mitchell conservartorium newsletter term 1 & 2 2015

Newsletter Issue 1 2015

Mitchell Conservatorium Inc │ www.mitchellconservatorium.edu.au │ Lithgow Bathurst Lachlan

Contents

David Pereira Masterclass

Page 2

Bathurst Chamber Orchestra

Page 4

2015 Event Program

Page 4

Upcoming events

Page 3 to 10

2015 Term Dates

Term 1: 2/2/2015 to 4/4/2015

Term 2: 20/4/2015 to 27/6/2015

Term 3: 13/7/2015 to 19/9/2015

Term 4: 5/10/2015 to 19/12/2015

Connect:

I’d like to mention just a couple of things this time around, to keep all of our MitCon Com-munity ‘in the loop’. I’m NOT going to blather on about the 2015 concert series, about what a terrific line-up of mainly local artists it is. Although I’m tempted… We do have an im-pressive crop of highly skilled musicians on staff, and hearing more of them throughout the year in our series of performances is something I’m excited about. But I’ll let you discover that yourselves… look to the Events Schedule at the end of the Newsletter, and check out our 2015 Schedule of events. Delight in it, and celebrate our talent. I will also resist the temptation to talk about our enhanced support from Bathurst Regional Council and how thrilled we are to be plan-ning concerts to take place in the BMEC City Hall, utilising the new Concert Grand Piano we have sourced for that underused venue. You’ll find out about that later in the year as well. Our expanded Rock School for 2015 (July 7 – 10) No, I reckon that’ll be covered later in this newsletter too. What I will mention, however, is the following…

A Welcome to some new staff members

Karin Hentschel (Flute) comes to us from Sydney after a long career teaching and performing in many of Sydney’s private and public schools. She is a graduate of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and is cur-rently teaching at St Pats in Lithgow, The Cathedral School, The Assumption School and

Autumn settles in…...

Continued page 2

at the Bathurst division on Thursday after-noons. Karin has also taken over the musical direction of Confluted (MitCon Senior Flute Ensemble).

Dr Jason Thornton (Woodwind Specialist) is an internationally successful performer, musician, educator and lecturer. Jason will be commencing tuition as a woodwind spe-cialist in Lithgow and Bathurst from the beginning of Term Two.

Jonathan Griffiths is a recent graduate of the Canberra School of Music. He has exten-sive experience in both drum kit and percus-sion performance, recording and teaching. Jonathan will be teaching across the whole range of percussion instruments, including, but not limited to, snare drum, timpani, or-chestral instruments, marimba, vibraphone, drum kit, and afro-Cuban percussion.

Anna Smith is a graduate of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music (B.Mus Ed) and joins us in the Lithgow division as a teacher of Early Childhood Music, Classroom Music and Piano. Anna comes to us with a wealth of experience teaching one to one lessons, adult and school aged ensembles, and early childhood music classes.

Please join us in welcoming them to the MitCon teaching and performing team …and…

Graham Sattler

David Pereira Masterclass Recorder Ensemble



I’m thrilled to be formally announcing that Phil Braithwaite has commenced in his new role of Associate Director. In this role, Phil is principally responsible for coordination of educational programs, relationships with schools, student performance opportunities, the early childhood program, the ensembles program and the wind and brass departments. Congratulations Phil! Our MitCon Ensembles program I’d like to encourage all of our existing students - and any prospective students, to get involved in our ensembles. Regardless of age, stage, or experience level, we either have an ensemble that is appropriate, or are keen to start up new ensembles that may not already exist, but are of interest. So… think rock band, bluegrass combo, drumming circle, guitar consort, chamber choir, big band, trombone choir, flute choir, Tibetan throat-singing choir, conch shell choir (OK so the last two might present a little bit of a challenge – but WE LOVE CHALLENGES!) We have such a wealth of experience and musical expertise here at MitCon, we would love to see more groups, (and more types of groups) involved in the joy and rush of group music making. Any queries about possi-ble ensembles, contact Phil Braithwaite, Associate Director, on [email protected] And a reminder…. Schools Workshop Days Awesome Orchestra Day, Colossal Choral Day and Monster Band Day are fast approaching. Please contact Hollie Coleman, Schools Program Coordinator, with any queries. Dates as follows: Awesome Orchestra Day May 19, Colossal Choral Day May 20, Monster Band Day May 21 (and Rock School July 7,8,9,10) Although these take place in Bathurst, we are very keen to involve students from ALL divisions where possible. As always, I welcome all feedback and any suggestions regarding MitCon’s operation. Please let us know how well you think we’re doing in serving our communities.

