Artists

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  Lesley Lewis

  Harpsichord

  Lesley Lewis performs and broadcasts regularly in Australia, and has successfully toured China, the United Kingdom and Austria. Her recordings include a CD of Telemann Duos for Recorders with Joanna Dudley, andthe self-titled Musica da Camera and Passion for Adelaide Baroque. Lesley gained her Masters Degree at the University of Adelaide andwas awarded a Churchill Fellowship. After founding and teaching the baroque music program at the Elder Conservatorium of Music for many years, Lesley is now continuing her lifelong mentoring role as Conductor of three community choirsin Adelaide, as well as her ongoing performances as a key artist and principal/founding member of Adelaide Baroque.

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  Lynton Rivers

  Recorder

  Lynton Rivers studied recorder in Amsterdam with Marion Verbruggen and in Vienna with Hans Maria Kneihs as a recipient of an Australia Council grant. He tutors regularly at Australian Recorder Festivals and workshops, and has performed in Australia, UK, Sweden and China. Lynton is a lifelong teacher as well as a performer. As a teacher of the InstrumentalMusic Service of the Department ofEducation and Children’s Services,he has introduced generations of schoolchildren to the trials and joys of music performance. Lynton is also a tutor on the staff of the Elder Conservatorium of Music, and is chief recorder examiner for the AMEB. He is a principal founding member and key artist with Adelaide Baroque, and his recordings include Musica da Camera and Passion released by Adelaide Baroque.

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  Jayne Varnish

  Recorder

  Jayne Varnish began her Bachelor of Music on the clarinet at the Elder Conservatorium but transferred in her final year to the recorder with Lesley Lewis. She studied recorder with Marion Verbruggen in Amsterdam, and with Hans Maria Kneihs, and has completed a Graduate Diploma in Education. Jayne has performed extensively with Compages, Viva Baroque!, Syntony, and Adelaide Baroque. Jayne has a strong commitment to music education, and is an experienced recorder teacher from primary to tertiary levels. She he has been a tutor and examiner at the Elder Conservatorium, and is a regular tutor for Adelaide Baroque and the Recorder Society of SA. Jayne’s long-term interest in Asian music has culminated in her current teaching of a Gamelan Orchestra, and she currently holds a music teaching position at Seymour College.

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  Tessa Miller

  Soprano

  Tessa Miller is an experienced soloist in a wide range of styles, and is a specialist in Baroque music. In 1991 Tessa was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to undertake studies in Early Music in the UK, and in 1995 received a scholarship to study Baroque technique in Amsterdam. Performances include the International Barossa Music Festival and the Adelaide Festival, as well as touring Hong Kong, China and UK in recent years. She toured with the Australian Brandenburg Ensemble in 2007, and in 2008 appeared in Lindy Hume’s production of Orfeo for State Opera.

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  Robert MacFarlane

  Tenor

  Robert Macfarlane was the winner of the 2009 Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Aria competition for Oratorio singing and finalist and prizewinner in the 2010 Liederfest. He is the recipient of the 2012 Thomas Elder Overseas Scholarship and the 2012 Ruby Litchfield Travelling Scholarship. In 2010 he undertook intensive study of the baroque repertoire with Howard Crook in Paris, and additional studies in Leipzig. He also studied and performed with world-renowned accompanist Malcolm Martineau in 2008. He is known nationally for his performances of Bach, in particular the Evangelist of the St. John and St. Matthew Passions, and was the 2008 and 2009 Bach Scholar in the St. Johns Bach Cantata program in Melbourne. Other concert performances include acclaimed performances of Handel's Messiah, Benjamin Britten's Serenade and Les Illuminations and recitals of Schubert's Die Schöne Müllerin, Winterreise and Schumann's Dichterliebe and Liederkreis with pianist Leigh Harrold. He is also one half of the new music ensemble Duo Trystero, with guitarist Aleksandr Tsiboulski. On the opera stage, he has sung with Pinchgut Opera in Sydney, Lyric Opera of Melbourne, State Opera of South Australia and Co-Opera in specialist high lyric roles, and recently sang the title role in Rameau's Pygmalion with French conductor Martin Gester. 2012 engagements include the Evangelist in St. John Passion in Adelaide and Sydney, Acis and Galatea in Malaysia and the cover of the title role in Monteverdi's L'Orfeo for the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra.

