Nicholas Waters (Violin)
Nicholas completed his Bachelor of Music in 2012 at Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. In 2013 he commenced studies at the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) with Adam Chalabi whilst also participating in the Sydney Symphony Sinfonia, where he was awarded the inaugural Joan McKenzie Emerging Artist award.
In 2014, as a Fellow with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Nicholas toured to China, performed chamber music concerts throughout NSW and performed as a guest artist with Wilma and Friends. In 2015 he performed as a core player in Affinity Collective’s Open Rehearsals and Ballantyne Chamber Music Concert Series in Melbourne.
Nicholas has performed as a casual musician with the Sydney Symphony and Orchestra Victoria and in neumerous masterclasses.
He is currently studying violin with Robin Wilson and Sophie Rowell at the ANAM and won the Bach prize in the 2015 Kendall Violin Competition. Nicholas is also part of the ACO’s Emerging Artist Program.
Zoe Knighton (Cello)
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After starting cello at the age of nine with Jill Kahans, and graduating from the University of Melbourne with the highest mark of her year, Zoe went on to establish herself as one of the country’s most sought after cellists. Having studied with Christian Wojtowicz, Michel Strauss (Paris), Nelson Cooke, and Angela Seargeant, she has continued this legacy by teaching at The University of Melbourne, Victorian College of the Arts, Monash University, The University of Tasmania, The Australian Youth Orchestra, The Victorian Amateur Chamber Music Society, as well as other masterclasses and workshops.
Zoe has played numerous concertos with Melbourne orchestras, and with pianist Amir Farid made an impressive debut at the Melbourne Recital Centre to great critical acclaim in 2009. Their partnership continues with recordings for ABC, concerts throughout Australia and the release of five CDs on the MOVE label. She has been praised for her “thrilling tenor sound” (Limelight Magazine), “sublime phrasing”, and “many great technical demands which Knighton carried off with ease.”
Zoe continues to freelance ,is a regular panelist for national and international competitions and a founding member of Flinders Quartet.
Emily Granger (Harp)
Growing up in Kansas City, Emily began playing the harp at age 11. She has performed extensively with orchestras across the globe including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Opera Australia Orchestra, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Chicago Philharmonic, National Repertory Orchestra and National Orchestral Institute.
She earned her Bachelor of Music from Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music and her Masters of Music from the Chicago College of the Performing Arts. Some of Emily's most notable performances have included recitals at the Sydney Opera House Utzon Room, Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall, Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage, Curtis Institute of Music and Lyon & Healy Hall. She has performed with renowned musicians Yo-Yo Ma, Renée Fleming, Jonas Kaufmann and Janelle Monáe. Emily served as the Principal Harp of the Chicago Civic Orchestra from 2012-2014. Her performances are often heard internationally both live and recorded on WFMT and Fine Music Radio. She is the recipient of the 2015 Farewell Trust Award, first prize winner of the CCPA Concerto Competition, and semi-finalist at the Fischoff International Chamber Music Competition.
In 2012, Emily co-founded the Chicago Harp Quartet, the leading harp ensemble in the United States. The quartet has dedicated itself to presenting innovative, charismatic and forward-thinking programs that include original transcriptions as well as new commissions from composers across the globe. They will be releasing their second album later this year with original works by Alfredo Rolando Ortiz, Bruce Broughton and Paul Patterson.
Concert Program
Arafura dances: Concerto for guitar and string quartet, arranged for harp and string quartet.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791)
Duo for violin and viola in G major K 423, 1st Movement
Tanya Anisimova (1966 - )
Caravan for two cellos
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Ravi Shankar (1920 - 2012)
Sonata for Harp and cello
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Interval
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Franz Schubert (1797 - 1828)
Death and the Maiden,
String Quartet No. 14 in D minor
Additional pieces to be confirmed.
Helen Ireland (Viola)
Originally from Adelaide, Helen has made Melbourne her home since moving in 2000 to attend the Australian National Academy of Music. Helen is also a core member of the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra and teaches viola at Melbourne University. A graduate of the Canberra School of Music, Helen was awarded the Erica Haas prize for chamber music. She participated in several Australian Youth Orchestra tours, becoming principal viola of the Camerata in 1998. In 1996, Helen was a finalist in the viola competition at the International Winter School for Strings. Helen has worked with many leading Australian orchestras, including the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra and the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. She plays regularly with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Orchestra Victoria where she has been guest principal and associate principal. Helen is qualified as a Feldenkrais practitioner and looks forward to helping other musicians with this work.
Helen is a founding member of Flinders Quartet.
Shane Chen (Violin)
Shane burst onto the Australian music scene fresh from the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) as a string finalist in the 2012 Symphony Australia Young Performer Award competition and finalist in the ANAM concerto competition. During his two years of study (2011 – 2012) at ANAM under William Hennessey, Shane became a very active chamber music player and has performed in various chamber music series including Australian Voices, Melbourne Festival Quarttehaus and TSO Beethoven Festival recital series. Shane has appeared as soloist with Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Chamber Orchestra and Orchestra Victoria. He is currently a core member of the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra and regular guest with Orchestra Victoria.
Classical Fusion
Sat 16 & Sun 17 Sept 2017
Heather Lindsay (Cello)
Heather works with the Australian Ballet and Opera Orchestra and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, does session recording work and is a sought after educator. Heather was a member of the ensemble that played at the inaugural Craven Creek concert in September 2013.
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 with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, 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.