chamber orchestra
Kirsty McCahon
Double Bass
Born in remote Carnarvon W.A., educated in Melbourne, Paris and Rome, Kirsty is the leading practitioner of Historical Performance Practice on the Double Bass and Violone in Australia. Kirsty held the position of Principal Bass with the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra for 20 years, and is currently the Principal Bass with Pinchgut, Australian Romantic and Classical Orchestra, Bach Akademie Australia and is extremely proud to be associated with Tasmania’s musical gem, Van Diemen’s Band.A founding member of the acclaimed Australian World Orchestra, Kirsty was a featured soloist in the world premier of the acclaimed Elena Kats-Chernin’s Concerto for 8 Basses, “The Witching Hour.”Cherishing her work with Australia’s finest contemporary composers, Kirsty was a founding member of Elision. She collaborates regularly with composers, ensembles and Australian art luminaries such as Ensemble Offspring, Sydney Chamber Opera, Genevieve Lacey, Elena Kats- Chernin, Kate Moore, David Malouf,Ken Unsworth and Claire Edwards bringing new Australian music to life. A solo bass CD of works for Kirsty’s unique musical style by Australia’s leading female composers, released early in 2020.Passionate about education and the power of music to create social change, Kirsty was recently invited to be a Moorambilla Voices Ambassador. The transformative nature of this program speaks to the very heart of her work with children and youth and the ever more compelling imperative to bring together regional and rural Australia with the cities through the power of the creative arts. A committed educator of young women, Kirsty conducts workshops around the globe and is regularly invited to contribute to panels and forums. In 2014 was invited to mentor at Sydney’s inaugural ‘Women of the World’ conference. An Australian Youth Orchestra alumna, Kirsty tutors the next generations of fine young musicians around the country. A firm believer in “giving back ”, Kirsty and her bass playing husband Kees Boersma, created and funded a string program at Leichhardt Primary School which has evolved into one of the strongest music programs in an a NSW public school.Kirsty is a Churchill Fellow and in 2012 was recognised by being awarded an Honorary Fellow at the University of Melbourne for her Services to Orchestral Music.Kirsty lives in Sydney, sharing her home with a bevy of beautiful old basses, two creative and curious boys, a talented husband and a white cat called Coco who just decided to moved in. An ardent environmentalist, her heart resides deep in the country of this wide, brown land.
Christina Leonard
Saxophone
Christina Leonard is one of Australia’s leading Saxophonists performing both nationally and Internationally.She has appeared as a soloist withthe Australian Brandenburg Orchestra’s and a featured artist with both the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and the Australian Opera Ballet Orchestra. She has performed for many years with both orchestras and has performed orchestrally in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Malaysia, in Singapore with the Australian World Orchestra and in Hobart as a soloist with the Tasmania Symphony Orchestra. Christina has also performed with the ACO, the Song Company, Match Percussion, Synergy, and the Sonic Art Ensemble and will be touring with SSO to Europe at the end of the year.Christina is artistic director of the Australian World Orchestra’s Chamber Music Festival in the Southern Highlands. She has made many recordings and live broadcasts for ABC Classic FM and Fine Music FM.Christina has premiered many newly commissioned pieces in a variety of contexts, including at the Utzon Room Chamber music series at the Opera House, the Canberra International Music Festival and next year at the Four Winds Festival.Christina was awarded a Queens Trust Scholarship to complete a postgraduate degree at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London. Christina completed her Masters of Music (Performance) at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and has been lecturing Saxophone, examining and facilitating workshops and classes there since 1996. Christina was the first Saxophonist to be invited to direct an Australian Voices Program at ANAM.Christina’s is also a Senior examiner for the AMEB and her transcriptions of Baroque music for Saxophone and keyboard, are included on the current AMEB and ABRSM, (London) Syllabi.Christina continues to champion opportunities for classical Saxophone commissions and performances and is the first Australian to be endorsed as an International Artist with Japanese instrument maker Yanagisawa.
Veronique Serret
First Violin
Veronique has established herself as a versatile violinist whose repertoire ranges from baroque to contemporary art music, folk,rock and improvisation.Recent highlights include a solo performance of Arvo Part’s Tabula Rasa with the Sydney Symphony, Tchaikovsky violin concerto with the Australian Doctors Orchestra, being part of the band for Opera Australia’s The Rabbits and a tour of Europe and South America with Sydney Dance Company performing Bach’s Partita N.2 in Dminor , which she recorded as her debut album interspersed with electronic interludes by Australian composer Nick Wales.Veronique’s passion for both classical and modern music has made her an obvious choice for crossover projects. She has led symphony orchestras for Giorgio Moroder, Cinematic Orchestra, Jonsi and Sarah Blasko’s Opera House shows as well as directing string quartets for Damon Albarn, Neil Gaiman, Missy Higgins, Ed Kuepper and Above & Beyond.Since 2010 Veronique has been a member of US folk harpist Joanna Newsom’s band as both violinist and backing vocalist touring with her internationally.Veronique was a member of the Australan Chamber Orchestra for many years and Concertmaster of the Darwin Symphony Orchestra from 2014-2016. In the territory, Veronique was fortunate to experience indigenous culture first hand performing at Barunga and Walking with Spirits festivals as well as presenting education concerts in Arnhemland.Veronique is currently based in Sydney where she continues a rich, diverse musical life. She is a core member of the award winning Ensemble Offspring and enjoys life in the recording studio where her credits include many albums and feature films. Always interested in collaborating with today’s composers, she hopes to record her next album later this year featuring new works for 6 string electric violin and effects.
