PAUL DEAN is currently the Artistic Director of the Australian National Academy of Music in Melbourne. He is regarded as one of the finest clarinettists and chamber musicians in Australia and has recorded for several CD labels.
As soloist, recitalist and chamber musician, Paul Dean has performed in Norway, England, Japan, China, the USA and Canada. His recording of brother Brett Dean’s clarinet concerto Ariel’s Music won an ARIA in 1999 and the piece was the Selected Work at the 1999 Paris Rostrum of Composers.
In 2004 Paul recorded a CD of music by Andrew Schultz for the Tall Poppies label and in 2009 received rave reviews throughout Europe and the US for his recordings of the Mozart clarinet works on the Melba label. He has performed the premieres of over fifty works, many of which have either been written for or dedicated to him, including Colin Brumby’s and James Penberthy’s Clarinet Concertos and Wilfred Lehmann’s Theme and Variations.
Born in Washington D.C. soprano MARGARET SCHINDLER studied voice at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, Griffith University with Professor Janet Delpratt before extensive study abroad.Margaret was a founding member of the Song Company and sang with Opera Australia from 1986-1988 before joining the Cologne State Opera in 1989 as the recipient of the German Operatic Award from Opera Foundation Australia. Since that time, she has appeared as soloist with many major orchestras and performing organisations throughout Australia, New Zealand and Germany in opera, concert, song recital and oratorio.
Margaret is an outstanding interpreter of new music and has premiered and recorded numerous Australian works for radio broadcast and CD, including Crimson Songs, comprising works by Elena Kats-Chernin, Gerard Brophy and Peter Sculthorpe, released through Artworks and the soprano solo in Philip Bracanin’s Choral Symphony for ABC Classics as well as works by Andrew Schultz and Margaret Sutherland for Tall Poppies.Margaret is also a renowned performer of lesser-known repertoire and has given acclaimed performances of works such as Berio’s Sequenza III, Das Buch der hängenden Gärten by Arnold Schönberg, Das Italienisches Liederbuch by Hugo Wolf, Haydn’s Arianna a Naxos and Handel’s Berenice.
Margaret combines her performance activity with an academic position as Senior Lecturer in Voice and Head of Vocal Studies at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, Griffith University.
Born in Perth, Western Australia PETER LUFF developed an interest in the French Horn after receiving a music scholarship to attend Churchlands Senior High School as part of their “Special Music” program. After finishing school he moved to Adelaide to continue his study at the University of Adelaide’s Elder Conservatorium. In 1986 Peter graduated with First Class Honours and moved to Brisbane to take up a position with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra.
During his time as a professional horn player Peter has performed with many orchestras and ensembles: including the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, West Australian Symphony Orchestra, State Opera Orchestra of South Australia, Queensland Philharmonic Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic and Southern Cross Soloists.
As a conductor Peter has directed the University of Queensland Brass Ensemble, the Queensland Conservatorium Brass Ensemble and Brass Soloists, South Bank Wind Ensemble, University of Queensland Brass Ensemble, Macgregor Summer School Symphony Orchestra, Brisbane Symphony Orchestra, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra Brass Ensemble and the Queensland Symphony Orchestra.
Peter has tutored horn at many institutions and music camps including the University of Queensland, Queensland University of Technology, Korean National University of the Arts, University of Arkansas USA, Kobe City Brass Bands Association Japan, University of Southern Queensland’s Macgregor Summer School and Education Queensland’s Musically Outstanding Students camp.As an Adjudicator, Peter has worked with Eisteddfods all over Australia including adjudication for The Australian Academy of Music and Education Queensland’s Fanfare competition.
From 2002-2004 he was Deputy Director of External Relations – Performance at the Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University. Peter continues to pursue a busy teaching, performing and conducting schedule both locally and internationally. He is the associate Principal Horn of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra and senior lecturer in French Horn at the Queensland Conservatorium.
Born in Australia,TANIA FRAZER completed both her postgraduate degrees with David Theodore at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London on full scholarship.Following graduation she performed with the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival Orchestra for three years working closely with some of the world’s greatest musicians including Lorin Maazel, Rostropovich, Solti and others.
At the age of 23 Tania was invited by Zubin Mehta to perform with the famous Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under his direction. Tania has since appeared with the IPO on many occasions under Zubin Mehta, Valery Gergiev and other celebrated conductors. Tania has performed with many fine orchestras including the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the New Zealand Symphony, the Jerusalem, the Stavanger Symphony in Norway, the Montreal Chamber Orchestra and was principal English Horn of the Sydney Symphony orchestra for a season.
From 1997-2001 Tania held the position of principal oboe with the prestigious Israel Opera in Tel Aviv. In this capacity she toured Europe and performed and recorded a number of oboe concertos, most recently the Strauss Oboe Concerto.
