News Archive

The School of Music at UWA has produced 11 of the 55 talented young musicians offered full scholarship places for 2010 at the Australian National Academy of Music in Melbourne, Australia's premier institution for training young classical musicians.

All candidates undertake a thorough, rigorous and highly competitive national audition process in order to accomplish this, the School of Music is extremely proud recognise the following students' achievements:

Violinists Benjamin Caddy and Alexandra Isted, cellist Anna Pokorny and clarinetist Liam Kinson joined violinists Christina Katsimbardis, Anna O'Hagan, Susannah Williams, Kathryn McKay, cellist Jarrad Mathie, flautist Taryn Richards and Academy Fellow and clarinettist Ashley Smith all of whom have taken up places at the Australian National Academy.

First-year cellist Jeremy Huynh was selected to perform in a public Masterclass on 28 April given by international Cello soloist, Jian Wang sponsored by WASO.  Jeremy performed a movement of the Prokofiev Cello Sonata with Martina Liegat-Wilson.

In March/April 2010 the University Dramatic Society presented the musical The Devil Downtown . Ashlee Clapp, a fourth year Composition student at The School of Music, co-conceived the play with writer David Meyer. Ashlee was also the Musical Director, writing the original musical score, as well as conducting and directing. The Devil Downtown played eight sold out performances at the Dolphin Theatre, UWA. One impressed concertgoer used adjectives such as "amazing, brilliant and wonderful" to describe Ashlee's music.

Congratulations to Siang Ching Ngu (piano), Ellaine Cheong (violin) and Osborn Fong (cello) for winning first prize, against a tough field in the Fremantle Eisteddfod, with their performance of a movement from the Arensky Piano Trio.

School of Music pianists Siang Ching Ngu and Sharon Chung were too good for the competition winning first  and second places respectively in the special tenth Anniversary WA Pianists Competition held in July. Being an anniversary event the competition for the generous prize money was fierce and both pianists received high praise from the adjudicators.

Mark Holdsworth, a third year Composition Major at the School of Music, has been selected for the Australian String Quartet's National Composer's Forum in Adelaide.  He is one of only six student composers selected nationwide.  Mark will fly over next month to workshop and perform his string quartet "Frida Kahlo Portraits."

In news from London, undergraduate students Kiran Phatak (pictured) and Jessica Armstrong, and Postgraduate Student Catherine Betts, performed at the prestigious BBC Proms on July 30 at Royal Albert Hall.  Under the direction of Conductor Sir Mark Elder, and as part of the Australian Youth Orchestra, these students performed works by Shostakovich, Mahler and Brett Dean.