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  Jane Downer

  Baroque oboe/recorder

  Jane studied the oboe with Sharman Pretty at the Canberra School of Music, and Jiri Tancibudek at the University of Adelaide. After completing a BA/BMus Hons, she took up the baroque oboe with Valerie Darke in the UK. A scholarship from the David Reichenberg Trust enabled her to continue studies with Paul Goodwin, Professor of Baroque & Classical Oboe at the Royal College of Music.

  Jane has performed and recorded with groups such as the Oslo Barokkorkester, English Baroque Soloists, Concerto Köln, Academy of Ancient Music, Florilegium, English Touring Opera, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, English Concert, Gabrieli Consort, and Early Music Network winners, charivari agreable. As Artistic Director of the Frideswide Ensemble of Oxford, Jane promotes chamber music concerts and performances of choral works such as Mozart’s Mass in C minor and Coronation Mass, J S Bach’s St John Passion and Christmas Oratorio and Handel's Israel in Egypt and Messiah on historical instruments. She joins The King's Consort for their European tour of Bach's St Matthew Passion in 2010.

  In Hong Kong Jane has recorded for Radio 4, presented a masterclass and demonstration at the Academy for Performing Arts, and given a solo recital for the Chamber Music Society. She is editor and programme-note writer for the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong currently celebrating their 10th Anniversary season, and worked as orchestral assistant during their hosting of the Hong Kong International Piano Competition 2008. In Australia Jane has performed at the New England Bach Festival, Ballarat Organ Festival, Adelaide Festival Fringe and the Canberra Multicultural Festival. She played in Mozart’s Idomeneo with Pinchgut Opera, and has tutored at Recorder and Early Music Festivals in Armidale, NSW. Jane returns in 2010 to perform with Adelaide Baroque, the Australian Classical Era Orchestra and with Salut!Baroque.

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  Tim Nott

  Baroque flute

  Tim Nott completed a Bachelor of Music with Honours in Performance from the University of New England in NSW. He received numerous awards during his study, including the J A Albert & Sons Music Scholarship, and the Yamaha Music Prize (twice) for services to the UNE Musical Community (1991-92). He has studied with many respected period performance specialists including Hand-Dieter Michatz, Greg Dickmans, Elissa Poole, Kate Clark, Bartold Kujiken and Hans Maria Kneihs.

  Tim has performed around Australia and in Adelaide, both as a soloist and as an ensemble performer with various groups including Adelaide Baroque and the Adelaide Chamber Singers. He won the Flute Society of South Australia's David Cubbin Prize in 1997, and was the winner of Open Flute Section of the Adelaide Eistedfodd in 1998. In 2008 he performed the world premiere of Cityscape by Anne Cawse, commissioned by Adelaide Baroque. On modern flute, he performed the newly published flute works of Adelaide composer Grant Sheridan, including the premiere of several new works at the Flinders Street Baptist Church.

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  Lucinda Moon

  Baroque violin

  Lucinda commenced baroque violin studies in 1993 with Sigiswald Kuijken at the Royal Conservatorium in The Hague. In 1996, she was a prizewinner in the Musica Antiqua competition (Bruges) with the Dutch-based ensemble, Les Quatre. Lucinda was concertmaster of the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra from 1995-2008 and has performed, recorded and featured in live broadcasts with many Australian-based groups including the Elysium Ensemble, Salut! Baroque and Festival Baroque Australia (WA). In 2010, she was invited to present Illuminations of the Heart: Joy, Sorrow and Glory in the Adelaide Festival of Arts. Currently, Lucinda is involved in 'Dialogue: The Art of Elegant Conversation', a research and recording project with Greg Dikmans (elysiumensemble.com). Overseas, Lucinda has appeared in Festivals in Sweden, Germany and Mexico. She has performed with the Orchestra of the 18th Century in Poland and The Netherlands, and from 2003–2006 appeared regularly as guest director and soloist with the Pacific Baroque Orchestra in Vancouver. Lucinda also plays the viola d'amore, violino piccolo and viola.