Have a great Term Two!

Graham Sattler

Executive Director

2

Continued from page 1

Here’s a shout out Do you love social media? Do you have hundreds of Facebook friends or perhaps your many and varied comments are currently trending number one on Twitter? Or it might be the reverse scenario; do you avoid social media platform at all costs and hide the mobile phone you got for Christmas under the sofa cushions? Either way the Mitchell Conservatorium is currently recruiting music lovers (or otherwise!) to engage with social media during our many and varied concerts throughout the year. If you are social media savvy then please introduce us to your networks or if you are a lone Twitterer then we will share our friends and a bit of tech-know-how with you to get you started. Contact us now for a copy of our 2015 events calendar, choose your concert and go forth

and share your opinions with the world. The idea behind this communications strategy is to create a community driven communi-cation hub between the various regions in the central west where the Con hosts concerts from Lithgow, Bathurst, Lachlan, Molong, Gulgong and Conowindra. When you love what we do we want you to please tell your friends, if you don't love what we do then please tell us - Facebook and Twitter are great communication methods to get your - and our message - out there. We love music and want everyone to know! Follow us on Facebook or call the Bathurst office for more details.

NEWS FLASH! Cello Masterclass Mitchell Conservatorium is offering a rare opportunity to all staff and students, strings and cello students in particular, to attend at no cost, a cello masterclass with David Pereira, one of Australia’s most accomplished cellists. David is widely experienced, continuing to evolve as a player, teacher, composer and writer. His playing aims for perfect listening and emotional responsiveness, uncompromised by thought or technical limitation. 3.30pm to 5.00pm Tuesday 28 April 2015 Orchard Room MitCon Bathurst Applications: 6331 6622

Singing Workshop

Date just announced for upcoming Singing Workshop: Saturday 30 May, MitCon Parkes Studio. Workshop leader will be Graham Sattler, all Lachlan division singing students are encouraged to attend. Please call the Lachlan office for workshop times and costs in Term Two.

Contact us:

Lithgow division office: 6351 3990

Bathurst division office: 6331 6622

Lachlan division office: 6852 3766



Welcome to Early Childhood Music at

the Con!

Every one of us is musical and even if you don’t play

an instrument or read music you can hum, sing or

beat box along with the TV or radio to classical, jazz,

country, folk, rock, rhythm and blues, heavy metal or

rap! The enjoyment of music is universal and can help

us make sense of the world. For young children in

their early stages of learning, music assists with

speech and intellectual development, social skills and

key learning areas.

Early childhood music education experts recommend

parents and caregivers sing, get into musical ‘play and

movement’ and expose children to a range of musical

instruments in order to reap these rewards of early

childhood exposure to music. The Mitchell Conserva-

torium offers a carefully sequenced Early Childhood

Music Program for children from three months to

eight years of age. Also on offer are musical instru-

ment try-outs where children learn in small groups

under expert teachers and can ‘try-out’ a range of

instruments in order to choose what suits them best.

Introduce your child to musical experiences that will

enrich their creativity and develop their talents! Les-

son costs are competitive and the gift of music educa-

tion is everlasting.

ECM Trial Classes

During Term Two ECM can be shared and enjoyed by new and

prospective students through a series of trial sessions where

parents can observe and ask questions after the session. Book-

ings are essential so please call the office to book now!

Cindy Fox: Friday 5 June, 11.30 am Studio 1 MitCon Bathurst for children five years and under and Saturday 6 June 12.00 pm Studio 1 MitCon Bathurst for children five years and under.

