YOUNG SYMPHONISTS - STRINGS

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Repertoire to include:
BACH Contrapuncti 1,3,2,4
PURCELL Suite from 'Abdelazar' or 'The Moor's Revenge'
BIBER La Battalia
SCHMELZER 'Die Fechtschule' (The Fencing School)
MENDELSSOHN Symphony for Strings No 6 in Eb Major
BEETHOVEN Der Grosse Fuge (version for string orchestra)

Young Symphonists is an orchestral program, designed to fire the imaginations of young string musicians, aged 12 to 17 years. The program provides instrumental training and musical development within an inspirational and nurturing environment, where the focus is not only on learning core repertoire, but on spending time with other like-minded young musicians.

Under the guidance of internationally renowned violinist Elizabeth Wallfisch, Young Symphonists – Strings will offer you the opportunity to explore a broad spectrum of string chamber orchestra repertoire and develop your skills for orchestral playing.

You will also be introduced to the exciting world of chamber music, through involvement in string quartets, trios and duos, with a balance of time given to recreation and social activity.

Elizabeth’s dedication and consummate musicianship will be supported by a team of specialist teachers and performers as tutorial staff.

Since its inception in 2000, Young Symphonists - Strings has become one of Australian Youth Orchestra’s pivotal programs in the development of young instrumentalists. For many of the country’s best young players, Young Symphonists is their first opportunity to meet other talented musicians from all parts of Australia. Many of the Australian Youth Orchestra’s current players received specialist training in the Young Symphonists programs.

“It has kept me motivated and more determined to improve, and to meet the standards of the other fantastic musicians I was playing with.” Young Symphonists – Strings participant

MUSIC DIRECTOR: Elizabeth Wallfisch

A leading interpreter of music on the baroque and classical violins, Elizabeth Wallfisch is a favourite with both audiences and orchestras because of her virtuosity, her generous, sparkling personality and her impeccable musicianship. Her appearances are marked by a daring and spontaneous approach to performance that results in electrifying musicmaking.  

Renowned not only as a prominent interpreter of 17th and 18th century violin music, she is also an inspiring leader and director. She has guest-directed many of the world's best period orchestras, including the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Netherlands Bach Society, Tafelmusik, Apollo's Fire, the Hanover Band, L'Orfeo Barockorchester, the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra and the Philharmonia Baroque. Increasingly popular with modern-instrument orchestras, she has also directed the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Israel Chamber Orchestra, and the Vancouver Symphony.

Her playing has taken her from the Lincoln Center in New York, where she led the Orchestra of the Enlightenment in the opening concert of the 2003 Handel Festival, to Zimbabwe, where she appeared as soloist with the Harare Symphony Orchestra (and brass band from the local police department!) in a rendition of Brahms' Violin Concerto. For 15 years she has been the concert master of the prestigious Carmel Bach Festival in California. In January 2007 she was the Music Director of National Music Camp Australia.

Elizabeth Wallfisch's long and impressive discography offers a window onto her expansive musical world. From the High Baroque Italian violinist-composers such as Vivaldi, Corelli, Veracini, Tartini, Geminiani and the Classical and Romantic greats from Mozart to Mendelssohn, she also embraces the music of their lesser-known contemporaries such as Myslivecek and Abel. She has explored the music of Paganini and Viotti and has recorded most of the music of the great Baroque tradition, from the earliest Italian violin music of Cima, to Biber, Telemann, Bach and the rich, sensual music of the French Baroque.

Forthcoming and recent directing engagements include the European Union Chamber Orchestra, Les Violons du Roy, the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, the Pacific Baroque Orchestra in Vancouver, Atlanta Baroque, and return invitations to Music of the Baroque in Chicago, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Vasteras Sinfonietta, and her debut directing the Stuttgarter Kammerorchester.

Always keen to nurture young talent, Elizabeth has recently formed The Wallfisch Band, a unique international period-instrument orchestra in which hand-picked younger players, either still studying or on the threshold of their careers, play alongside Elizabeth and her seasoned colleagues, all players at the very top of the profession. The experience is a living 'masterclass' within an intensive rehearsal and concert environment. The combination of youthful energy and musical experience results in performances of the greatest vigour, intensity and passion. The ensemble made its debut in the 2008 Lufthansa Festival of Baroque Music and will perform in the UK, Germany, Turkey, New Zealand and Austrailia in the coming seasons.

Elizabeth Wallfisch's has published a treatise, specifically on fundamental aspects of baroque violin playing: The Art of Playing Chin-Off for the Brave and the Curious, published by King's Music.

Cited: March 2009 http://www.ikonarts.com/?id=elizabeth-wallfisch

Violin

Sarah Curro completed her Bachelor of Music in 1994 at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, winning the Conservatorium Medal for Excellence. Subsequently Sarah studied, and then taught at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and was instrumental in introducing period performance practice concepts to the school.  From 1999-2002 Sarah was a member of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. During her time in Hong Kong she was also concertmaster of the Hong Kong Bach Society Orchestra and a member of the Fiorini String Trio founded by Jeremy Williams.

In Australia, she has performed many times with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, and has been guest associate concertmaster for the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra; she has also been guest principal second violin, associate concertmaster and concertmaster with Orchestra Victoria. Sarah is currently a full time member with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and has been a passionate orchestral tutor her whole career.

