cello). Their bios. are above.

Duo 4. Kelsy De Prada (Flute) and Rosa Hwang (Piano). De Prada’s is above.

Duo 5. Jamie Miles (Viola) and Bill Miles (piano) – see bios above.

Duo 6. Isabel Amoranto (Harp) and Grace Hordern (Harp) – see bios above.

These two musicians (number4) have been performing as a flute and piano duo for nearly a decade. Their performances present diverse range of music with engaging stories and commentary, and concerts have been positively received all over Victoria. They are looking forward to their first Music Matinee recital at Scots Church this year and are excited to continue sharing beautiful music with the community. Both musicians are graduates from the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music Monash, in fact this is where they met and established a duo together.

Singers

Breanna Stuart (soprano), Olive Cullen (mezzo-soprano) and a pianist.

Olive Cullen is a Melbourne based performer, originally from the coastal town of Wollongong, where she trained with Karen Cummings, and undertook short courses at NIDA and with the NSW Arts Unit. She has performed in operas, concerts, plays, musicals, pantomimes, films, cabarets, variety shows and private functions. From 2020-24, she studied a Bachelors of Music Performance, learning from Suzanne Johnston, and she also completed a diploma of Languages majoring in German. She has been a Scholar with Opera Scholars Australia since 2022, is a Rising Artist with the Australian Contemporary Opera Company (ACOCo) and is a regular performer with ‘Opera in the Country. Olive is passionate about promoting the value of singing and music in communities, as a result winning the Union House Theatre’s 2021 Community Engagement Award for her work on the UMMTA Chorus. Some credits include ensemble in Mahagonny Songspiel and 7 Little Australians with Opera Carnivale, featured artist in the Crystal Clear Productions Cabaret, and featured performer in the Club Voltaire Vaudevillian nights. Her recent credits include Moth in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Britten), and Chorus/Third Spirit Cover in the Magic Flute (Mozart) with the University of Melbourne Masters of Opera. 

Originally from Tasmania, Breanna Stuart is a Lyric Soprano based in Melbourne Australia. In 2022, Breanna made her professional debut in the role of Ianthe in Lyric Opera of Melbourne’s production of IPHIS (Green Room Award winning production). Her other recent theatre credits include Hairy Girl in The Grumpiest Boy in the World, First Fairy in The Selfish Giant (both Victorian Opera), First Lady in Die Zauberflöte, and Hippolyta/Cobweb in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (both Melbourne Conservatorium of Music). She has also studied the role of Donna Elvira in Mozart’s Don Giovanni. 

Breanna is a 2023/2024 Australian Contemporary Opera Company (ACOCo) Rising Artist, and has appeared in several of their performances, including in their project ENDURE (adapted from Menotti’s The Consul) where she performed the role of Foreign Woman. She is also a member of Opera Scholars Australia (since 2023), and recently performed as a finalist in their 2023 Aria Competition. 

In 2023 Breanna graduated from a Masters of Opera Performance at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. Her other qualifications include a Bachelor of Music from the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music (2021), an AMusA in Classical Voice (2018), and a Diploma of Music from the University of Tasmania (2018).

Trio 2.

Isabel Amoranto (harp) and Grace Hordern (harp) – see bios above, and pianist.

Quartet 1.

Yi-Shing Cheng (piano) and Luca Levin (viola) plus two  musicians to be announced later.        

Music Matinee Inc.

24 April, 2024