Anna Ossig-Bonnano: Thursday 4 June 4.30 pm Studio 9 MitCon Bathurst for children over five years.

Anna Smith: Wednesday 3 June2.00 pm MitCon Lithgow 1.30 pm for children five years and under and Wednesday 3 June 4.00 pm MitCon Lithgow 4.00 pm for children over five years.

3



Did you know that Bathurst has it's very own orchestra? The Bathurst Chamber Orchestra, a Mitchell Con-servatorium Ensemble, is a community string orchestra which comprises around 20 local string players including professionals, tertiary music students and gifted amateur players. Past musical directors include Laurie Orchard, Max Reeder and Fiona Thompson all former Directors of the Mitchell Conservatorium. The BCO receives support from the Bathurst Regional Council, and is recognised as one of the region’s leading community orchestras, playing a major role in providing audiences with accessible

Your own personal orchestra!

and affordable opportunities to enjoy live performances of a wide range of well-known and new orchestral repertoire. Alongside performing traditional string-orchestra repertoire, the Orchestra regularly collaborates with professional Woodwind, Brass and Percussion players, as well as other ensembles such as the Allegri Singers for performances of works such as Handel’s Messiah and Haydn’s Creation. Current BCO musical director is Andrew Baker, a violin teacher and performer, Music Education Researcher and Arts Manager who lives and works in Central Western New South Wales. Since moving to Orange, Andrew has held the positions of Director of the Mitchell Conservatorium, Lachlan Division; and Assistant Director, Artistic Programs Coordinator and Head of Strings at Orange Regional Conservatorium. In these roles Andrew developed music education and string programs in school and community, individual and ensemble settings as well as conducting orchestras and school-based beginner string programs. Andrew currently teaches in Bathurst, Orange and Parkes/Forbes, and in other regional locations through video conferencing. Andrew performs regularly as a soloist, orchestral and chamber musician most recently with the Mitchell String Quartet and the Mitchell Chamber Orchestra. The BCO have a series of concerts scheduled throughout 2015 with their first concert of the year at BMEC on Tuesday 29 April at 7.30pm. The BCO, the Lachlan Community Orchestra and Lithgow Community Orchestra, are open to new members, please call your divisional office for more details.

Finally - the Events Program!

After a few tense weeks of necessary date and venue juggling, the Mitchell Conservatorium launched our 2015 event program in March. With written welcomes from Bathurst Mayor Cr Gary Rush and Mit Con Executive Director Gra-ham Sattler the program takes you through all community and concert events right up until December 2015. With a decided focus on cham-ber music that performance-wise suits great venues such as the Orchard Room at MitCon as well as the ballroom at Abercrombie House concerts cover a wide music program and range of instruments: string quartet, solo piano, vocal recitals from soprano and tenor, flute and pi-ano, clarinet quintet and the list goes on. The Bathurst Chamber Orchestra will be performing in a series on concerts throughout the year with their first appearance at BMEC on Wednesday 29 April for the upcoming Remembering Mrs Macquarie concert with renowned cellist David Pereira and William Barton on didgeridoo.

You can find the full printed program at Mitcon reception (Bathurst, Lithgow and Lachlan), and Visitor and Information Centres, Libraries and Art Galleries, across our divisions. Please call 6331 6622 for more information or to request a program be posted to you. Alternatively go online to download a copy: http://issuu.com/mitchellconservatorium/docs/2015_program_high_res__1_

4


Mitchell Conservatorium Inc │ www.mitchellconservatorium.edu.au │ Lithgow Bathurst Lachlan 5



Is song writing your thing?

Are you the next Husky Gawenda or Meg Mac? If you want to try your hand at song writing; enter the Bathurst200 Song Composition Competition now. Open to musicians 18 years and under who live or study in the 2795 post code area the song competition is run by the Mitchell Conserva-torium in partnership with the Bathurst Library. The Library ran the very successful Bathurst200 Poetry/Lyric Competition late last year and the seven winning entries are now up for grabs to be set to music. "Composers choose a set of lyrics and the overall winning entry then has the opportunity to be announced and performed live as part of the upcoming Showcase Bathurst200 concert on Sunday 17 May 2.00pm at BMEC" says Graham Sattler.

