Ellainne Cheng
Ellainne started learning violin at 3 and piano at 5 and since then has been deeply involved with music throughout her life. Besides violin, she has also been in the Australian Youth Choir and part of the national Ambassador Handbells Choir. The violin still remains a favourite instrument and has brought her many wonderful experiences with orchestras such as the Opus Orchestra, WA Youth Orchestra, University of WA Orchestra and Chamber Strings, Faith Court Orchestra, Fremantle Chamber Orchestra, Gilbert and Sullivan Pit Orchestra and Orchestra of Music Makers (Singapore). As a 2008 Margaret Bello Chamber Prize winner and also a 2011 Wesley Mission Scholar, Ellainne will be finishing a Bachelor of Music (Major in Violin Performance) at UWA at the end of 2011. She has had the amazing tutelage privilege under Paul Wright and Semyon Kobetts during her degree whom have inspired her to aim high and to love and express music the way they do and is seeking for more professional performing jobs especially for the years coming.
Josephine Fountain
Josephine began her cello studies at the age of eight and has been in love with the instrument ever since. She is currently completing the third year of her Bachelor of Music at UWA, where she studies with Suzanne Wijisman. She is passionate about orchestral playing and has been a member of the WA Youth Orchestra since 2007, holding the position of associate principle cello since 2010. Josephine is the fortunate recipient of the WAYO Cello Scholarship, allowing her the loan of the association’s beautiful eighteenth century cello. She is also a member of the Swan Philharmonic Orchestra and enjoys chamber music through her participation in a clarinet trio, string quartet and the C4 Cello Quartet. Josephine is also a dedicated teacher, with students from year years of age to adults. Her past teachers include Xiaole Wu, Andrew Patrick and Noeleen Wright. After completing her BMus she hopes to continue her education and orchestral studies. Josephine is excited to be participating in WASO’s 2011 Orchestral Training Program with her mentor, Eve Silver.
Carl Harper
Carl Harper has been studying the trombone since the age of 13 and is now in his final year of performance studies at the University of Western Australia. Carl is often sought out in Perth to play with various orchestras, including the Fremantle Chamber Orchestra, Swan Philharmonic Orchestra and Western Australian Youth Orchestra. Carl is also a reservist in the Western Australian detachment of the Royal Australian Navy Band. Raised in Perth, Carl studied trombone with Bruce Thompson, and currently studies with Josh Davis.
Since late high school, Carl has been very interested in the orchestral repertoire, particularly the music of Mahler, Strauss, Brahms, Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky. Carl also has a keen interest in chamber music, rehearsing with (and buying lots of music for) his trombone quartet.
Carl and his beautiful fiancée Ally currently live in South Perth and are expecting their first child together in January 2012. Carl is a keen distance runner who doesn’t run distance much nowadays.
Kane Moroney
Kane grew up in rural Victoria on a dairy farm in the small country town of Eskdale, beginning his flute studies (Kane in fact had no idea what a flute was) at age 14 under the tutelage of a French Horn teacher. After a school excursion to Melbourne in year 9 where Kane witnessed a performance by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (which was his first ever exposure to Classical Music) he knew that he wanted to become a professional flautist. He began studies with flute teacher James Kendall the same year at the Murray Conservatorium in Albury, and consequently won a place in the orchestra to perform at the opening ceremony of the Pacific School Games in 2005 which was held in Melbourne. The following year Kane was awarded a Music Scholarship to study at the Scots School in Albury, and a Scholarship to support his studies at the Murray Conservatorium.
After graduation from high school in 2007 Kane took a year off and travelled around Australia by car, working both in the Northern Territory as a nightclub DJ and bartender, before travelling from Darwin to Perth where he worked for 6 months. That same year Kane was awarded a place to study at WAAPA under Diane Riddell commencing in 2009. At the end of 2010 Kane was awarded a position at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music to study under Alexa Still – and so he moved to Sydney to pursue this opportunity, only to return to Perth to study with Andrew Nicholson the very next year. While in Sydney Kane performed in a production of Donizetti’s Chamber Opera “Il Campanello Di Notte”, and with the Conservatorium Early Music Ensemble in which he played Handel’s Concerto Grosso on original model Baroque and Classical one keyed flutes. During his time in Sydney Kane was also a member of the Marrickville Symphony Orchestra. Whilst in Sydney Kane was also able to take lessons with Janet Webb (Principal Flute of SSO), Emma Sholl (Associate Principal Flute of SSO), James Kortum (ex-principal flute of WASO) and international guest artists George Pope (USA), Michael Cox (UK) and Michel Bellevance (Swiss). Kane is currently a member of the Swan Philharmonic Orchestra in Perth, and hopes to pursue studies overseas at the end of his degree.