Madeleine Easton
First Violin
Recently returned from 18 years living and working in the UK and Europe, and having established herself as a formidable force on the international early music scene, Madeleine Easton returns to Australia to devote all her energies to the further success of her brainchild, Bach Akademie Australia.She has appeared as both guest and permanent concertmaster of many major orchestras world wide including the Orquesta Sinfonica de Madrid under Thomas Hengelbrock and Paul McCreesh, the Gulbenkian Foundation Orchestra of Lisbon, The English Baroque Soloists, the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, the Australian World Orchestra, The Kings Consort, The Gabrieli Consort, the Hanover Band, The Academy of Ancient Music, Florilegium, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, and the Orchestra Revolutionaire et Romantique amongst others.Her special talent of combining both period and modern styles of violin playing has led her to form a special relationship with the Royal Academy of Music in London where she has directed the Bach Cantata Series since it’s inception in 2009, and has directed the Baroque Orchestra, the first year String Orchestra and the Modern Instrument Period Orchestra. Other educational opportunities have included teaching period style on modern instruments for the World Orchestra at the Schleswig Holstein Festival in Germany, the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester and Monash University in Melbourne.Madeleine has performed on many award winning recordings including much of the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage, B minor Mass and Lutheran masses with the Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque Soloists, the complete Brahms and Beethoven Symphony cycles with the Orchestre Revolutionaire e Romantique, Haydn’s ‘Creation’, Mendelssohn’s Elijah and Mozart’s C Minor Mass with the Gabrieli Consort to name a few. She has released the complete piano trios of Alexis de Castillon with her piano trio ‘Trio Castillon’, available on Peyrole Records. She has also recorded the Antoine Reicha Bassoon Quintet and variations with the all Australian ensemble, ‘Island’ available on the ARS label.Madeleine plays on a 1682 Giovanni Grancino violin and a 1704 Jo. Bapt. Rogeri baroque violin.
Julia Russoniello
Second Violin
Sydney-based violinist Julia Russoniello is a current doctoral candidate at the University of Sydney and also holds a Bachelor of Music with Honours and a Masters of Music. Specialising in historical performance, Julia has performed in masterclasses for Elisa Citterio, Riccardo Minasi and Stephano Montenari and recently received a Global Mobility Scholarship to attend the Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Festival in Toronto.Julia has performed with the Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra, Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra, Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, Salut! Baroque, Orchestra of the Antipodes, Bach Akademie Australia and has been recorded live for ABC Classics and Fine Music 102.5. Julia is a core member of the Golden Age Quartet, an ensemble that presents 1920s inspired performances and this year will feature at Sydney’s Independent Theatre, Classical Sundays @Newtown and Phoenix Central Park. Julia’s current project The Golden Age Quartet emulates the musical style of early twentieth-century icons such as Rudy Wiedoeft, Daisy Kennedy and The Clive Amadio Quartet and will release a debut album in 2021.
Christopher Bennett
Cello
Greater Sydney Area · Cellist · Freelance musician.
Nicole Forsyth
Viola
Violist, Nicole Forsyth loves storytelling through music.Nicole co-founded Ironwood in 2006 and is currently Artistic Curator of BachBand@StJames, resident at the historic St James Church King St, Sydney. She was Principal Viola for Pinchgut Opera 2001-2015, amongst others. Her discography as principal & solo viola includes over 50 recordings for ABC Classics & other companies.Nicole’s career has featured work for Big hART Inc, Moorambilla Voices, Bundanon Trust, Ensemble Offspring, most of the HIP companies in Australia, and has collaborated with numerous Australian composers.Nicole lectures in the Historical Performance Division at Sydney Conservatorium of Music, & teaches at St Marys’ North Public School & Abbotsleigh, Wahroonga as well as national, regional & western Sydney youth music companies. Her PhD research, in collaboration with Sydney Living Museums, looks at the music collection of Rouse Hill House & Farm 1813-1986, on Dharug country, north western Sydney.
