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

Thank you to the Elder Conservatorium Wind Orchestra (ECWO), conductor Colin Prichard, and our fabulous third-year soloi...
16/10/2026

Thank you to the Elder Conservatorium Wind Orchestra (ECWO), conductor Colin Prichard, and our fabulous third-year soloist Olivia Marton (alto saxophone) for a hugely entertaining and inspiring lunchtime concert today! Our audience were treated to Alfred Reed's Neoclassical overture The Hounds of Spring, before Olivia Marton took to the stage for a brilliant performance of Paul Creston's Concerto for Alto Saxophone, Op. 26. The klezmer-toned party piece Yiddish Dances by Adam Gorb (our EMR Distinguished Visiting Artist in Residence in 2023) provided the perfect conclusion to an afternoon brimming with all the freshness of the new season. Congratulations Olivia, Colin, and all the wonderful musicians of ECWO! 👏

Last week the charismatic and energetic ensemble Arcadia Winds – Kiran Phatak (flute), Emmanuel Cassimatis (oboe), Lloyd...
16/10/2026

Last week the charismatic and energetic ensemble Arcadia Winds – Kiran Phatak (flute), Emmanuel Cassimatis (oboe), Lloyd Van't Hoff (clarinet), Rachel Shaw (horn), and Matthew Kneale (bassoon) – were in residence at the Elder Conservatorium, working alongside our woodwind and brass students in rehearsals and masterclasses.

The residency culminated with a special lunchtime concert in Elder Hall on Friday 9 October, showcasing Lachlan Skipworth's Sextet for Wind Quintet and Piano (featuring Vivian Choi Milton on piano) and Dvořák's Serenade for Wind Instruments, Cello and Double Bass in D minor, Op. 44 (featuring Rob Nairn on double bass), alongside music by Valerie Coleman and Ross Edwards. It was wonderful to hear the special alchemy of our students Georgia Morton (flute), Akane Mears (flute), Aleisha Spurling (flute), Abbey Mattner (flute), Annelie Budgen (clarinet), Isabelle Raiz-Scanlon (horn), Chiara Panetta (bassoon), Maddison Glover (contrabassoon), and Henry Say (cello) performing alongside the talented musicians of Arcadia Winds. Thank you for all for a brilliant concert, and an inspiring week of mentoring and music-making!

14/10/2026

We're looking forward to welcoming Professor Michelangelo Galeati and soprano Alice Gavagnin from the Conservatorio Santa Cecilia in Rome to the Elder Conservatorium next week. Maestro Galeati and Ms Gavagnin will present a session on Italian language and culture through music and the origins of opera. Maestro Galeati will also conduct the Elder Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra in the Friday 23 October lunchtime concert, 'Rhapsody', in Elder Hall.

Join us on Friday 23 October for a very special lunchtime concert, when the Elder Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra take...
13/10/2026

Join us on Friday 23 October for a very special lunchtime concert, when the Elder Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra takes to the stage under the baton of Maestro Michelangelo Galeati from the Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia in Rome, opening with Mozart's Overture to 'Così fan tutte'. Gordon Richter then performs Debussy's popular 'Première rhapsodie', a cornerstone of the clarinet repertoire that Debussy counted among the most pleasing pieces he had written. Beethoven's Fourth Symphony follows. It is often overshadowed by the Third and Fifth, but after a hushed, mysterious opening it breaks into some of the most high-spirited and witty music Beethoven wrote.

📆 Friday 23 October 1.10pm
📍 Elder Hall

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

Tickets available at 👇
https://au.sales.ticketsearch.com/sales/salesevent/159949

Presented with the support of the Consolato d'Italia Adelaide

Our lunchtime concert last Friday 2 October was a particularly special one, showcasing the wonderful Trio Henri – Celia ...
07/10/2026

Our lunchtime concert last Friday 2 October was a particularly special one, showcasing the wonderful Trio Henri – Celia Craig (oboe), Mark Gaydon (bassoon) and Michael Ierace (piano). The concert opened with ECMSPA PhD graduate Dr Joe Chindamo's fascinating 'Trio Fantastique', followed by the world premiere of the Trio for Oboe, Bassoon and Piano by our Adjunct Lecturer in Composition, Dr Anne Cawrse. These two outstanding works, commissioned by Judy Hargraves and Roderick Shire respectively (who were both present in the audience), illuminated the unique sound world of double reeds and piano in a vivid exploration of colour, timbre and texture, before André Previn's Trio for Oboe, Bassoon and Piano brought the concert to a jazzy, foot-tapping conclusion. Thank you to all of those who joined us!

