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Hana and Ilaria begin a new journey at Sydney Con

While their music journey at WollCon comes to a close, a new door opens for both Hana Lee and Ilaria Ramirez at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. They are also joined by a number of Jazz program students.

As a final concert with other WollCon students and with their Chamber Music teacher Jack Mao, Hana and Ilaria performed as chamber music group  KSUCI at Classics in the Chapel in Austinmer (10 March).

“It was a beautiful afternoon performing for so many friends and supporters. It was especially momentous for me to be able to share this performance with my students, I’m very proud of them. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to have worked with Hana and Ilaria and I wish them the very best for their next chapter.”

Jack Mao

Chamber Music Leader

Ilaria Ramirez

Ilaria will be studying a bachelor of music performance majoring in classical clarinet at Sydney Conservatorium of Music this year and hopes to eventually become a professional orchestral/chamber musician.

Ilaria Ramirez

“After I complete my studies I would love to travel abroad and further my studies in Europe. Wollcon has given me many opportunities to experience performing and learning music in numerous different environments and places. I have had many different teachers and mentors who have inspired and encouraged me to work towards my dreams. I have also been able to travel both regionally and internationally with the BlueScope Youth Orchestra (BSYO), touring in Cowra, Junee, Cootamundra, Greece  and New Zealand. I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who has been a part of my journey at WollCon and I would particularly like to thank John Spence, Janet Andrews, Tanya Phillips and Jack Mao for their ongoing support and efforts.”

Ilaria Ramirez

Clarinet Student

Hana Lee

Violinist Hana Lee who has previously won WollCon’s Concerto competition (2020 and 2021) was awarded the Ted and Susan Meller Memorial Scholarship, a 4-year scholarship offered to support violin students at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

“I’m studying a Bachelor of Music (Performance) with Professor Goetz Richter. My dream has always been to perform as a soloist in front of huge audiences, and I have always been passionate about the expression the violin instrument holds. I aspire to continue studying overseas in Europe after my Bachelor degree to continue my passion of performing and sharing the delicacy and beauty of music as my profession.” Said Hana.

Hana performs at Festival
“Throughout my years studying at WollCon I have met some of the most influential teachers and mentors, who have supported me and helped me develop and grow to achieve what I have today and get into my dream university of many years. I feel so privileged for the amazing opportunity to work and learn from WollCon’s teachers, experience touring with the Bluescope Youth Orchestra, playing with Steel City Strings and performing for the supportive community of Wollongong. I would like to say a huge thank you, beyond words to Jack Mao, John Spence, Scott Taggart, Tanya Phillips and all the other teachers among the Wollongong Conservatorium who have made me the musician I am today.”
Hana Lee

Violin Student

They are joined by a number of Jazz students who have also been accepted into the Sydney Conservatorium.

Sydney Conservatorium of Music Jazz Program
Sophia Hunt – Trumpet
Samantha Baxendale – Vocalist
Micah Edwards – Trombone

Sydney Conservatorium of Music Contemporary Music Program
Nathan Davey – Drums

The WollCon family wish all our students the very best.

Hana and Ilaria
Positive Change Through Music

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

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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.