Henry Justo
Viola
Henry is an emerging violist hailing from sunny Brisbane, continuing training at the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) with Caroline Henbest in 2021.Henry completed undergraduate study with Roger Benedict at the Sydney Conservatorium, receiving the Elise Herrman and Henderson Travelling Scholarships. Previously, he was a student of Michele Walsh at the Queensland Conservatorium where he performed as soloist with the Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra and Johannes Fritzsch, subsequently being awarded prizes for Most Outstanding String Instrumentalist and Highest Results. Henry was awarded scholarships at the Sommerakademie Mozarteum and Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival, and played in masterclasses for Hartmut Rohde, Veronika Hagen, Christoph Schiller, Anna Serova, Tobias Lea, as well as the Danel, Australian, Elias, and Borodin String Quartets.Henry has performed as a casual musician with the Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO) and Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and in 2018 was an ACO Emerging Artist, performing nationwide with the ACO Collective. Particular highlights of this time include quartet performances with Pekka Kuusisto and Matthew Truscott, in addition to recording an album of new Australian music for the Hush Foundation. Henry continues to work with the Hush Foundation in Melbourne in addition to the ACO Inspire Quartet.
Elizabeth Jeremica
Cello
Dr. Elisabeth Jeremica is an accomplished artist-teacher recently moved to Sydney from the United States. With over a decade of private teaching experience, Dr. Jeremica teaches students of all ages and backgrounds from beginners to collegiate level. Dr. Jeremica works with students across the greater Sydney area, including Leichhardt Public, Wilkins Public, Queenwood School for Girls, as well as programs Symphony for Life and The Arts Unit in Lewisham.Graduating with a Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in Cello Performance, Dr. Jeremica served as the cello studio Graduate Teaching Associate at The Ohio State Universityunder the tutelage of pedagogue Mark Rudoff. Previously, Dr. Jeremica was the Graduate Cello Assistant at the Penn State University School of Music, where she taught and played in conjunction with masters-level study. There she studied with soloist Kim Cook and was a member of the PSU Grad String Quartet. Dr. Jeremica holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Cello Performance from DePaul University School of Music in Chicago, IL, where she studied under former Chicago Symphony Orchestra assistant-principal Stephen Balderston.During her time in the in the USA, Dr. Jeremica maintained an active freelance schedule, performing regularly for organisations across the Midwest. She is also co-founder and co-director of the Columbus-based interactive chamber music series Chamber Brews, a series which shares performer, composer, and audience perspectives on music in an accessible atmosphere.
Kerryn Joyce
Percussion
Kerryn joined Taikoz in 2001 and is regularly seen on the mainstage as a taiko soloist, dancer, singer and shinobue player. As a taiko performer Kerryn has toured nationally and internationally, collaborating with many esteemed artists and musicians, most notably Anandavalli, Sandy Evans, Kodo, Kaoru Watanabe, Kenny Endo, Eitetsu Hayashi, Yoko Fujimoto, Yoshikazu Fujimoto, Chieko Kojima, and composer Lachlan Skipworth and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.Kerryn has been a creative force in most of Taikoz’s major projects, including collaborations with John Bell and the Bell Shakespeare Company in Pericles, Meryl Tankard in Kaidan, Andrea Molino and the Queensland Symphony Orchestra and Dresden Symfoniker in Winners, Eitetsu Hayashi and Fuun no Kai in Natures Rhythm, Gerard Brophy and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in The Book Of Clouds, various professional symphony orchestras in Maki Ishii’s Mono-Prism, Kodo & Taikoz In Concert, Anandavalli and Lingalayam in Australian and Indian tours of Chi Udaka, and most recently with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in Taikoz Meets The SSO at the Sydney Opera House.Kerryn has studied Japanese traditional folk dances with Kodo member Chieko Kojima and folk songs, lullabies and Ainu songs with Yoko Fujimoto, also of Kodo. She graduated with a Bachelor of Music from the University of Queensland, and a Postgraduate Diploma from the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University. As a percussionist, Kerryn often performs with the Opera Australia Orchestra.
Nick Russoniello
Soprano Saxophone
Nick Russoniello is a highly accomplished saxophonist and composer with an exciting career both in Australia and abroad. Nick has been the recipient of a number of major awards including the ABC Symphony Australia Young Performer of the Year Award and the Fine Music Kruger Scholarship. He has appeared as a soloist with the Adelaide, Queensland, Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney Symphony Orchestras and as a guest artist with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Australian World Orchestra and the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra. Nick is also a sought-after chamber musician. His chamber ensembles Continuum Sax, Duo Histoire and The Golden Age Project perform regularly across the country for organisations including Musica Viva Australia, ABC Classic FM and Phoenix Central Park.Nick’s original compositions for saxophone are regularly performed by saxophonist around the globe. They were recently featured at the World Saxophone Congress in Zagreb, the European Saxophone Festival, Porto and on a tour of the U.S.A by Duo Obax. In 2019 Nick undertook a European tour, presenting his compositions at the Royal College of Music (London) and the Conservatorio Di Musica G. Verdi (Milan) and the Conservatoire De Strasbourg (France).In 2021, Nick has performed and presented his own compositions as part of Sydney Festival, City Recital Hall’s Lunchtime Series, a Musica Viva Australia Regional Tour and for the Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra’s Voyages of Musical Discovery series.Nick is currently a doctoral candidate at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, where he tutors Composition for the Creative Industries. He is a Yamaha Australia Artist, D’addario Woodwind artist and an associate artist of The Australian Music Centre.