Along with the performance opportunity the winners from two age sections will receive prize money and critical creative feedback

from professional experienced composers as part of the assessment process. The annual composition competition has been run-

ning at the Con since 2004 and this year has taken on a specific Bathurst200 focus with the set lyrics all written from the perspec-

tive of celebrating Bathurst as our home town. Application forms, song lyrics and competition term and conditions are available

from reception, MitCon website or by calling the Bathurst office.

Schools Workshop Days

MitCon’s annual music workshop days are on again and Bathurst's school halls will soon be alive with the sound of music. Mitchell Conservatorium has just announced dates for its' three school music workshop days, this year to be hosted again by Charles Sturt University.

These mini camps are exciting, with a focus on giving student musicians an opportunity to come together in a very large group and experience music in an environment that their school ensembles may not be able to replicate. This can be a great chal-lenge! Attending the workshop means you end up performing alongside other children you may not have even met before. New music in a different setting to normal allows children to extend themselves and their abilities. The students are able to connect with others and really that is what music is all about, coming together and connecting!

Awesome Orchestra Day 19 May, Colossal Choral Day 20 May and Monster Band Day 21 May will all take place in their fabu-lous, light filled venue at the CSU gymnasium. MitCon expect up to 100 plus children to attend each of these workshops and Gra-ham Sattler says "The day is a fun, engaging way to introduce students to playing music in a large group. We have some won-derful conductors and a great program of music on offer.” These events and workshops are offered to all school aged music stu-dents from year three to twelve and are completely free. The experiential reward from the day is priceless. For more details or to book your place call 6331 6622.

Bathurst Student Performance Opportunities—SPO’s

Congratulations to all performers at the Friday 20 and Sunday 22 March SPO’s in Bathurst. Upcoming SPO’s are 7.00pm Friday 5

and 3.00pm Sunday 7 June as well as 7.00pm Friday 31 July and 3.00pm Sunday 2 August. If you would like to take up this invita-

tion to perform to an audience and receive positive feedback and development guidance, please call the Bathurst office now.

Limited places still available for all dates.

6



Upcoming Community Concerts

Showcase Bathurst200 Sunday 17 May 2.00pm | BMEC Bathurst

Ensembles Concert Sunday 31 May 3.00pm | BCCC Bathurst

Rock School Open Mic Friday 10 July 6.00pm | Elephant and Castle Bathurst

Winter Showcase Sunday 23 August 3.00pm | BCCC Bathurst

Bathurst Spring Garden Spectacular Sat 31 October & Sun 1 November | Bathurst gardens

Bathurst City & RSL 130th Anniversary Band Festival Sunday 22 November | Machattie Park

Christmas on Keppel Saturday 28 November | Bathurst Library forecourt

Reliance Carols by Candlelight Sunday 13 December 6.00pm | Machattie Park

MitCon Scholarship Concerts

Bathurst division: Mitchell Conservatorium Russell Street Bathurst

1.30pm and 4.00pm Saturday 2 May 2015

Lithgow division: Mitchell Conservatorium 2 Wylde Street Lithgow

2.00pm Sunday 14 June 2015

Lachlan division: Forbes Services Club

6.30pm Friday 13 November 2015

Lithgow: 1.00pm Mitchell Conservatorium 2 Wylde Street Lithgow

Thursdays: 18 June, 13 August, 19 November

Bathurst: 1.00pm All Saints’ Cathedral Church Street Bathurst

Wednesdays: 6 May, 3 June, 1 July, 5 August

Forbes: 1.00pm Town Hall Harold Street Forbes

Wednesdays: 10 June, 12 August, 18 November Mitchell Conservatorium Lunchtime Concert Series are free admission for the community with an occasional request for a gold coin donation to

cover additional venue heating costs.

