Elder Conservatorium

Elder Conservatorium Shaping visionary artists since 1898 for tomorrow's music and entertainment industry. Official Adelaide University account.

Our Head of Music Theatre, Erin James, has recently been on professional leave in Sydney to serve as the Associate Chore...
03/09/2026

Our Head of Music Theatre, Erin James, has recently been on professional leave in Sydney to serve as the Associate Choreographer for Opera Australia's upcoming production of Lerner & Loewe's 'My Fair Lady'! This lavish recreation is based on the 2016 Australian production directed by Julie Andrews, and plays in the Joan Sutherland Theatre at the Sydney Opera House from Thursday 10 September–Saturday 31 October. Congratulations, Erin! 👏

In the lead-up to the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra's performances of the complete Sibelius Symphonies, the Elder Conserva...
03/09/2026

In the lead-up to the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra's performances of the complete Sibelius Symphonies, the Elder Conservatorium's Open Music Academy (OMA) will present Dr Simon Lord, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra's Director of Artistic Planning, in a very special lecture.

From the granite-hewn drama of the First Symphony to the mysterious, unfinished silence that followed the Seventh, Jean Sibelius reshaped what a symphony could be – and then stopped writing them altogether. This lecture traces the composer's evolving symphonic language across three decades, and asks why one of the twentieth-century's greatest symphonists spent his final years in a near-total creative silence.

📆 Thursday 10 September 7.30pm
📍 Bishop Hall, Elder Hall Building, Lower Ground

Register via the link below 👇
https://events.humanitix.com/dr-simon-lord-sibelius-seven-symphonies-and-thirty-years-of-silence

ABC Classic has released the new album 'Bells Across Europe' by our Adjunct Lecturer and PhD graduate Dr Konstantin Sham...
02/09/2026

ABC Classic has released the new album 'Bells Across Europe' by our Adjunct Lecturer and PhD graduate Dr Konstantin Shamray. More than a recital album, this recording draws on over a decade of artistic exploration and doctoral research, tracing the rich symbolism and sonority of bells across the European piano tradition and revealing unexpected connections between composers, cultures and centuries. Congratulations, Konstantin!

Stream or purchase the album 👇
https://orcd.co/bellsacrosseurope

There is perhaps not a more exciting time in an artist’s career than the beginning: full of possibility and promise, wo...
02/09/2026

There is perhaps not a more exciting time in an artist’s career than the beginning: full of possibility and promise, works are infused with a certain youthful vigour. In our lunchtime concert this Friday, Ensemble Lumen guides audiences back to almost the beginning of Shostakovich and Franck’s careers. Written alongside his first symphony, Shostakovich’s Octet reveals him to be a daring young modernist: edgy, rhythmically driven, and piquantly dissonant, yet remaining lyrical. At the time, Shostakovich himself considered the scherzo ‘the very best thing I have written.’ While it isn’t known if Franck thought the same of his Piano Quintet, Liszt praised it highly, exclaiming it was unexpected from a composer ‘from the organ loft!’ The work provides a powerful counterpoint, with breathtaking colour, dynamics, and texture.

Elizabeth Layton | Violin
Helen Ayres | Violin
Javier Goh | Violin
Sofia Tortorelli | Violin
Sarah Chiu | Violin
Stephen King | Viola
Tianyou Jiang | Viola
Edith Salzmann | Cello
Henry Say | Cello
Lucinda Collins | Piano

📆 Friday 4 September 1.10pm
📍 Elder Hall

Tickets available at 👇
https://au.sales.ticketsearch.com/sales/salesevent/159942

* A reminder that our lunchtime concerts in Elder Hall are FREE to attend for Adelaide University staff and students: simply show your Adelaide University ID card at the door.

Our new evening lecture series is now in full swing, and will continue to run each Wednesday evening from tonight until ...
01/09/2026

Our new evening lecture series is now in full swing, and will continue to run each Wednesday evening from tonight until Wednesday 16 September!

🎶 Coming Up: Rob Nairn
🎻 Double Bass: The Foundation Beneath Everything

The double bass is the bedrock of the orchestra, chamber ensemble and beyond – yet it remains one of the least understood and most underestimated orchestral instruments. This lecture gives the bass its due, examining its unique technical world and evolving solo repertoire. We consider the challenges of teaching the bass to beginners and the physical demands of the instrument, as well as considering the bassist's unique ensemble responsibilities.

📆 Wednesday 2 September 7.30–9.30pm
📍 Bishop Hall

Register 👉https://events.humanitix.com/strings-attached-craft-pedagogy-and-interpretation-for-string-players

Also coming up...

