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Catalina Dermenjian

Catalina holds a Bachelor of Music Performance and a Masters of Music Studies (Cello Performance) from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music with Dr. Georg Pedersen, one of Australia’s foremost Cello teachers and performers.
She is the recipient of the Greta Davis scholarship for musically talented students in 2022 and the Alan Hyland Scholarship for instrumental studies in 2023.
Dedicated to pedagogy alongside her performance career, Catalina guides students across Australia, fostering technical precision and musical depth. She studied extensively with leading international masters and has performed as a soloist, chamber musician, and recording artist.
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What do you teach at the Con?

Cello

What genres do you teach?

Classical

What is it that you love about teaching music – particularly at Wollongong Conservatorium?

What I love the most about teaching the cello is guiding my students with their process in the physical understanding and practical mastery of playing the cello. My pedagogical framework is deeply rooted in the European classical tradition, inherited directly through a prestigious lineage of mentors who studied under the legendary masters Paul Tortelier and Gregor Piatigorsky. Bringing that heritage to my students here at the Wollongong Conservatorium is what I find so rewarding, it allows me to pass on a profound musical legacy within a vibrant, supportive community. I love how the Con’s environment provides the perfect space to guide students through that rigorous tradition, turning the technical challenges of the instrument into a genuine, inspired form of personal expression.

Please share a particular career highlight and why it’s special to you.

My work with renowned professors such as Georg Pedersen and composers like Elena Kats-Chernin and Marcel Khalife allowed me to immerse myself in their creative processes at a high level. These collaborations naturally defined my own artistic vision as an educator and performer.

I now take great pride in blending my own folk heritage with Western classical and contemporary performance styles. 

What’s one piece of music that you’d recommend people listen to?

Khachaturian’s Cello Concerto in E minor is an underrated masterpiece by Aram Khachaturian, one of my favourite composers. What I find particularly fascinating about this concerto is how Khachaturian masterfully infuses his Armenian folk heritage into a traditional Western symphonic format.

Sharing this with my students highlights a vital lesson: true mastery is about more than just technical accuracy. It is about the ability to adapt, to act as a musical ‘chameleon’ who uses the structural discipline of the European tradition to authentically express the raw, vibrant emotions of any composer’s soul.

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Matt Lynch

Director

Matt Lynch brings to WollCon extensive executive and governance experience across energy, infrastructure, defence, and government sectors. He has a proven record of delivering enterprise transformation, strengthening risk and governance frameworks, leading the development of innovative IT solutions, and managing data security and safety transformation projects within highly regulated environments. He is recognised for building high-performing teams that achieve sustainable outcomes.

He holds a Master of Commercial Law from Deakin University, a Bachelor of Information Science and Technology from the University of Wollongong, and is a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

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.