A large number of Elder Conservatorium alumni, current students and staff are currently rehearsing for State Opera South...
03/10/2026

A large number of Elder Conservatorium alumni, current students and staff are currently rehearsing for State Opera South Australia's upcoming production of George Bizet's 'Carmen', which plays at Her Majesty's Theatre from Saturday 17–Saturday 24 October. A special congratulations to Elder Conservatorium alumni Charlotte Kelso (Carmen), Desiree Frahn (Michaëla), Fiona McArdle (Mercedes), Nicholas Lester (Dancaire / Morales), Anthony Hunt (Chorus Master) and Dr Josh van Konkelenberg (Acting Chorus Master and Associate Répétiteur) for their leading roles in the production. We are also delighted to see that ECMSPA Lecturer Catherine Campbell will appear as Lilas Pastia, and many of the singers in the Chorus (Catherine's former student, Gianna Gutilla, is among them) are also ECMSPA alumni or current students, including Emma Woehle, Alexandra Woolston (Gard), Cherie Boogaart, Eleanor Brasted, Tamara Linke, Victoria Coxhill, Elizabeth McCall, Rachel McCall, Millicent Brake, Danielle Ruggiero-Prior, Lucy Stoddart, Alexandra Grave, Timothy Wilson, Andrew Turner, Kim Worley, Jamie Moffatt, Sean Kelley, Alex Roose, Jiacheng Ding, and Oliver Dinnessen. Please come along and support them all if you can!

Elder Conservatorium PhD graduate, Open Music Academy (OMA) piano teacher and staff accompanist Dr Simón Pazos Quintana ...
01/10/2026

Elder Conservatorium PhD graduate, Open Music Academy (OMA) piano teacher and staff accompanist Dr Simón Pazos Quintana has been announced as one of fourteen pianists selected to progress to the finals of the 2026 Australian National Piano Award! The Award finalists, aged twenty-two to thirty-three, come from New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia, with several currently based overseas for advanced study at leading conservatoires and universities in the United States, Europe and the United Kingdom. Together, they represent the strength, diversity and international reach of Australia's emerging classical piano talent. The fourteen emerging pianists will come to Shepparton in October to perform a demanding week of solo recitals at Riverlinks Eastbank, before the field is narrowed to five semi-finalists and three grand-finalists. We are so proud of Simón and wish him all the very best for the finals! 👏

Elder Conservatorium Masters conducting alumna Elena Katahanas has recently been awarded a Churchill Fellowship for her ...
01/10/2026

Elder Conservatorium Masters conducting alumna Elena Katahanas has recently been awarded a Churchill Fellowship for her project 'To investigate brass band conducting, using international models to develop programmes in Australia'.

'Through a Churchill Fellowship, I will study world-leading approaches to brass band conducting, leadership and education in the United Kingdom, Norway and Switzerland. My goal is to bring this knowledge home and work with local organisations to educate the next generation of brass band conductors by creating accessible development pathways that preserve our traditions, perpetuate musical excellence and community participation, strengthen volunteer organisations, and secure the future of Australia's brass band movement for generations to come.'

– Elena Katahanis

Huge congratulations on this significant achievement, Elena! 👏

In a new partnership between Adelaide University, Auckland University and HK University Shenzhen, Dr Elizabeth Layton an...
30/09/2026

In a new partnership between Adelaide University, Auckland University and HK University Shenzhen, Dr Elizabeth Layton and Dr Edith Salzmann travelled to Auckland to record fortepiano trios for Chandos Records. With keyboard specialist Prof. Michael Tsalka using a unique copy of an 1825 fortepiano, the trio made premiere recordings of music by Stephen Storace (1762–1796), to be released in 2027. A wonderful few days exploring unknown scores with fabulous new colleagues, deepening and extending bonds of friendship between these three institutions.

Last Friday 25 September, our audience was treated to something a little different, as our two jazz vocal ensembles – Th...
30/09/2026

Last Friday 25 September, our audience was treated to something a little different, as our two jazz vocal ensembles – The Wardells and The Adelaide Connection – took to the Elder Hall stage for a fabulous performance of a wide range of repertoire, from timeless standards to contemporary arrangements. A huge thanks to our Lecturer in Jazz Voice, Lauren Henderson, for her committed leadership of both ensembles; to accompanist Ciara Ferguson for her beautiful work on the keys, and to Dhiren Karunanithi-Carter (bass), Bailey Schwarz (bass) and Ted Casson (drums) for making this such a memorable afternoon. Congratulations to all involved! 👏

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