Category: 2017 Chamber – Southern Highlands, NSW

Kees Boersma

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Australian Hometown: Sydney
Education: Victorian College of the Arts, Sweelinck Conservatorium, Amsterdam

PROFESSIONAL BIOGRAPHY
Kees Boersma has held the position of Principal Double Bass with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra since 1990.  He has performed with Australian World Orchestra since its formation in 2011.

In recognition of his solo talents, the SSO has commissioned new works from leading Australian composers featuring Kees as soloist. His 2013 performance of Mary Finsterer’s “Lake Ice Concerto for Double Bass and Orchestra was a finalist in the prestigious APRA Awards for ‘Best Performance of a New Australian Work’. He has been similarly recognized with the commission and performances of the Concerto for Double bass and Orchestra ‘Young Tree Green’ by Colin Bright.

In 2012, Kees was invited to be the founding Artistic Director of the SSO ‘Vanguard’ – curating a concert series in innovative and contemporary venues, seeking to encourage young philanthropists to engage and invest in their orchestra. He is currently the President of the SSO Musician’s Association.

The Australian World Orchestra commissioned Elena Kats Chernin to compose The Witching Hour, the first concerto for eight double basses in orchestral history on the occasion of the AWO’s Fifth Anniversary. Kats-Chernin composed The Witching Hour especially to showcase the extraordinary AWO double bass section comprising Max McBride (formerly ACO, Vienna State Opera, Senior Lecturer ANU School of Music), Kirsty McCahon (formerly Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, Orchestra of The Age of Enlightenment), Matthew McDonald (Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra), Ciro Vigilante (Vienna Chamber Orchestra), Robert Nairn (Professor of Double Bass Juilliard School and Penn State University), Kees Boersma (Principal, Sydney Symphony Orchestra), Tim Dunin (Professor of Double Bass, University of Music, Graz; formerly Vienna Philharmonic) and Alex Henery (Principal, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, formerly Philharmonia London).

A great lover of chamber music, Kees Boersma is a regular artist at Musica Viva’s Chamber Music Festivals and the Australian Festival of Chamber Music.

Kees was a founding member of the Australia’s pre-eminent contemporary music group ELISION, premiering, touring and recording the works of Franco Donatoni, Richard Barrett, Liza Lim and Brian Ferneyhough. . 

After studies at the Victorian College of the Arts, Kees travelled to his birthplace in the Netherlands to undertake post-graduate studies at the Sweelinck Conservatorium in Amsterdam. He consequently performed for several seasons with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam under conductors such as Haitink, Dorati, Harnoncourt, Chailly and Giulini.

On his return to Australia, Kees performed as Principal Bass with the State Orchestra of Victoria and the Australian Chamber Orchestra before joining the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

Kees is a Lecturer of Double Bass at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and enjoys being a regular tutor with the Australian Youth Orchestra and Sydney Youth Orchestra.

He is a regular Guest Principal Bass of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the West Australian Symphony Orchestra and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.

As a result of his enthusiasm to explore historically informed performance practice, Kees has enjoyed recent opportunities to play with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (London), the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra and Pinchgut Opera.

In collaboration with his vivacious life partner Kirsty McCahon, his ‘Bass Extravaganza’ concerts as part of the ‘Resonate’ series at the National Art Gallery of NSW explore new ways of presenting music for their beloved basses!

Last updated 2023

Francesco (Frank) Celata

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Australian Hometown(s): Melbourne & Sydney
Education: Sydney Conservatorium of Music; Victorian College of the Arts

PROFESSIONAL BIOGRAPHY
Mr Frank Celata is Associate Principal Clarinet with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and an AWO Board Member. Mr Celata graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts 1987, prior to that he studied, and is now a lecturer, at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

He is a founding member of the chamber ensemble the Sydney Soloists and is a member of the New Sydney Wind Quintet. In 2013 he accepted the position of Lecturer in Orchestral and Chamber Music at the Conservatorium of Music in Hobart.

On several occasions between 2003 and 2009 he appeared with the London Symphony Orchestra as guest Principal Clarinet, performing on international tours and recordings. More recently he appeared as guest Principal Clarinet with the Philharmonia Orchestra of London touring internationally and recording with them. Frank plays Principal Clarinet with the Australian World Orchestra, comprising 110 of Australia’s leading musicians drawn from 47 orchestras around the world.