Photograph by Belinda www.artsphotography.net.au

Ben Dollman leads an active performing career on both the baroque and the modern violin. A graduate of the Elder Conservatorium in Adelaide, Ben undertook further study at Indiana University USA. There he took up studies  on the baroque violin with the Australian violinist Stanley Ritchie alongside work on the modern violin with Franco Gulli and Yuval Yaron.

Upon returning to Australia in 1997, Ben continued his baroque studies with Lucinda Moon and was invited to join the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra in 1998. He currently performs as Principal 2nd Violin with the ABO and the Australian Brandenburg Ensemble and has performed as soloist with the ABO on numerous occasions.

Ben remains based in Adelaide where he is active as a chamber musician performing early music as well as contemporary works and improvisational styles of music on the modern violin. He also freelances with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and has given regular concerts in schools throughout SA for Musica Viva.

Viola

Jeremy Williams is the founding member of Grainger Quartet. Graduating from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with distinction, he was accepted by the London Symphony Orchestra as the youngest first violinist and played regularly with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields and London Sinfonietta. He then became a member of the Delme String Quartet, Nash Ensemble and the York Piano Trio and toured internationally. Jeremy has recently been appointed to the new position of Lecturer in Chamber Music at Hobart University.

In 1990 he formed the Beethoven String Trio of London as a viola player. The trio were featured on the cover of BBC Music Magazine. Jeremy has recorded for Hyperion, Meridian, Signum, Marco Polo, Virgin and ABC Classics.

Cello

Louise King migrated to Australia in 2003. Louise performs on both modern and baroque cello and since moving to Queensland, has worked with many established groups such as the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Southern Cross Soloists, Topology and The Queensland Orchestra. Louise has premiered new Australian works for solo cello and has recorded for BBC radio, ABC classics and Naxos.

Louise is an award-winning graduate of the Royal Colleges of Music in Manchester and London and prior to moving to Australia, taught chamber music at the Junior Royal Northern College of Music and toured with her piano trio for ‘Live Music Now!’ founded by Yehudi Menuhin.  She also worked with the BBC Philharmonic, Northern Chamber Orchestra, Manchester Camerata, Halle Orchestra and Hong Kong Philharmonic. Louise studied cello with Emma Ferrand, Leonid Gorokhov at RNCM and William Bruce at RCM and baroque cello with Richard Boothby and has performed in masterclasses with William Pleeth at Britten-Pears School Aldeburgh, Christophe Coin and Anner Bylsma at Manchester International Cello Festival, Christopher Bunting supported by Musician’s Benelovant Fund, Karine Georgian at Dartington Festival, Ralph Kirschbaum and Steven Isserlis at International Musician’s Seminar Prussia Cove.

Double Bass

David Campbell is a member of the Sydney Symphony double bass section. He returned to Australia in 2003 after completing his Bachelor of Music (Cum Laude) at Rice University in Houston, Texas. While he was in the States he studied with Paul Ellison at the Shepherd School of Music where he held the William Schiffick Scholarship. He was the runner up in the school's concerto competition and graduated with the Louis Sudler Prize in the Arts. While in the States he also spent two summers as a fellow at the Tanglewood Music Centre where he studied and played with members of the Boston Symphony.

Since Returning to Australia David has played as a casual player with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, the Sydney Philharmonia Choir and had a contract with the Sydney Symphony in 2004 and 2005. He was also the Sydney Symphony double bass fellow in 2005. He has been a member of the Sydney based Omega Ensemble since its founding two years ago and teaches at his old School, Sydney Grammar. He has also tutored at the Riverina School for strings for the past two years. In 2008 David performed in the string final of the ABC young performers awards.

Before leaving for the States he was a member of the Australian Youth Orchestra, Australian National Academy of Music, attended two National Music Camps, was a soloist in the 1999 "Encore" performance at the opera house and received his A-mus A and L-mus A both with distinction.

Photograph by Keith Saunders.

Harpsichord

Joanna Tondys was born in Poland where she attended the State Music Schools in Sieradz and Zdunska Wola, graduating with her Diploma of Music. After moving to Australia, Joanna continued her studies with harpsichordist Monika Kornel, before studying at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music with Neal Peres da Costa.

In 2007 Joanna was awarded an exchange student scholarship to study at the Royal College of Music, London with harpsichordist Terence Charlston. Joanna has participated in many music camps and masterclasses in both Australia and Europe with such eminent early music musicians as Rachel Brown, Mark Caudle, Gary Cooper, Jane Gower, Peter Holman, Peter Holtslag, Emma Kirkby, Bill Lyons, Nicholas Parle, Zbigniew Pilch, Johann Plietzsch, Ashley Solomon, Lilianna Stawarz, Elizabeth Wallfisch, Erwin Wieringa and Jan Willem de Vriend.

Joanna has performed with the Tall Poppeas, Bourbaki Ensemble, Orchestra 143, Sydney Consort, Sydney Conservatorium Early Music Ensemble, Orchestra of St Laurence, Cologne New Philharmonic Orchestra, Sounds Baroque, Royal College of Music Early Music Ensemble and the Bacchus Sinfonietta.