Dimity Hall

Violin

Dimity has performed across Australia and throughout the world for over three decades, as a member of both the Australia Ensemble UNSW and as a founding member of the widely-acclaimed Goldner String Quartet. After a distinguished career, the ‘Goldners’ celebrated their 30th and final season in 2024 with all founding members intact - a rare accomplishment.

Dimity joined the Australia Ensemble in 1992 when a new core position was created for her, after six years of being a frequent guest artist. With both chamber ensembles Dimity has made numerous critically-acclaimed recordings, on labels such as Hyperion Records, ABC Classics, Tall Poppies and Naxos.

Prior to joining the AE, she held the position of Principal Second Violin with the Australian Chamber Orchestra. Dimity has performed as a soloist with the Sydney Symphony and Canberra Symphony Orchestras as well as with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Queensland’s Camerata, and numerous community orchestras. She has appeared as guest principal with the SSO, and guest concertmaster for the Melbourne and Adelaide Symphony Orchestras. She has also performed as a chamber musician for the Sydney International Piano Competition and for Selby and Friends.

Dimity is fortunate to have had 2 outstanding teachers: Alice Waten, throughout under-graduate studies at the Sydney Conservatorium, and Herman Krebbers at the Sweelinck Conservatorium in Amsterdam for 2 intensive post-graduate years. She has mentored young musicians through programs of Musica Viva Australia, the Sydney Conservatorium, the Sydney and Australian Youth Orchestras and the Australian National Academy of Music. She has also served as a juror for competitions, such as the Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition. Dimity’s solo recording of Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending is released on ABC Classics

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Konstantin Shamray

Piano

Described as an exhilarating performer with faultless technique and fearless command of the piano, Australian based pianist Konstantin Shamray enjoys performing on an international level with the world’s leading orchestras and concert presenters.  

In 2008, Konstantin burst onto the concert scene when he won First Prize at the Sydney International Piano Competition. He is the first and only competitor to date in the 40 years of the competition to win both First and People’s Choice Prizes, in addition to six other prizes. He then went on to win First Prize at the 2011 Klavier Olympiade in Bad Kissingen, Germany, and, he was awarded the festival’s coveted Luitpold Prize for “outstanding musical achievements”. 

Since then, Konstantin performs extensively throughout the world. In Australia recent and future highlights include engagements with the Sydney Symphony, Australian Chamber Orchestra, West Australia Symphony, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Tasmania Symphony,

Queensland Symphony and the Dunedin Symphony 

Konstantin has also enjoyed highly successful national tours with Musica Viva with players of ANAM.  Outside of Australia he has performed with the Russian National Philharmonic, the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, Moscow Virtuosi, Orchestre National de Lyon, Prague Philharmonia, Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra and the Calgary Philharmonic.  

Chamber music plays a strong role in Konstantin’s musical career and collaborations include engagements with the Australian String Quartet, Richard Tognetti, Satu Vanska, Li-Wei Qin, Kristian Winther, Daniel Muller-Schott, Jeroens Berwaerts, Kristof Barati and Andreas Brantelid to name a few.  He is a firm favourite at the Ukaria Cultural Centre appearing frequently each season.  Konstantin is also a regular guest artist at the Adelaide Festival, the International Piano Series, the Melbourne Recital Centre and Medici Concert Series.  He performs frequently for Piano+ and was appointed their Artistic Director of the most recent OutWest Festival.  

Konstantin was recently appointed Senior Lecturer in Piano at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music at the University of Melbourne. 

Julian Smiles

Cello

Julian Smiles has for over 30 years been a central figure in cello performance and teaching in Australia. He launched his professional career at the age of 19, when he was appointed Principal Cello with the Australian Chamber Orchestra.

In 1991 he was invited to join the UNSW based Australia Ensemble, and in 1995 formed the Goldner String Quartet with colleagues Dene Olding, Dimity Hall and Irina Morozova. With these two chamber groups he has performed to critical acclaim at major venues and festivals throughout the world, made over 30 CDs on leading labels, and premiered many works by Australian and international composers.

Julian’s performances over the years have included artistic collaborations with musicians such as Piers Lane, Tasmin Little, William Barton, Edgar Meyer, Joseph Tawadros, Alexander Sitkovetsky, Amy Dickson and James Crabb.

Active as a soloist with numerous concerto appearances, Julian has also premiered works for solo cello by eminent Australian composers such as Carl Vine, Mark Isaacs and Ross Edwards.

As 2024 marked the 30th and final year of the the Goldner String Quartet, Julian looks forward to continued opportunities to expand his profile as an individual musician.

Julian is sought after as a teacher and chamber music coach. He has held teaching positions at the Australian Institute of Music and Canberra School of Music, and is currently Senior Lecturer and Discipline Lead for Strings at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Julian plays on an 1827 Lorenzo Ventapane cello.

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