Last updated 2023

Sally Clarke

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Australian Hometown: Brisbane
Education: University of Queensland, Herbert-von-Karajan Akademie, Berlin

PROFESSIONAL BIOGRAPHY
Born in Brisbane, Australia, Sally Clarke began her musical career with violin at the age of 11; one year later she took up the viola as well, in order to play chamber music. She graduated from the University of Queensland with a Bachelor of Music, Honours, degree (and various prizes and distinctions), performing with diverse chamber ensembles and as soloist with the Queensland Youth Orchestra, on its 1986 New Zealand Tour, and with the  Camerata of St John’s, of which she was a founding member. A German Government Scholarship (DAAD) enabled her to further her studies with Professor Rainer Moog in Cologne; thereafter she attended the Herbert-von-Karajan Akademie in Berlin, performing regularly with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1988 she was Principal Viola with the Schleswig Holstein Festival Orchestra, under the baton of Sergiu Celibidache, from whose mentoring she benefitted greatly.

Chamber music and solo performances have taken Sally to many places in Europe, the Middle East, Australia and Russia. She has participated in various festivals, including those of Townsville and Bangalow, Australia; and in September 2009, the biennial “German Festival” of Krasnodar. In 2014 she made a guest appearance at the World Harp Festival in Sydney and participated in the AWO Chamber Festival in the NSW Southern Highlands in November 2017. Sally teaches and performs at “Das SommerMusikFest” each year.

Sally Clarke’s recordings for CD and radio include the rarely performed Sonatas for Viola and Piano by Luigi von Kunits and Wilhelm Killmayer. Sally’s CD “another sort of fire” featuring works by contemporary women composers, is available through Bayer Records. Her great interest is in expanding traditional “classical” approaches, through “cross-over” projects involving oriental music, live dance-theatre or improvisation to silent movies. In 2009 she founded the trio “Blue Ayre”, together with Cynthia Oppermann, harp, and Veronika Fuchs, flute. The trio has performed in Germany, France and Australia; their CD “Blue Ayre” was released in 2013, and features works by Debussy, Bax, Bartok and a specially commissioned work by Rüdiger Oppermann (Celtic and experimental harp), with whose ensemble “KlangWelten” she has toured on numerous occasions. “Blue Ayre” is available on iTunes.

Sally has taught and coached at various workshops, masterclasses and youth orchestras, including the renowned Interregional Youth Orchestra (IRO), which takes place annually in Ochsenhausen, and at the Sydney Conservatorium High School, or anywhere in the world, online, via www.playwithapro.com. Her teaching style has been described as particularly empowering; she has worked extensively with orchestral musicians, violists and violinists alike, seeking support for audition preparations or just to reboot their technique.

A full-time member of the SWR Symphony Orchestra (formally known as Radio Symphony Orchestra Stuttgart) since 1992. She has appeared with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and also with Ensemble Modern in Frankfurt.

Last updated 2023

Lerida Delbridge

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Australian Hometown(s): Melbourne & Sydney
Education: University of Melbourne, International Menuhin Music Academy, Switzerland

PROFESSIONAL BIOGRAPHY
Lerida began learning the violin at the age of three and at fifteen, began her undergraduate studies with William Hennessy at the University of Melbourne, completing a Doctor of Musical Arts in 2003. Lerida has engaged in study at the International Menuhin Music Academy, Switzerland; International Holland Music Sessions, The Netherlands; Banff Centre for the Arts, Canada; International Musicians Seminar Prussia Cove, UK; Yale Summer School of Music and Stanford University in the United States.

In 2014 Lerida was appointed to the position of Assistant Concertmaster of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Lerida has also appeared as a guest principal player with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonic and Orchestra Victoria and as a ripieno player with Australian Chamber Orchestra. Lerida is a core player with the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra and Artistic Director of the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra Virtuosi.

In 2003 Lerida co-founded the Tinalley String Quartet, winners of the 2007 Banff International String Quartet Competition and the 2005 Asia Pacific Chamber Music Competition. The Quartet has established itself as one of Australia’s most successful ensembles, performing extensively throughout Europe, Canada, North America and Australia and appearing in such iconic venues as the Concertgebouw, Vienna Musikverein, Frankfurt AlteOper, Berlin Konzerthaus and the Sydney Opera House.

Lerida is the grateful recipient of a 1793 Joseph and Antonius Gagliano violin on loan from a private donor.