Tania has appeared as a soloist with the Australian Chamber Orchestra on a number of occasions including the ACO’s 2006 tour of Europe performing Bach Cantatas alongside American Soprano Dawn Upshaw at some of the continent’s most prestigious festivals and concert halls.She has also performed over 100 concerts as principal oboe with the ACO Australia-wide including live radio broadcasts, streaming video productions and CD recordings.
A recipient of numerous prizes and awards, Tania won first prize at the Coleman International Competition in L.A, the Queen Elizabeth Silver Jubilee Award in London, the Philharmonia Orchestra Martin Award and was recently included in the “Who’s Who of Australian Women” in recognition of her contribution to the arts. 
Pianist KEVIN POWER is a graduate of the Queensland Conservatorium of Music where he studied piano with Nancy Weir. A successful solo pianist, he has always had a great interest in accompanying and chamber music as well, and was a member of the Conservatorium’s accompanying staff while still a student. After graduation he spent five years living in the UK where he continued his studies while working professionally as a solo pianist and accompanist. He performed at that time throughout the UK and also in Germany, Switzerland, France, Italy and Spain.
Since returning to Australia he has continued to work as a solo pianist, accompanist and chamber musician, appearing as soloist with the Queensland Symphony and Philharmonic Orchestras and in solo broadcasts for ABC radio. He has made a number of CD recordings including the Piano Concerto by Australian composer Stephen Cronin, which was written for him.
Formerly a member of the teaching staff of the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, Kevin is now a freelance teacher and is well known through his work at vacation music schools and as an adjudicator of music competitions including the ABC Young Performers Award. He has been an examiner for the AMEB since 1980 and is a past president of the Music Teachers’ Association of Queensland, the Accompanists’ Guild of Queensland, and the Bach Society of Queensland.
Kevin Power is also well known as a choral conductor and has been Chorus Master of the Queensland Choir since 1981. He has conducted many of their major concert performances himself, including those of Bach’s St Matthew Passion, Haydn’s The Creation and The Seasons, the Requiems of Mozart and Fauré,Orff’s Carmina Burana and Mendelssohn’s Elijah. He was awarded the OAM for his services to choral music in 1995.
After graduating with First Class Honours from the Elder Conservatorium, Adelaide,violinist ALAN SMITH was awarded a DAAD scholarship for postgraduate study at the Robert Schumann Institute in Dusseldorf with Gottfried Schneider. On his return to Australia, he joined the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra as Associate Concertmaster and was later appointed Concertmaster of the Adelaide Chamber Orchestra.
Alan became Concertmaster of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra in 1995. He has given highly acclaimed performances as soloist with the QSO in Brisbane and as part of the orchestra’s northern tour. Notable solo engagements have included performances of Benjamin Frankel’s triple concerto and the Beethoven triple concerto. He is presently Co-Concertmaster of the Queensland Orchestra. He is a regular tutor for the Queensland Youth Symphony Orchestra and is a part-time teacher at the Queensland Conservatorium. Alan performed in the Australian Festival of Chamber Music in 2002 and 2003. He plays a violin made by the Spanish maker Jose Contreras in 1770.
Cellist PATRICK MURPHY was recently appointed Cello Performance Fellow at the University of Queensland School of Music. Prior to this he was Lecturer in Cello at the University of Tasmania, Hobart Conservatorium. He has also taught cello and chamber music at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and worked regularly with the Sydney Symphony.
Patrick started learning the cello with Rosemary Iversen in Perth. He completed his Bachelor degree studying with Gregory Baron and Michael Goldschlager before spending several years with the Halcyon String Quartet. Their studies took them to the UK and Canada where they were resident artists at the Banff Centre for the Arts. Patrick then completed a Masters Degree studying with Alexander Ivashkin and Natalia Pavlutskaya.
Patrick has an extensive background in chamber music performance, and was a founding member of the Tankstream Quartet (now Australian String Quartet) whose international career was launched after winning first prize in the Osaka International Chamber Music Competition, Japan 2002. They went on to be prize-winners in the Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition (2003) and soon after were invited to play at the reception following the wedding of Danish Crown Prince Frederick and Princess Mary Donaldson in Fredenborg Castle, Copenhagen.
This year Patrick will be teaching in the Young Symphonists program of the Australian Youth Orchestra, and in China at the 2011 tutti world youth music beijing - a new week-long event for school age musicians and singers from around the world. He will also be performing in the Inaugural Australian World Orchestra season in Sydney, and will perform chamber music at the Brisbane, Bangalow and Tyalgum Festivals, and with the Southern Cross Soloists in their Sunday Music and Words series at the State Library of Queensland.