9



2015 Mitchell Conservatorium Upcoming Concerts

What my Mother told me….. Vivaldi’s cello sonatas and Folksongs by Ann Carr-Boyd and Elena Kats-Chernin. We explore the intimate and personal in music for cello and harpsichord. With Rita Woolhouse (cello) and Diana Weston (harpsichord), with a little help from Bath-urst’s own soprano Narelle Hissey. Program includes Vivaldi Cello Sonatas, Ann Carr-Boyd Folksongs and Elena Kats Cher-nin The Birch Tree.

Rita Woolhouse – cello, Diana Weston – harpsichord and Narelle

Hissey – soprano

Sunday April 26 3.00pm MitCon Bathurst

Adults $30 Concession $20 Family of Four $80

Schoolaged MitCon students FREE

Remembering Mrs Macquarie Enjoy a concert of exhilarating and exciting live music espe-cially to celebrate Bathurst200. This special performance will feature an opportunity to hear what is believed to be Mrs Macauarie's 1814 cello (from the Museum of Sydney collec-tion, Sydney Living Museums) performed by David Pereira one of Australia’s most accomplished cellists. Enjoy a diverse program featuring the Bathurst Chamber Orchestra with Wil-liam Barton on didgeridoo.

Bathurst Chamber Orchestra and David Pereira—cello, William

Barton—didgeridoo

Wednesday 29 April 7.30pm BMEC

Tickets: $10 adults $5 concession

BMEC: box office (02) 6333 6161

Across Australia

Artists react to the people and places that surround them; creating works that represent a diversity of contexts. Evoking seas, skies, and the landscapes in between, this program showcases the responses of some of Australia’s eminent composers, past and present. Featured works include: Ross Edwards - Nura, Miriam Hyde - Five Solos, Jan Preston - Eat Chocolate and Cry, Peter Sculthorpe - Songs of Sea and Sky and two short solos for flute and piano.

Phil Braithwaite flute, Cindy Fox piano

Friday 8 May 7.30pm MitCon Lithgow

Saturday 9 May 7.30pm MitCon Bathurst

Sunday 10 May 3.00pm Town Hall Forbes



Avan Yu and the Mitchell Chamber Orchestra A recital by Avan Yu was a highlight of the Bathurst Memorial En-tertainment Centre 2014 Season prompting an invitation for him to return in 2015. Joining Avun will be the Mitchell Chamber Orches-tra, western New South Wales’ newest professional chamber or-chestra, the flagship ensemble of the Mitchell Conservatorium Chamber Music Academy.

Avan Yu and the Mitchell Chamber Orchestra

Conductor: Ben Macpherson OAM

Tuesday 12 May 8.00pm

Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre

William Street Bathurst

Tickets: BMEC Box Office 02 6333 6161

Mitchell String Quartet MSQ members, Andrew Baker, Nicholas Newell, Fiona Thomp-son and Sybbi Georgiou, have been presenting chamber music concerts in the central west for over 30 years. MSQ is passion-ate about offering high quality, beautiful, accessible and well known chamber music repertoire to Central West audiences, as a regular feature of our concert calendar. Cindy Fox joins the quartet for this program as pianist in the magnificent Schumann Piano Quintet.

Mitchell String Quartet, Cindy Fox—piano

Friday 5 June 7.30pm MitCon Lithgow

Saturday 6 June 7.30pm MitCon Bathurst

Sunday 7 June 3.00pm Town Hall Forbes



The Bathurst Chamber Orchestra BCO and is recognised as one of the region’s leading community orchestras, playing a major role in providing audiences with accessible and affordable opportunities to enjoy live performanc-es of a wide range of well-known and new orchestral repertoire. Alongside performing traditional string-orchestra repertoire, the Orchestra regularly collaborates with professional Woodwind, Brass and Percussion players, as well as other ensembles such as the Allegri Singers for performances of works such as Handel’s Messiah and Haydn’s Creation.

Bathurst Chamber Orchestra, Leader/Conductor Andrew Baker

Friday 19 June 7.30pm Uniting Church Bathurst

Saturday 20 June 3.00pm Oberon High School Oberon



mitchell conservartorium newsletter term 1 & 2 2015

Documents