Last updated 2020

Christina Leonard

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Australian Hometown: Sydney
Education: Sydney Conservatorium of Music; Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London

PROFESSIONAL BIOGRAPHY
Christina Leonard is one of Australia’s leading saxophonists and was the Artistic Director of the 2018 CLASSIC STOMP and AWO’s Chamber Music Festival in the NSW Southern Highlands. Christina plays regularly with both the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and the Australian Opera Orchestra and has performed orchestrally in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Malaysia and in Hobart as a soloist with the Tasmania Symphony Orchestra. Christina has also performed with the ACO, the Song Company, Match Percussion, Synergy, and the Sonic Art Ensemble.

Christina regularly features in the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra’s Noel Noel concert series, and was a soloist in the Elena Kats-Chernin commission to celebrate the ABO’s 25th Anniversary.  Christina premiered her own transcription of CPE Bach’s Concerto in A minor Wq 170 with the ABO in their Vivaldi Unwired season this year. She has made many recordings and live broadcasts for ABC Classic FM and Fine Music FM.  Christina has premiered newly commissioned music with Marshall McGuire at the Utzon Room Chamber music series at the Opera House and will record a CD of this and other new music later in the year. Christina has recently recorded a CD of Saxophone and Piano repertoire with Tamara-Anna Cislowska

Christina was awarded a Queens Trust Scholarship to complete a postgraduate degree at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London. Christina completed her Masters of Music (Performance) at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and has been lecturing Saxophone, examining and facilitating workshops and classes there since 1996. Christina’s transcriptions of Baroque music for Saxophone and keyboard, are included on the current AMEB and ABRSM, (London) Syllabi.

Christina continues to champion opportunities for classical Saxophone commissions and performances and is the first Australian to be endorsed as an International Artist with Japanese instrument maker Yanagisawa.

Last updated 2018

Marcello Maio

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Australian Hometown: Sydney
Education: Sydney Conservatorium of Music

PROFESSIONAL BIOGRAPHY
Marcello Maio is a musician, composer and musical director. Accomplished in piano, piano-accordion, keyboards and flute, his trademark musicianship and versatility across a range of musical genres has established Marcello in some of Sydney’s most highly acclaimed Latin, Jazz and World music ensembles.

2013 saw Marcello on tour with Atlanta soul and r’n’b singer Cody ChesnuTT and band across Australia and New Zealand. It also led him around Australia with Baby et Lulu who feature Lara Goodridge (Fourplay) and Abby Dobson (Leonardo’s Bride). With concert pianist Ambre Hammond, Marcello performed the music of Astor Piazzolla in duet format at various theatres and halls in Noosa, Byron Bay, Blue Mountains. In 2014 saw the duo perform on ‘ABC Live’ at the Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre in Penrith. 2014 marked the first appearance at Womadelaide festival in Adelaide with Baby et Lulu.

Recognised as one of the Top 20 Music Performers in NSW during HSC in 2004, Marcello went on to graduate from the Sydney Conservatorium in 2008, completing a Bachelor of Music (Jazz performance) under Mike Nock, Judy Bailey and Matt McMahon.

Raised in a musical family, Marcello regularly performs with his father Ross Maio (accordion virtuoso) in From Caruso to Bocelli and Viva La Fisarmonica Show. Since joining the Triple Aria award-winning band Monsieur Camembert in 2004, Marcello has performed in Bangkok, Canada, West Timor, New York, Sri Lanka, Shanghai and the

Gypsy Jazz festival in New Caledonia as well as a myriad of notable Australian music festivals including Woodford Folk Festival, Bellingen Global Carnival, Byron Bay Blues and Roots festival, Melbourne Comedy Festival, Noosa Jazz festival, Dreaming festival, Australian World Music Expo, Adelaide Cabaret festival and Brisbane festival.

Equally at home with Brazilian and Jazz styles as he is with European and African- American styles, Marcello’s interpretation and personal engagement with a diverse range of repertoire has seen him as a resident solo artist on SBS TV’s popular comedy series In Siberia Tonight.

Marcello composes and produces for a range of projects, most notably the Brazilian jazz flavoured pieces with Samba Mundi and for his jazz trio. Maio was commissioned in 2008 by Music Australas to write a 20 minute Tango work for the Compass saxophone quartet and in 2009 wrote the soundtrack to the Australian film documentary ‘Tea with Madame Close’. In 2010, Marcello collaborated with Roland Peelman on a series of arrangements and written a composition for the vocal ensemble, Song Company. This year sees Marcello exploring the world of EDM and sampled base music under the alias ‘Baggins’.

