Daniel Herscovitch studied with Alexander Sverjensky in Sydney and Rosl Schmid in Germany. While resident in Europe he performed extensively on the continent and in Britain as well as touring Australia three times. Since returning to Sydney he has been busy as concerto soloist, recitalist and in chamber music.
Daniel is currently Senior Lecturer in Piano at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music where he also lectures in piano pedagogy and chamber music. His CDs have been released on Tall poppies, CSM, Continuum and Tall Poppies labels

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Elissa Milne is an Australian-born, New Zealand-raised composer who has specialised in writing educational piano music. With over 20 publications (and her music included in many more anthologies), all major examination boards have her music included in their syllabuses, and eisteddfods, festivals and competitions around the world set her pieces for young pianists to perform.

Elissa began teaching the piano as a young high school student, and since 1989 has maintained a busy private teaching studio in Sydney. Elissa has taught classroom music, tutored HSC music students, worked as an accompanist in both classical and cabaret contexts, and been part of composer-in-residence school programs.

Her studies in composition were taken at the University of Auckland, followed by studies in semiotics and performances studies at the University of Sydney. Later she also studied education, management and arts administration.

Elissa is regularly invited to present at piano teacher conferences and piano pedagogy courses both in Australia and overseas, and has a strong interest in piano pedagogy research and theories of post-diatonic harmony. She has recently become involved in the Australian Children's Music Foundation, which is dedicated to making music education available to all Australian children, and which uses music to develop children's self-esteem and emotional maturity. In addition, Elissa writes music theatre, and feature articles for parenting magazines.

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For the past 30 years, Geoffrey Lancaster has been at the forefront of the historically informed performance practice movement.

Geoffrey Lancaster is Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of La Cetra Barockorchester Basel. He has appeared as conductor or soloist with all of the Symphony Australia orchestras and the Australian Chamber Orchestra. Geoffrey has been frequent guest Director with the Tasmanian Symphony Chamber Players since 1987. He is also Artistic Director and fortepianist with Ensemble of the Classic Era.

The most distinguished Australian pianist of his generation, Lancaster’s recent international engagements include appearances as soloist with the Gürzenich Orchestra Köln, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble 415 of Geneva, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra of Toronto, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. This season he has already performed to critical acclaim as soloist at the Alte Oper Frankfurt; the Auditorio y Centro de Congresos Victor Villegas in Murcia, Spain; Hatchlands Park in Surrey; De Doelen in Rotterdam, the Music Centre Vredenberg in Utrecht, and the Kölner Philharmonie.

As a recording artist, Geoffrey’s 30 CDs have won many awards including a Gramophone award for Best Recording, the ARIA Best Classical Recording, and Soundscapes Editor’s Choice. Geoffrey is currently recording the complete keyboard sonatas of Joseph Haydn for the Melba label. He has also recorded for ABC Classics, ABC Classics ‘Antipodes’, Tall Poppies, Sony Classical, and Supraphon.

Geoffrey Lancaster was the first Australian to win a major international keyboard competition, receiving First Prize in the 23rd Festival van Vlaanderen International Mozart Fortepiano Competition, Brugge.

An inspiring teacher and public intellectual, Lancaster undertakes regular residencies at significant European conservatoria including: the Royal Conservatorium, the Hague; the Sweelinck Conservatorium, Amsterdam; Manchester’s Royal Northern College of Music; the Hochschule für Musik, Freiburg; and the Basel Musik Akademie. He also facilitates, conducts and teaches on a regular basis for the Australian National Academy of Music.

In 1996, Geoffrey Lancaster was Associate Professor at the Royal College of Music, London. Since 2002 he has been at the Australian National University where he is Professor, and since 1999 has been visiting Professor of fortepiano at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, Switzerland.

Lancaster received the Australian Artists Creative Fellowship from the Commonwealth of Australia for his outstanding artistic contribution to the nation. He was subsequently awarded the HC Coombs Creative Fellowship by the Australian National University. In 2006 Geoffrey Lancaster was named Australian of the Year for the Australian Capital Territory, and was awarded the Order of Australia for service to music and music education. In 2007, Geoffrey was appointed Honorary Professor of the University of Tasmania, and was elected a Fellow of the Australian College of Educators.