Benjamin Pallagi
Benjamin started learning the piano at the age of 6, the violin at the age of 7 and the clarinet at the age of 9. He has participated in various music competitions and concerts on the piano and clarinet, winning prizes and generally achieving high marks. These competitions include the Fremantle Eisteddfod and the WAMTA Concerto and Recital Competition. He also recently performed at Government House Ballroom as a part of the ‘Rising Stars’ concert for Music on the Terrace. Benjamin has done AMEB examinations for both piano and clarinet, achieving the AMusA Diploma on the clarinet in 2010. Benjamin has won scholarships to the UWA Exhibition Programme for talented secondary students twice, and he has participated in the “Keyed Up! for Summer” piano program at UWA as well. Benjamin was home schooled for high school and gained entry into the Bachelor of Music course at UWA in 2011 at the age of 16, studying under Allan Meyer. Benjamin is also a member of WA Youth Music Association. His other interests include languages, linguistics and surf life saving.
Nick Pitt
Nick Pitt is in his final year of performance at UWA, studying under Suzanne Wijsman. He began learning at the age of 7 at Hale School, and has been a part of many ensembles and orchestras throughout school. He was a member of WAYO from 2005-2009 and now takes part in the many orchestras at University level. He has recently started composing and looks to spend the immediate future looking at further study in composition and chamber music, whilst continuing to practice to land a job in a professional orchestra.
Sophie Reynolds
Sophie began playing the violin at four years old with Helen Partington. She went on to receive numerous performance opportunities throughout 12 years at John XXIII College. In 2006 she received a Youth Achievement Scholarship in Music and the Arts from the City of Subiaco. Sophie commenced a Bachelor of Music Performance at the University of Western Australia under the tutelage of Paul Wright in 2008, and since 2009 she has been studying with Semyon Kobets.As a violinist Sophie has performed in both the String and Symphony Orchestras at UWA. In addition; the Swan Philharmonic, ad Libitum orchestra and West Australian Youth Orchestra, participating in their 2009 tour of Asia.Sophie is a violinist in the Tunley String quartet based at UWA.
Thea Rossen
In 2007, Thea was inspired by a Tetrafide Percussion Ensemble concert and began percussion lessons with Louise Devenish, she is currently studying percussion performance at UWA with Tim White. She was a member of the Australian National Music Camp Orchestra this year, and in 2009 and 2010 she performed in Tasmania with the Australian and International Symphony Orchestra Institute (AISOI) playing major works by Bruckner, Stravinsky and Mahler. Thea is also a member of the WA Youth Orchestra, the UWA Orchestra, WA Brass and WA Youth Symphonic Band. As well as playing orchestral percussion, she is a member of the combined UWA-WAAPA percussion ensemble, Defying Gravity. Under the direction of Tim White, Defying Gravity performs regularly at WAAPA and around Perth and has recently represented Western Australia at the Australian Percussion Gathering in Brisbane. Thea also enjoys performing at the Ellington Jazz Club with members of the Just Sax saxophone quartet and has been an apprentice to Tetrafide Percussion Ensemble since 2010.
Nick Schurmann
Nick started learning the oboe aged 12 in the specialist music program at Churchlands Senior High School, after a brief stint learning the flute in primary school. He is currently studying a Bachelor of Music course at UWA, in third year. He has played in orchestras for most of his seven and a half years studying the oboe, including such ensembles as the West Australian Youth Orchestra, UWA Symphony Orchestra and Fremantle Chamber Orchestra. In addition to his oboe studies, Nick enjoys singing with his barbershop quartet, RefriDgerator, and with national champion men’s chorus Vocal Evolution, with whom he recently competed internationally in Kansas City in the USA.
Emma Yole
Emma Yole is a second year performance student at UWA, studying violin with Paul Wright. She has also recently learnt from Semyon Kobets and Zak Rowntree. She began violin at the age of 7 at Presbyterian Ladies’ College, playing in many ensembles, which alongside various WAYMA ensembles inspired her to study music at university. She currently enjoys playing in orchestras such as the WA Youth Orchestra, UWA orchestras and the recently formed Swan Philharmonic and Ad Libitum orchestras. Emma’s current goal is to study abroad or in the eastern states and pursue a career as an orchestral musician.
More biographies to come…