Constantly in demand in the Sydney music scene as a side-man and as a band leader, 2014 has already seen Maio perform a concert at Angel Place (City Recital Hall) alongside Australia’s premier flautist Jane Rutter, and soprano Yvonne Kenny.

Last updated 2018

Timothy Nankervis

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Australian Hometown: Sydney
Education: Australian Institute of Music; Sydney, National Academy of Music, Kiev; University of Melbourne

PROFESSIONAL BIOGRAPHY
Cellist, Timothy Nankervis, is a member of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. He has won numerous awards for cello solo, and for chamber music as a member of the acclaimed Seraphim Trio. As an active chamber musician, Tim has performed extensively with Seraphim Trio nationally and internationally. He also performs regu-larly as a guest artist with various ensembles. Tim has performed widely throughout Australia as a soloist, and has broadcast regularly for the ABC and MBS-FM radio stations across the country. He has performed the Beethoven Triple Concerto and Brahms Double Concerto with orchestras in Sydney and Queens-land, and he has performed as soloist with Orchestra Victoria, play-ing Tchaikovsky’s ‘Rococo’ Variations.

Tim performs regularly with the Australian World Orchestra and the Australian Chamber Orchestra, and he has performed casually with the Melbourne, Adelaide and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras. He has taught cello and chamber music at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, and tutors regularly for Sydney Youth Orchestra and Aus-tralian Youth Orchestra.

Tim completed his Bachelor of Music degree in Sydney with Lois Simpson and graduated from Melbourne University with a Masters of Music degree with Nelson Cooke. He has also studied at the Aus-tralian National Academy of Music in Melbourne, and in London with William Pleeth and Raphael Wallfisch. 

Last updated 2023

Miki Tsunoda

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Australian Hometown: Melbourne
Education: University of Toronto; Liszt Academy of Music, Budapest; Banff Centre for the Arts, Canada

PROFESSIONAL BIOGRAPHY
Miki studied with renowned pedagogue, Lorand Fenyves at the University of Toronto as well as with Ferenc Halasz and received extensive training in Chamber Music with Andras Mihaly, Gyorgy Kurtag and Ferenc Rados at the Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest.

She later developed her qualities further at the Banff Centre for the Arts in Canada, working closely with David Takeno and the late Zoltan Szekely.

Having founded the Binneas String Quartet during her years at the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School, her early experiences instilled in her a passion for chamber music and the importance of communication and self-expression.

The formation of Duo Sol in 1998 was a natural progression of her desire to continue to develop through close chamber music partnerships. Together with pianist Caroline Almonte, Duo Sol has been praised for their passionate and committed performances, receiving critical acclaim.

Since winning First Prize at the prestigious International Chamber Music Competition Premio Trio di Trieste and finalists at the ARD Munich International Competition and Vittorio Gui International Competition in Florence, Duo Sol have forged an international career, performing in the UK, Russia, China, Italy, Japan, South America, Australia and New Zealand. In 2011 Duo Sol made their debut recital at the International Edinburgh Festival and in 2005 represented Australian Culture and the Arts at the World Expo in Aichi, Japan and were ambassadors at the 35th Celebration of Diplomatic Relations between Australia and China in Beijing.

Duo Sol has released two ABC Classics recordings titled “Duo Tsunoda/Almonte” and “Infinite Heartbeat”.

Miki Tsunoda has collaborated with many of the world’s renowned musicians and Ensembles including the late Hiroyuki Iwaki, Philippe Herreweghe, Jaap van Zweden, Xian Zhang, Tadaaki Otaka, Eivind Aadland, Brett Dean, Piers Lane, Liwei, Claire Edwardes, Het Collectief and Elision.

A big fan of the Alban Berg Violin Concerto, Miki has performed it on numerous occasions with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra as well as taking it to Japan with the Sendai Philharmonic, Ensemble Kanazawa, Kyoto Symphony and Nagoya Philharmonic, collaborating with Maestro Hiroyuki Iwaki.

Since 2008 Miki has held the position of Principal Second Violin with the Royal Flemish Philharmonic Orchestra in Antwerp and in addition performs with the Amsterdam Sinfonietta.

Miki has recently performed with the Ensemble Offspring from Sydney at the Shanghai New Music Festival.

Last updated 2023