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Graham Hair divides his time between Scotland, the United States and Australia. In Scotland, he is Professor Emeritus of Music at Glasgow University and Research Fellow of the University’s Centre for Music Technology; in the United States he conducts composer-residencies and concerts (eg forthcoming 2009 tour of Maryland, Delaware and Virginia with his ensemble Scottish Voices); in Australia he was Australia Council Composition Fellow 2003-2006, and is Co-Investigator on the Microtonal Project 2008-2010, funded by the Australian Research Council. Other recent (2001-2009) funding includes 9 awards from the Arts and Humanities Research Board (UK), 3 from the British Academy, 2 from the Scottish Arts Council, and 1 from the Carnegie Trust.

Current commissions include Ecstasy and Enlightenment for the Edinburgh Quartet, Pacific Pathways for the Orchestra of Scottish Opera and A Playford Medley with Quodlibets for the 2009 Darwin Bicentennial Conference in London. His largest solo piano composition is the collection of Transcendental Concert Studies currently being prepared for CD release (Metronome Recordings) by Martin Jones, and selections from which have been issued (Move Recordings) by Michael Kieran Harvey. Other compositions include Into the Shores of Light for the BBC SSO (recorded on ERM by the Czech Radio Symphony in 2007).

Compositions for solo women's voices (SSA or SSAA), composed for the ensembles Halcyon (Sydney), Pandora’s Vox (Boston), Mockingbirds (San Francisco) and Scottish Voices (Glasgow) are a particular feature of his output: either unaccompanied or (more often) accompanied by solo instrumentalist, ensemble or orchestra: for example, Seven Words (SSAA/cor anglais/harmonium), O Venezia (SSAA/harp), Sibylline Voices (SSA/ensemble), Octet with Voices (SSAA/string quartet), The Rainbow Serpent (SSAA/orchestra) and countless arrangements (SSAA/piano or SSAA/ensemble of Kern, Gershwin, Porter, Berlin, Arlen and Rodgers as well as items from the salsa, gospel and jazz-rock repertoires.

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Jody Heald is based in Tasmania where she has a busy teaching practice, which includes accompaniment and co-artist activities.
She provides master class and adjudication services around the country and is an AMEB and Tasmanian Qualifications Authority Examiner.
Jody is an AMEB Consultant for Piano and Pedagogical matters and is currently a Director on the AMEB Federal Board, Chairman of the AMEB Tasmanian State Committee, and State President of the Tasmanian Music Teachers’ Association.

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Jerard studied at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music with the late Sonja Hanke, graduating with a Bachelor of Music degree with High Distinction. After winning numerous awards and competitions, he travelled to the United States where he completed a Master of Music in piano performance at the prestigious Peabody Institute, where he won the school’s memorial piano award for outstanding achievement. Major teachers at this time included Julian Martin and Marc Durand, whilst also participating in the master classes of Leon Fleisher, Vladimir Feltsman and Ann Schein. Jerard has also participated in many international festivals including Aspen, Calgary, Banff and Orford.

In Australia, he has taught successfully at all levels, with past teaching positions including Piano Faculty of the Newcastle Conservatorium, where he frequently performed as a soloist and chamber musician, the Australian Institute of Music, and as a regular member of the Pan Pacific Piano school in Colloroy. He has adjudicated at many major eisteddfods, conducts workshops for the MTA and UMTA branches throughout NSW, and is a piano examiner for the Australian Music Examinations Board.

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Kerin Bailey graduated from the University of Adelaide with an Honours degree in music, majoring in Classical piano. He has been a music lecturer with TAFE and the University of SA and has composed and published some of Australia’s most popular teaching materials - most notably the Jazzin’ Around and Jazz Incorporated series for piano, strings, winds and brass. His most recent release is Jazzin’ Around 6 for piano.
Kerin is one of Adelaide’s most versatile pianists, and is especially noted for renditions of jazz standards with a 'Classical' touch. He has worked with some of Australia’s leading jazz musicians and popular artists such as Kate Ceberano, Frankie Davidson, Judith Durham and Normie Rowe.

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Margaret began her piano studies in Melbourne, and later, studied in London, with English pianist David Wilde. She became an examiner for the AMEB in her mid 20’s and joined the staff of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 1986. Margaret then became Head of keyboard at the Australian Institute of Music. During that time she became the Director of the summer ‘Pan Pacific Piano Schools’ for close to 15 years. She has also been a guest teacher and has given master classes at many festivals, conferences and universities, both in Australia, the USA, New Zealand, Singapore and Korea.
Margaret’s students have won most of the major piano awards in Australia over the past 30 years, including the Landa, the Menhuin and Vlassenko (2nd place), the Symphony Australia’s ‘Young Performer of the Year’ (a number of times), the City of Sydney Scholarship (a number of times), the Rex Hobcroft Award, the Werner Baer Award, and many others. International prizes include the Sydney International, the Cincinnati, the Mozart , the Horowitz and others. Margaret has maintained a private teaching studio throughout her career.

