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Eva Pascoe Award Winner

Last year on Friday 15th November the Highlands Music Collective announced the winner of the EVA PASCOE AWARD at a Finalists concert.

We were thrilled to hear that WollCon flautist Annabel Wouters was the winner of the Eva Pascoe award, which includes a $3000 scholarship, chamber music opportunities and mentorship with the Highlands Music Collective throughout 2025. 

While in its third year now, it is the first time a flautist has won the Eva Pascoe Award.

“Winning came as quite a surprise because the competition was of such a high standard! I was listening from outside the door and every single performance was incredibly captivating, with so many skilled musicians. I feel incredibly honoured to have been awarded the Pascoe Award and I’m so excited for the next year and all of the opportunities that will come with it.”

Annabel Wouters

For the competition Annabel chose to play the first movement of Muczynski’s flute sonata.

“It is very rhythmically challenging which makes it interesting to put together with the piano part, and it’s also very much influenced by jazz music and harmony. When both the parts start to lock in with one another, it starts to create this compelling, groovy piece of music that has so many unique moments that I continued to discover right up until the performance! It is one of my favourite pieces to perform, for me, it is the perfect piece for something challenging and super fun.”

There were also five Timothy Pascoe Encouragement Awards presented to the finalists including WollCon alumna Hana Lee (violin) who is now studying music at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

Annabel and Hana

Artistic Director of the Collective, Myee Clohessy (WollCon Alumna and one of the judges) described the concert as absolutely brilliant with all six of our region’s most talented young instrumentalists performing their pieces with great confidence and finesse to an appreciative audience at the newly renovated Bowral Memorial Hall.

The first concert to celebrate the Eva Pascoe Award winners was on Friday, 21 February and featured Annabel Wouters (17) and Luke Bowen (21), together with Myee Clohessy and Catherine Barnett. They played beautiful bird-inspired music by Vivaldi, Mozart, Beach, Casals, Beeftink, Rota and Australian composer John Spence – Head of Music Theory at WollCon.

Annabel on Stage wth other performers
ABOUT THE HMC

The Highlands Music Collective is a not-for-profit organisation (est. 2019) that delivers quality, versatile, and dynamic concert programs that engage the region’s most accomplished and passionate musicians. The collective encourages young emerging talent, gives Australian composers a much-needed platform, and shares the joy of playing chamber music. 

The Awards were created in loving memory of the late Mrs Eva Pascoe by her husband, Dr Timothy Pascoe AM. The Pascoe Awards aim to encourage and nurture young musicians (aged 14 – 24) with connections to the Southern Highlands and surrounding regions. 

The Judges were: Myee Clohessy, violin; Aaron Smart, flute; and Lisa Kawai, piano – Other Finalists: Charlotte Blake (18) flute, Oscar Dunn-Luck (18) piano, Robert Nelson (14) piano and Fin Torpy (19) flute.

We thank photographer Peter Hislop for photos.

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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

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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.