What do you teach at the Con?
Clarinet and saxophone.
What genres do you teach?
All styles and genres.
What is it that you love about teaching music – particularly at Wollongong Conservatorium?
I love sharing my passion for music with students of all ages and abilities. I started learning here in the CHiME program as a young child before going on to have lessons up in the Manor House and play in the BHP orchestra – now I’ve been teaching here for over 15 years and my son attends CHiME… I can’t imagine my life without the Con, it is such a beautiful place.
Please share a particular career highlight and why it’s special to you.
As a teacher, a highlight would definitely be seeing students who I started teaching as beginners achieve success in HSC music and beyond; and as a performer, playing saxophone for Ravel’s Bolero with the Wollongong Symphony in the iconic Anita’s Theatre and performing for local theatre productions at the IPAC including West Side Story, Crazy For You and Avenue Q – you don’t have to travel to Sydney for great live music and venues!
What’s one piece of music that you’d recommend people listen to?
Rachmaninov’s “Isle of the Dead” Op. 29. I fell in love with this piece after playing the bass clarinet part for a performance in the Great Hall at The University of Sydney and it has haunted me ever since. And for something a little more light-hearted, my favourite big band piece, The Golden Wedding by Woody Herman.