🎶 Dr Stephen King
🎻 The Viola: Identity, Repertoire and the Art of the Middle Voice

📆 Wednesday 9 September 7.30–9.00pm
📍 Bishop Hall

🎶 Dr Oliver Fartach-Naini
🎻 Repertoire Choice Calibration: Facilitating Musical and Technical Proficiency for Lifelong Engagement in Music

📆 Wednesday 23 September 7.30–9.30pm
📍 Bishop Hall

Congratulations to all our fabulous Elder Conservatorium Jazz Singers, who gave a terrific concert in Scott Theatre last...
01/09/2026

Congratulations to all our fabulous Elder Conservatorium Jazz Singers, who gave a terrific concert in Scott Theatre last Thursday 27 August! Our soloists Ellie Barnard, Angelica Alfaro, Ayse Ozcagli, Sara Boksmati, Isabella Cother, Gracie Degnan, Leyla Hurmuzniya, Tahlia Hearn, Adam Elwan, Eve Hooper, Lauren Logozzo, Casey Mifsud, Keira Lowe, Luis Vollmer, Georgia Sullivan, Darcy Woodd, Annabelle Fleming, Ceridwen Kellermann Williams, Molly Silvy, and Sienna V***a all gave great performances, supported by an all-star band of Ted Casson (drums), Seraph Chambers (bass), Luis Vollmer (piano), Huw Roberts (guitar), and Luka Ferguson (saxophone / flute). A special thanks to Dylan Cooper and Keira Simmons on sound, and our Lecturer in Jazz Voice, Lauren Henderson, for putting this wonderful program together! 👏

📸: Dylan Henderson

Dr Emily Dollman travelled to Canada from Monday 20–Friday 31 July to attend the Commission for the Education of the Pro...
01/09/2026

Dr Emily Dollman travelled to Canada from Monday 20–Friday 31 July to attend the Commission for the Education of the Professional Musician (CEPROM) hosted by the Conservatoire de Musique de Québec, Québec City, and the 37th International Society of Music Education (ISME) World Conference, held in Montreal. She gave three presentations: a workshop entitled ‘Challenging the Creative Blindspot: Improvisation Skills in Tertiary Performance Curricula’; an individual paper presentation entitled ‘Conservatoriums of Music, Community Engagement and Curriculum Development’; and a panel presentation on the topic of ‘Audience and Community Engagement in Classical Music Institutions: Historical Trajectories, Current Trends and Empirical Perspectives’. The ECMSPA was also represented by current Master of Philosophy candidate Lucy Macourt in attendance at CEPROM and the Instrumental and Vocal Teaching Commission, where she delivered a poster and spoken paper on her research.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our lunchtime concert last Friday 28 August, featuring the wonderful Simon Monge...
31/08/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our lunchtime concert last Friday 28 August, featuring the wonderful Simon Monger (violin) and Amir Farid (piano) introducing us to the unjustly-neglected music of Emánuel Moór (1863–1931)! We heard his Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Piano in G major, Op. 12 (1887) 'à Pablo de Sarasate' and his Sonata No. 4 for Violin and Piano in C major, Op. 51 (1898) 'à Henrik Moór', followed by the hugely entertaining 'Polonaise brillante for Violin and Piano in D minor, Op. 10 (1883) 'à Victor Daubrawszki' – all Australian premieres which have not been heard publicly for over one hundred years. Congratulations both on such an excellent recital! 👏

'AU in Conversation' explores the ideas reshaping our world and the role universities play in what comes next. Hosted b...
31/08/2026

'AU in Conversation' explores the ideas reshaping our world and the role universities play in what comes next. Hosted by Adelaide University Vice-Chancellor Professor Nicola Phillips, the podcast brings bold thinking and real-world insight to the biggest questions of our time. The next episode (available to stream on YouTube now) features our Dean, Professor Anna Goldsworthy, and our Pro Vice Chancellor of the College of Creative Arts, Design and Humanities, Professor Craig Batty.

🎥 The Humanities Edge: Creativity, Culture and What Comes Next

Do the humanities matter more than ever as AI transforms how we live, work and connect? Vice Chancellor Professor Nicola Phillips joins musician, author and cultural leader Professor Anna Goldsworthy and screenwriting scholar Professor Craig Batty to explore creativity, culture and storytelling, and why human insight is our best hope in a complex and polarised world.

Watch the full podcast 👇
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YI9HCO9ua7s

Dr Tim Clarkson, our Senior Lecturer in Music, had his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree conferred from the Sydney Conse...
31/08/2026

Dr Tim Clarkson, our Senior Lecturer in Music, had his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree conferred from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music (University of Sydney) on Monday 24 August. Tim's research develops music theory animations to unpack the technical and interactive complexity of 'outside' playing in 1960s jazz, published in part by Vernon Press. Warmest congratulations, Tim, on this hugely significant achievement! 👏

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