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About Us

Welcome to Wollongong Conservatorium
Positive Change Through Music

Our vision is to bring about positive change in people’s lives through music. So, whatever your musical journey please let WollCon nurture your talent.

Our community is made up of infants just staring out on life’s musical journey to adult participants who love to share making music together; from students honing their craft as musicians, to clients who work with our music therapists to explore life enhancing creativity. WollCon’s community all share a love for music whether it is, or will be, their profession or whether its simply a passion to take part – or both. Please join us.

WollCon is located in the beautiful surrounds of Wollongong Botanic Garden. The historic homestead of Gleniffer Brae provides a focus for our campus which nestles in the southwest corner of the Garden. It’s an inspiring place to make music overlooked by the Escarpment to the west and sweeping lawns and views to the ocean to the east.

WollCon
@ a Glance

We are one of 17 Regional Conservatoriums in New South Wales, funded by the Department for Education

Incorporated in 1972, WollCon was 50 in 2022

WollCon is a not-for-profit, charitable organisation

We are NDIS accredited

WollCon educates and mentors 1600 people annually

We employ a faculty of over 60 staff

We deliver programs on- and off-site, including work in 20 schools

WollCon
Music Staff

WollCon’s music staff are remarkable music teachers, educators and therapists. They are leaders in their field and committed to supporting their students on their musical journeys. Together, our music staff offer a massive range of instrumental and vocal teaching across many different styles and genres of music.

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Hire
Our Space

Are you planning staff training, workshops or a team day?
If you need space for staff training days, workshops or team building days, WollCon offers a variety of spaces for organisations on a budget.
Nestled in a beautiful corner of the Botanic Garden beneath Mt Keira, WollCon also boasts some of the best views of Wollongong, and houses the historic Manor House surrounded by a spectacular garden.
Conveniently located in Keiraville, we have free parking (including disabled parking) and can accommodate for groups between 4 and 70 people.

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History
of WollCon

What began as a provider of music education with classes run out of a local church building, the Wollongong Conservatorium of Music has become a local icon of the community, whose home is an historic manor house and school perched on the top of a hill in Wollongong Botanic Garden.

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Our
Alumni

After 50 years of music lessons at WollCon it’s no surprise that WollCon has produced some illustrious Alumni. You can read about some of them on our Alumni page.

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Visiting
Artists

WollCon welcomes visiting artists throughout the year. Many perform in our live performance program as well as working with our students and participants. Visit our What’s On Page to see who is coming to Wollongong to perform, to delight our audiences and inspire our community of musicians.

what's on @ wollcon

The Board & the WollCon Team

WollCon is overseen by a volunteer Board who give their skills and expertise to ensure WollCon is well governed and achieving its strategic goals. Our small management team is led by our CEO. Together they ensure the smooth day-to-day running of the Conservatorium and ensure everyone can access the opportunities they have enrolled for at WollCon.

Meet the team

Our Site &
Gleniffer Brae

WollCon is located in the beautiful surrounds of ‘Wollongong Botanic Garden and makes use of existing buildings; historic Gleniffer Brae House (c.1938) and former SCEGGS school buildings.

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Term
Dates

WollCon operates within the NSW Department of Education calendar, over a nine-week term plus one catch up week.

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your health matters

In line with the NSW Public Health Orders, a number of COVID-safe measures are in place for the safety and wellbeing of everyone on site.

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So you've decided to join the WollCon community? We can't wait to make music with you. Let's make that happen!

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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.

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
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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.