Wollongong Conservatorium of Music logo

Home > News

Our youngest chamber group strikes a winning chord

The Wollongong Conservatorium (WollCon) Junior String Quartet has won first prize in Musica Viva Australia’s prestigious Strike A Chord competition, topping fierce competition from across the country.

Their win, in the Foundation Section for musicians up to AMEB Grade 4 level is an inspiring national debut.

Caroline Wang (10) and Hector Pan (11) on violin, Noah Grote (13) on viola and Madeleine Wilkins (13) on cello were brought together by WollCon teacher Jack Mao in mid-2023.

String Quartert with Jack Mao their teacher

“It’s quite rare to find this level of talent, all at the same stage and all wanting to develop their skills. I thought, ‘Wouldn’t that be great, I have all the players for a string quartet, they’re all of similar age, let’s bring them together and see what happens,’”

Jack Mao

Chamber Music & Piano Teacher, WollCon

What happened was something remarkable: a group of young players whose dedication, chemistry and skill have already put them among the nation’s best.

The Junior String Quartet is the youngest chamber group Jack has ever formed as part of his long-running passion for small ensemble performances across diverse disciplines.

“It’s amazing they’ve gelled so well, and the fact they are already at this stage is super exciting,” Jack says.

Strike A Chord encourages young musicians to discover the joy of chamber music, offering professional coaching and a platform to perform at a national level. This year’s competition attracted a record 170 ensemble entries — 675 young musicians — with a 38 per cent increase in Foundation Section participants.

Jack entered the group with no expectations, submitting a recording of Kevin Ou’s Cerulean simply to give them a new challenge.

“I figured, let’s just give it a go. It was our first time doing anything like this. I wanted them to play as well as they possibly could — whatever the result, it was going to be a great experience,” he says.

Then one morning Jack opened his email and to find out their result and decided to ask the group to guess their placement…

What happened next was pandemonium… Read the full story from our friends at Region Illawarra.

Read the Full Story at Region Illawarra

All four of the children have been involved in at least one of our junior orchestras (Llwellyn, Powell or BlueScope). If you would like your child to be involved READ MORE & APPLY ON OUR WEBSITE.

Positive Change Through Music

EXPLORE

FOLLOW WOLLCON

VISIT

Subscribe

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.

We thank our supporters

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
Site by justine powell design

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.