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How WollCon celebrated 50 years of music

WOLLCON turned 50 in 2022 and the community was invited to a year-long party, including a two-day Music Festival in September!

“We are unashamedly using the 50th Birthday as a springboard to showcase everything WollCon contributes to the musical life of the region and how our work delivers positive change through music.  Our 50th Birthday Festival in September will do exactly that, and everyone is invited!”

David Francis

CEO, WollCon

Wollongong Conservatorium of Music had a busy year celebrating its 50th Birthday.
It presented sell out concerts in Wollongong Town Hall celebrating its Jazz and Classical departments.  WollCon also had a band in residence this year – the street music group ‘Hot Potato Band’ who performed with WollCon’s community musicians in the Town Hall and at Botanic Garden for the festival event in September.

The Festival was the centrepiece of the Birthday celebrations, a weekend music festival at WollCon, in Wollongong Botanic Garden.  Free to the public, the weekend was held on 10th and 11th September 2022 and showcased WollCon artists, music staff and guest performers such as drummer and rapper DOBBY who is an alumnus of WollCon.

DOBBY who is of Filipino-Aboriginal heritage performed a set to conclude Saturday afternoon with musicians from the WollCon’s jazz team. The Hot Potato Band headlined Sunday and performed with WollCon’s very own Con Artists.  Steel City Strings presented a ‘Celebration of Youth’ as part of the program, which featured some of WollCon’s highly accomplished music students performing movements from famous concertos.

WollCon’s own Head of Composition John Spence created a celebratory new work for the entire cohort of WollCon’s music staff to perform together in what was an amazing and unique world premiere performance for the organisation’s birthday.

“We’re really looking forward to welcoming the public to WollCon in September for this one-off free to attend music festival.  People can either bring a picnic or treat themselves to great food and coffee whilst enjoying two days of exceptional music performed by musicians from our region – all in the beautiful surrounds of the Botanic Garden.  It’s going to be a real celebration of the talent which exists in the Illawarra.”

David Francis

CEO, WollCon

December Concert at Wollongong Town Hall

WollCon commissioned two other significant works for the 50th Birthday Year.  Celebrated Australian composer, Matthew Hindson, who is an alumnus of WollCon, created a work for BlueScope Youth Orchestra to celebrate the long relationship between WollCon and the steel industry in Wollongong.
That work was premiered in December at Wollongong Town Hall in a concert which also featured a new work by jazz composer and 2019 Freedman Jazz Fellow, Novak Manojlovic.  Wollongong local, Novak, who is also an alumnus of WollCon created a piece for the combined forces of the Jazz Orchestra, BlueScope Youth Orchestra, vocalists from WollCon and guest alumni. (Hear both music pieces).

That performance in December was rounded off with an after-show party featuring the Con Artists and other community ensembles in collaboration with the Hot Potato Band – so a lot of vibrant street music to bring the birthday celebrations to a close.

Positive Change Through Music

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Wollongong Conservatorium is located on Dharawal country. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging, celebrate their continuing culture and the contribution First Nations people make to the life of this region and our country.

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Wollongong Conservatorium of Music is funded by the NSW Government through the Regional Conservatorium Grants Program

© 2023 Wollongong Conservatorium of Music Limited (a Company Limited by Guarantee) ABN 31 080 489 685 Trading as Wollongong Conservatorium of Music
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Dr Sue Savage

Director

Sue is an accomplished and seasoned manager with a wealth of experience in government administration and community service delivery. With a strong background in strategic planning, organisational development, community engagement, project planning, and building strategic partnerships, Sue has consistently demonstrated her leadership and expertise and brings a wealth of knowledge to the board. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Business focusing on Local Government and Creative Industries from the University of Wollongong, reflecting her commitment to public service and innovative leadership. Sue’s extensive career and dedication to community and social service make her a valuable asset, offering both strategic insight and practical experience to drive meaningful impact.

Anne Mowbray

Director

Anne has been a member of the Wollcon Board since 2019. She holds a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts from UNSW. She is an Accredited Specialist in Family Law and an accredited Mediator and Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner. She has taught family law and other subjects at Wollongong University.

For a number of years she has been a subscriber to the Australian Chamber Orchestra which regularly performs in Wollongong . She has been passionate about music and in particular music education to children and adults.

Jake Pearson

Director

Jake has worked in the disability sector for 24 years- 17 of these with Interchange and 7 years as their CEO. Jake is passionate about inclusion and equality for both people with disability and their carers.

He holds an MBA, Bachelor of Commerce, Certificate IV in Training and Assessment, as well as completing Diploma’s in Case Management, Community Services Coordination and the AICD Company Directors Course.

Jake is also a committee member on the International Short Breaks Association Board and has been a Director on the Wollongong Conservatorium of Music Board since 2022.

Wayne Morris

Director

Wayne is a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors as well as being a qualified company secretary and accountant with over 35 years experience in banking and finance. He performed for nine of those years as Chief Executive of IMB Ltd, and the preceding seven years as Company Secretary and Chief Financial Officer, also with IMB. Wayne’s primary expertise is in the areas of governance, management, accounting, risk management and banking and finance. He has spent his whole life living in the Illawarra and is passionate about ensuring the Illawarra can provide the best possible opportunities and lifestyle for its residents. In 2024 Wayne was awarded an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for services to the community.

Dr Terumi Narushima

Deputy Chair

Dr Terumi Narushima is a senior lecturer and Music Discipline Leader at the University of Wollongong. She is a composer, performer and sound designer specialising in microtonal tuning systems. Her works include Tritriadic Chimes, a sound installation for LA MicroFest, Hidden Sidetracks, a composition for custom-made instruments premiered by Ensemble Offspring at Sydney Opera House, and a project to build microtonal flutes using 3D printing. She has worked on theatre collaborations which have been presented nationally and internationally, including Yasukichi Murakami: Through a Distant Lens, Lost in Shanghai, and The Story of Chi. She performs with microtonal ensemble Clocks and Clouds, and her book Microtonality and the Tuning Systems of Erv Wilson is published by Routledge.

Nicky Sloan

Chair

Nicky is the CEO of Community Industry Group. She has degrees in Dementia Care, Community & Environment and Marketing, and a Grad Dip in Project Management. She is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and an Honorary Fellow of UOW. In addition to Chairing the WollCon Board, she is Deputy Chair of the Regional Development Australia Illawarra Shoalhaven Board and an Independent Non-Executive Director of Warrigal, a large not-for-profit specialising in the provision of services for older people.

Her corporate governance and strategy experience extends through a 20+ year career on boards in the corporate, government and NFP sectors.