Jem Muharrem (Violin)
Jem leads a double-life as a performing musician and an arts manager. As a businessman, he’s currently the Sponsorship Manager at Fine Music 102.5, Sydney’s classical music and jazz radio station, where he looks after business development and client relationship for the organization. He also studies at a postgraduate level at UTS Business School.
As a violinist, Jem performs music of many different styles and cultures. He’s played for UK orchestras such as Royal Opera House, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Scottish Opera, Southbank Sinfonia and more. He’s toured with Dionne Warwick; guested with an Anglo-Turkish folk/rock/reggae
group; and was founder and leader of the improvisation collective Ensemble Pelato, who could be found jamming in places as diverse as medieval Tuscan hill-town piazzas, Joanna Lumley's barn conversion and the Bakerloo line on London’s Underground system
Alice Higgins (Violin)
Alice has performed, studied and taught the violin in the UK, Germany and Australia. Always in search of a challenge, Alice has completed her Masters of Music in Freiburg, Germany; performed Brahms’ Violin Concerto under English National Opera’s Edward Gardner, joined one the UK’s busiest chamber orchestras, Southbank Sinfonia, performing over 60 concerts in 9 months; toured the UK with Dionne Warwick; and played with some of the world’s top ensembles including Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, BBC Concert Orchestra and Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.
A passionate educator, Alice currently runs a busy teaching studio of over 20 students, tutors at Fort Street High School and conducts Sydney Youth Orchestra’s youngest budding orchestral stars, Speer Orchestra.
Luke Spicer (Viola)
Luke graduated with a Masters of Viola Performance from the Sydney Conservatorium in 2009, he has also studied in Manchester and Freiburg. He was a founding member of the Greenway String Quartet, which won the Musica Viva Chamber Music Award and was a finalist in the Australian Chamber Music Competition. He was also the Guest Principal Viola of the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra in 2015.
He has also performed as a member of the Sculthorpe String Quartet, and performs regularly with the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, Sydney Philharmonia and the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Luke has also collaborated on various chamber music projects with musicians including Brett Dean, Kees Boersma, Helena Rathbone and Marshall Maguire. Luke has appeared as a soloist with the Sydney Youth Philharmonic Orchestra in 2001, and also with The Occasional Performing Symphonia.
Concert Program
Antonio Lauro
Tres Piezas Venezuelanas
Murilo Tanouye
Maurice Ravel
Sonata for Violin and Cello (Mvmts 1 & 2)
Jem Muharrem (Violin)and Heather LIndsay (Cello)
Antonio Vivaldi
D Major Lute Concerto RV93
Murilo Tanouye and Dangar Quartet
Ottorino Resphighi
2 pieces for Clarinet and String Trio
i. Aria Italiana
ii. Aria di Corte
Amy Whyte, Alice Higgins, Luke Spicer and Heather Lindsay
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Phillip Houghton
In Amber
Murilo Tanouye and Dangar Quartet
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Interval
Arvo Part
Fratres
Dangar Quartet
Mozart
Clarinet Quintet in A major K 581
Amy Whyte (clarinet) and Dangar Quartet
Heather Lindsay (Cello)
Heather studied at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music where she graduated with a Bachelor of Music (Performance) with Honours and then went on to complete a Master of Music (Performance/Research) also at the Sydney Conservatorium .
Heather was part of the award winning Greenway String Quartet. The Henderson Scholarship allowed them to study at both the Freiburg Hochschule für Musik in Germany, and The Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, UK. The quartet was a finalist at the Asia Pacific Chamber Music Competition, performed in festivals in Austria, China, Germany and England, as well as locally in Sydney and regional NSW. Individually Heather has also performed at Summer Music Festivals in regional Spain, the Lake District in the UK and at the Four Winds Festival in NSW. She has played with the Sydney Camerata Chamber Orchestra and has ventured into the theatre world, working on the Sydney productions of the Broadway shows Wicked and Doctor Zhivago.
After completing a contract with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra she has been busy performing, recording and is a sought after educator. Heather was a member of the ensemble that played at the inaugural Craven Creek concert in September 2013, along with oboist Angus Lindsay.
Amy Whyte (Clarinet)
Sydney-born clarinettist, Amy graduated with a Bachelor of Music Performance (First Class Honours) from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 2010, under the guidance of Frank Celata and Elizabeth Lim. Amy performed and toured with the Sydney Youth Orchestra from 2006-2010 and was the Principal Clarinettist of the Australian Youth Orchestra in 2014. After participating in the Summer Clarinet Masterclass at the Chigiana Academy in the beautiful Tuscan town of Sienna, Amy fell in love with Italy and 2012-2013 found her studying at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome with world-renowned clarinet maestro Alessandro Carbonare. While in Europe Amy performed in many festivals and masterclasses, most notably the Aurora Festival in Sweden and the International Clarinet Seminar in Spain under the guidance of Yehuda Gilad.
Since her return from overseas, Amy has been freelancing with the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra Sinfonia, Orchestra Victoria and was the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra’s Clarinet Fellow for 2014. Amy is currently studying at the Australian National Academy of Music in Melbourne.
Murilo Tanouye (Guitar)
Born in Brazil, Murilo began his musical career learning Bossa Nova and classical guitar from Renato Candro, a self-taught musician that showed him the guitar style of Brazilian legends such as Baden Powell, Joao Gilberto and Garoto. At 16 years of age, Murilo was awarded a full scholarship to study in the US with distinguished American classical guitarist Carl Bernstein. Two years later he was the recipient of another scholarship to pursue further studies at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in Sydney under the tutelage of Gregory Pikler. In 2007, Murilo successfully completed his B.Mus. performance degree with First Class Honours and immediately began his post-graduate studies upon receiving an Australian Postgraduate Award from the Australian Government.
Murilo’s wide range of musical interests has led him to pursue creative collaborations in a variety of ensembles and musical contexts. His fluency in both the electric and acoustic guitar is showcased in four albums with different groups and ensembles: ‘Black Pearl’ (2013) with Roger Vs The Man, a folk/progressive rock extravaganza with Zappa-esque arrangements; ‘Five Coffees‘ (2012), the energetic self-titled EP that mixes raw funk/hiphop with elements of neo-soul, motown and RnB, ‘Mountain Girl’ (2011) with indie-rock band Civilians and Histoire du Tango (2010) with saxophonist Nick Russoniello, winner of the 2011 edition of the ABC Young Performer Award.
His performance career across Australia has been extensive and diverse, featuring recitals and concerts with a variety of ensembles and covering cities and regional areas in NSW, QLD, VIC and Tasmania. Performing highlights include an opening show with Civilians for the Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes’ Australian tour at FOX Studios, a collaboration with Japanese drumming ensemble TaikOz as guitarist and composer for the Urban Fusion concert series and a tour of Korea and Hong Kong with the award-winning dance company Legs On The Wall performing ‘Symphony’ by theatre composer Stefan Gregory.