Symphony For Life Professional Masterclass Workshops

This is an incredible opportunity to sign up for an online masterclass workshop with one of Australia’s famous, leading musicians. The workshops will take place in November and December 2021 online. Please review the list of musicians below and to sign up (for yourself or someone else) simply click on one of the ‘sign up’ buttons to enter details (only one person per form).

Each musician can only accept a limited number of registrations. No more registrations can be accepted for Sally Walker, Kirsten Williams, Lisa Grosman, Danny Yeadon and Kathy Selby. However you can register as an ‘observer’ for the masterclasses with these musicians. A small donation would be appreciated

Please note, a masterclass of this calibre could be expensive but the musicians are giving their time free of charge to support our Symphony for Lockdown fundraising campaign – an initiative of Macquarie Group staff –  so we encourage you to donate what you can as soon as you’ve registered. All funds donated prior to 1st November will be match funded by the Macquarie Foundation.

Sally Walker, Flute, Ambassador for Symphony For Life. Lecturer in Performance, Australian National University and Principal Flautist of the Omega Ensemble, Sally has performed as Guest Principal with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Kammerakademie Potsdam, Australian Chamber Orchestra, toured with the Berlin Philharmonic and Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestras, and was prize-winner in the Kuhlau International Flute competition.

Kathryn Selby, AM, Piano, is the Artistic Director and founder of both the nationally touring Selby & Friends concert series and A Little Lunch Music at Sydney’s City Recital Hall. Kathryn was honoured with an ‘AM’ for services to the arts. She received both the Churchill and Australia Council Fellowships and studied at the Curtis Institute and Juilliard School in the US.

Shefali Pryor, Oboe, is Associate Principal Oboe with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. She has performed as guest principal with orchestras including the Melbourne, Western Australian and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras and the Australian Chamber Orchestra, as well as performing with the Australian World Orchestra. Solo engagements have included concertos with the Sydney, Melbourne, Tasmanian and Canberra Symphony Orchestras. Shefali teaches Oboe at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and has been involved with the Australian Youth Orchestra for many years.

Lisa Grosman, Viola, is currently teaching at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music Young Artists Academy. A former Director of the Viola Programme at Monash University, she is now Head of Strings at Camberwell Grammar School. Lisa spent 15 years in Europe, where she was a member of the Irish Chamber Orchestra. Since returning to Australia, Lisa has performed with the ACO, Australian World Orchestra, MSO, TSO and Orchestra Victoria. As a member of the Fidelio Quartet, she has performed the complete cycle of Beethoven String Quartets at the Melbourne Recital Centre.

Dr Daniel Yeadon, Cello, is a Lecturer at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, University of Sydney, where he teaches cello and viola da gamba, coaches chamber music and engages in research into historical performance practices. Daniel is a passionate chamber musician, playing regularly with Ironwood, Australian Haydn Ensemble, Australian Romantic and Classical Orchestra and Bach Akademie Australia.

Emily Granger, Harp, has performed as Guest Principal Harp with the Chicago, Sydney and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras, presented chamber recitals at Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Centre, Melbourne Recital Centre and Sydney Opera House. Emily was a finalist in the 2021 Art Music Awards for Performance of the Year and regularly appears with Australia’s top ensembles and soloists.

Nigel Crocker, Trombone, freelances and teaches at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Nigel’s professional career started long ago in a galaxy far away playing in funk and soul bands in Perth. He then played on Channel 9’s Tonight Show in Melbourne before joining the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. After six years there, Nigel moved to Sydney.

Ben Hoadley, Bassoon, has taught at the University of Auckland School of Music in NZ since 2007, serving for several years as head of woodwind, also teaching at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, ANAM and for the Australian Youth Orchestra. An established concert artist and orchestral player, Ben has appeared as Guest Principal with the Sydney Symphony, Australian Chamber Orchestra and Australian Brandenburg Orchestra among many others. Ben is an award-winning composer whose compositions are performed worldwide.

Jess Ciampa, Percussion, changed from trumpet to percussion at the NSW Conservatorium in 1984. He has performed with major Sydney orchestras and ensembles such as Synergy Percussion and Taikoz.  Jess was principal percussionist for The Lion King in Sydney. He has toured with Tina Arena, Ian Moss and other pop musicians and performed at Queen Elizabeth Hall and the Proms in London. Recently he has performed with several groups for Musica Viva in schools.

David Rowden Clarinet, is the founder and Artistic Director of Omega Ensemble, a leading Australian chamber music organisation that champions the creation of new music by Australian and international composers. With a career spanning twenty years, he has performed in the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Japan, South Korea, China, the USA, Australia and New Zealand.

Jason Noble, Clarinet, is one of Australia’s most versatile clarinettists – experimental to classical – a soloist and core member of Ensemble Offspring. Jason has performed at festivals locally and internationally, from Warsaw to London, Shanghai to Kabul, and major cities across Australia. Jason collaborates with emerging composers, and is a music educator and examiner. 

Matthew Manchester, Trumpet, has Professional Positions with the Orchestra of the Antipodes, Australian Brandenburg Orchestra and Sydney Conservatorium of Music. He began playing music in a local brass band in country NSW and is now one of Australia’s leading performers of early wind and brass instruments. He lectures at the  Con, conducts the NSW Schools Symphonic Wind Orchestra and is director of the Fort Street Instrumental Music Program.

Kirsten Williams, Violin, has held the positions of Associate Concertmaster of the Sydney Symphony, Associate Leader of the Australian Chamber Orchestra and has led the Canberra Symphony Orchestra for almost two years, providing extensive artistic and community leadership. She is Distinguished Guest Lecturer in Violin and Orchestral Technique at the Australian National University.

Kirsty McCahon, Double Bass, is one of Australia’s foremost double bassists. She is a festival curator, presenter, educator, Ambassador and tree planter. Awarded a Churchill Fellowship and University of Melbourne Honorary Fellow for Contribution to Orchestral Music, Kirsty is a champion of Australian music and the important, unique stories shared through the magic of music.

Emma Sholl, Flute, is Associate Principal Flute with the Sydney Symphony. Performances as Guest Principal Flute include the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, World Orchestra for Peace, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Adelaide, Queensland, Tasmanian and West Australian Symphony Orchestras, the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra and the Australian Chamber Orchestra. Emma has also performed with the Australian World Orchestra. Emma teaches young flautists through the Sydney Youth Orchestra, Australian Youth Orchestra, ANAM and as Lecturer at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

Mark Gaydon, Bassoon, has been the principal bassoonist of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra since 2003 and has appeared regularly as a soloist with the orchestra performing concertos by Mozart, Jolivet, Williams, Strauss, Francaix, Weber and Zwilich. He is bassoon instructor at the Elder Conservatorium and has given masterclasses throughout Australia.

Bjorn Pfeiffer, Tuba, was born and raised in Adelaide. He currently holds the Principal Tuba positions of the Canberra Symphony Orchestra and the Band of the Royal Military College. Bjorn also lectures in Tuba at the Australian National University.