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Natasha Vlassenko was born in Moscow and graduated from Moscow Central Music School and Moscow Conservatory under Professor Jakob Flier and pursued postgraduate studies with her father, Professor Lev Vlassenko. As a student she was awarded the prestigious Tchaikovsky Scholarship.

Natasha has won major prizes in several international competitions including the Beethoven International Piano Competition in Vienna and the Busoni International Piano Competition in Balzano, Italy. She has given recitals in many countries and has played under the baton of Rozhdestvensky, Osterriher, Pletnev, Martin, Verbitsky, Chivjel, Hickox and others.

Before coming to Australia, Natasha Vlassenko taught in the Central Music School of Moscow Conservatory and is now a Head of Piano Department and senior Lecturer at the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University. Many of her students became winners of major National and International piano competitions and scholarships.

In 1999 Natasha Vlassenko and Oleg Stepanov (below) became the founders and artistic directors of the Lev Vlassenko Piano Competition, which has become the most significant national piano competition in Australia.

Living in Australia Natasha maintains her national and international performance and teaching career. This year engagements include concerts and masterclasses in Germany, Russia, Hong Kong , Taiwan and Australia.

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Oleg Stepanov was born in Riga, Latvia and completed his undergraduate and postgraduate studies at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory under Professor Lev Vlassenko.

In 1988 Oleg won the First Prize and Grand Prize at the prestigious international competition ‘Music de Chambre’ in Florence, Italy. Since then, he has performed widely throughout the former USSR and recorded for Moscow Radio and Television. He has appeared as a soloist and ensemble player in the former USSR, Germany, Sweden, Italy, Bulgaria, Poland Hungary, Hong Kong, Japan and Australia.

His teaching career began at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, where he was invited to join the piano department. Oleg has been teaching at the Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University since 1992 and currently is a Coordinator of the Young Conservatorium Piano Program. Many of his students became winners of major National and International piano competitions and scholarships.

In 1999 Oleg Stepanov and Natasha Vlassenko (above) became the founders and artistic directors of the Lev Vlassenko Piano Competition, which has become the most significant national piano competition in Australia.

Living in Australia, Oleg maintains his national and international performance and teaching career. This year, engagements include concerts and masterclasses in Germany, Russia, Taiwan and Australia.

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Rosalind Carlson is an Australian composer and music educationalist who enjoys success as a teacher, lecturer, conductor, performer and adjudicator. As an Australian composer her works are gaining international recognition and performance. Most of her woodwind compositions are published by Phylloscopus (UK). The remainder of her works are published by Flexi-Fingers (Sydney).

All of Rosalind's music is quite accessible. Her compositions are included in the St Cecilia Music Examination Board listings, and as a representative composer available from the Australian Music Centre and Flexi-Fingers Publications (P.O. Box 3304 Dural NSW 2158).

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B.A. (UTS), B.Mus. (UNSW), A.Mus.A, M.Mus., MMTA

Susan Deas is a professional musician, lecturer and teacher. She has been teaching piano for fifteen years, with an emphasis on giving her students a broad understanding of music. Her students learn both classical and contemporary styles, including training in classical performance, technique, theory, sight reading, aural skills, playing by ear and improvisation. She also assists other piano teachers in teaching improvisation and playing by ear. Susan has been performing as a professional pianist for two decades at various venues in Sydney and Newcastle, including hotels, clubs, restaurants, reception centres, churches and retirement villages. She has performed in orchestras, brass bands, concert bands, choirs, jazz bands, rock bands, and a Renaissance ensemble. Susan has also directed and conducted several performance groups, and arranged music for many groups and special occasions. Susan is a regular lecturer at Sydney University’s Centre for Continuing Education and at WEA, where her music appreciation courses such as “A Beginner’s Guide to Classical Music” and “Classical Sampler” are very popular. She also occasionally gives guest lectures at other venues, including the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the Sydney Observatory, and the Jane Austen Society. Susan’s training includes a Bachelor of Arts (Communications) at the University of Technology, a Bachelor of Music at the University of New South Wales, and a recently-completed Master of Music Studies (Studio Pedagogy) at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. She has also achieved an A.Mus.A in Musicianship. Susan is a member of the Council of the Music Teachers’ Association of New South Wales.

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