International Activities
The Sydney Conservatorium of Music boasts a vibrant and diverse student population with international students from over 20 nations. We welcome visiting music groups to include a tour of the Sydney Conservatorium on their itinerary – we can even arrange for a workshop in one of our stunning venues with a Conservatorium teacher.
To arrange a visit please contact Ms Elaine Chia, International Development Manager on
Sydney Conservatorium of Music
Musicathlon: The Conservatory Music Festival
Beijing, China
The Sydney Conservatorium has returned home triumphant following two concerts in Beijing as part of Musicathlon: The Conservatory Music Festival. This festival, jointly conceived and presented by Central Conservatory of Music and Yale School of Music involved 11 top international music schools.
More information on the Musicathlon can be found at http://musicathlon.wordpress.com
We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to our hosts, Central Conservatory of Music and Yale School of Music for the invitation to participate in the Musicathlon. It was a trip that none of us will forget and it was an honour to bring some Australian flavour to this important event in the lead up to the Olympics.
Student success at PMF
Four students of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music were successful in gaining a place at the world prestigious Pacific Music Festival 2008 in Sapporo, Japan. The Pacific Music Festival (http://www.pmf.or.jp) was founded in 1990 by the legendary Leonard Bernstein.
Patrick Wong (violin), Andrea Ng (viola), Mathisha Panagoda (‘cello) and Alistair Howlett (flute) enjoyed an unforgettable program working with the world’s top musicians including conductor Fabio Luisi, and principals and members of the Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic and major orchestras in the US and Japan.
Photos: courtesy of Pacific Music Festival
Visit by Royal College of Music
7 August, 2008
The Sydney Conservatorium was pleased to host Dr Colin Lawson, Director of the Royal College of Music, London and Mr Kevin Porter, Director of Academic & Administrative Affairs for a day of rich activity with staff and students.
Dr Lawson presented a most entertaining and insightful lecture titled 'The lure of history and the myth of authenticity', and later conducted a masterclass with Conservatorium students enrolled in Early Music studies.
The Conservatorium would like to thank Dr Lawson and Mr Porter for this visit and valuable academic conversation.
International Agents Visit, 2 May, 2008
A group of 38 international agents from around the world visited the Sydney Conservatorium campus as part of the University’s Agents Workshop program. The visitors, all of whom have an active relationship with the University of Sydney undertook a tour of our fantastic facilities (complete with an impromptu performance by our 1st year French Horn student, Tek Xin CHUA) and gained detailed information on Conservatorium degrees, application and audition processes.
Masterclasses and workshops in Singapore, April 2008
Associate Professor Goetz Richter, Chair of Strings recently presented a series of masterclasses and strings workshops in Singapore. Many thanks to the following schools which hosted Assoc Prof Richter:
- Raffles Institution
- Anglo-Chinese Junior College
- Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts
- School of the Arts (SOTA)
- National Junior College
Masterclasses and presentations in Malaysia, April 2008
Paul Rickard-Ford (Lecturer in Piano and Pedagogy) and Elaine Chia (International Development Manager) travelled to Malaysia during April 2008 to conduct presentations and masterclasses at leading universities and music schools.
The visit concluded with a masterclass at the home of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, Dewan Filharmonik Petronas on Saturday 5 April under the banner of the Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and MPO’s Encounter Education and Outreach Program.
During the week-long visit, Sydney Conservatorium met over 200 music students and gave 3 masterclasses for pianists aged from 12 to 25.
Cultural Diversity in Music Education 9 Conference
Associate Professor Peter Dunbar-Hall (Associate Dean, Graduate Studies) and Dr Michael Webb (Lecturer in Music Education) attended the Cultural Diversity in Music Education 9 conference at the University of Washington, Seattle, USA.
Dr Webb presented a paper on the Conservatorium Minors’ Project in which Music Education students work with a range of world music performers to develop skills in improvisation, workshop practice, and learning repertoire without the use of notation. Associate Professor Dunbar-Hall presented his research into the learning of music and dance by Balinese children in Bali. This research is based on fieldwork in Bali involving interviewing teachers and musicians about the importance of Balinese children learning to become performers.
The Music Education Unit of the Conservatorium will host the next conference on Cultural Diversity in Music Education in January 2010 (visit http://www.cdime-network.com/cdime/conference).
Visiting Artists from Royal Northern College of Music, UK
SCM was pleased to welcome colleagues from the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, UK. Mr Alasdair Tait, Director of Chamber Music and Ms Susan Roper, Director of Vocal Studies, visited Sydney on 9 and 10 April to conduct a series of masterclasses with SCM students.
SCM will host an RNCM student quartet from September 2008 as part of an active student exchange program between the two institutions.
Akademisches Orchester der Universität Stuttgart
The Sydney Conservatorium of Music will host an exciting collaboration with the Akademisches Orchester der Universität Stuttgart during April 2008. As part of the visit, the visiting orchestra will join with our students of the Sydney Conservatorium Chamber Orchestra for a concert on Friday 11 April at 6pm. For more information and to purchase tickets for this concert go to http://www.music.usyd.edu.au/concerts/conductors_series.shtml
Shanghai Conservatory of Music Middle School
The Sydney Conservatorium of Music, with the support of the Conservatorium High School, hosted a group of 12 students from the world-renowned Shanghai Conservatory Middle School during February 2008. The group took a tour of the facilities and joined our students for a strings workshop conducted by Assoc Professor Goetz Richter (Chair of Strings) before a short performance to cement this occasion.