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  Ben Dollman

  Baroque violin

  Ben Dollman leads an active performing career on both the baroque and the modern violin. A graduate of the Elder Conservatorium in Adelaide, Ben undertook further study at Indiana University USA. There he took up studies on the baroque violin with the Australian violinist Stanley Ritchie alongside work on the modern violin with Franco Gulli and Yuval Yaron. Upon returning to Australia in 1997, Ben continued his baroque studies with Lucinda Moon and was invited to join the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra in 1998. He currently performs as Principal 2nd Violin with the ABO and the Australian Brandenburg Ensemble and performs regularly with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and Adelaide Baroque and has also performed as soloist with the ABO on numerous occasions.

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  Emily Dollman

  Violin

  Emily Dollman has recently arrived in Adelaide having spent the past decade studying and working in Europe. Upon completing her Bachelor and Masters of Music at Sydney Conservatorium, Emily travelled to Amsterdam to study with the renowned baroque violinist Lucy van Dael. Emily has since established a busy freelance career both in Australia and Europe, working with orchestras including the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, The Hanover Band (including Guest Leader), Holland Symfonia, City of Birmingham Symphony, Southbank Sinfonia, City of London Soloists and the Sirius Ensemble. Emily also enjoys playing chamber music and has performed at venues including The Purcell Room, Southbank Centre, Hampton Court Palace and The Handel House with various ensembles.

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  Emma Luker

  Violin

  Emma Luker is a performing violinist, session player and teacher, performing in a range of different styles from contemporary folk and original recordings, to Classical and Baroque.

  Emma completed her violin studies at the Elder Conservatorium in 2003. During her degree and until 2007 she toured Canada, New Zealand and the U.K. as a member of contemporary folk band Colcannon. She has appeared on over 25 albums, including that of The Huckleberry Swedes, which was produced by Jim Moginie of Midnight Oil. Emma has toured and recorded with folk icon Eric Bogle and has performed with Victorian singer/songwriter Judy Small.

  As a member of the well-known South Australian band The Fiddle Chicks, Emma performs regularly throughout Adelaide and at interstate festivals. She also performs with original artist Soursob Bob, with whom she has recorded three CD's so far. Emma is also a member of the world music ensemble Akoustic Odyssey and the acoustic rock band Brenton Manser and the Disciples of Zen. As a member of The Fiddle Chicks, Emma won the SA Folk Federation's Best Instrumentalist of the Year award for 2006, 2007 and 2008.

  Emma also composes original tunes, which are performed and recorded by The Fiddle Chicks, and was a finalist in the 2008 Golden Fiddle Awards at the Tamworth music festival. Emma’s composition "The Tinto Jig", has been recorded by Scottish accordianist Simon Thoumire as part of the Tinto Festival album, released this year in Biggar, Scotland. Emma performs regularly with the Adelaide Baroque Ensemble, and also performed in the Adelaide Festival in 2008 as a musician in Sean Riley’s theatre production "The Angel and the Red Priest". She also toured extensively in 2008 with Patch Theatre Company’s production Emily Loves to Bounce.

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  Anna Webb

  Viola

  Anna Webb is an Honours graduate of the Elder Conservatorium in Adelaide, where she studied with Keith Crellin and William Hennessy. She performs extensively as a chamber musician, was a founding member of Zephyr Quartet and is a core member of the Kegelstatt Ensemble. She plays regularly as a violist and violinist with Adelaide Baroque. She has worked in live and recorded performance as a freelance musician, and in the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, the Australian Brandenburg Ensemble, the Adelaide Chamber Players and as principal viola in the Adelaide Art Orchestra. She has toured Europe and the South Pacific with the Australian Youth Orchestra, and also participated in two of their regional quartet residency programmes. She is a highly regarded teacher of violin, viola, ensembles and theory of music. Anna also has a background in languages and linguistics, and has qualifications in Arts and Education.

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  Catherine Finnis

  Baroque cello and viol da gamba

  Catherine Finnis received her early musical training in Adelaide at the Elder Conservatorium with James Whitehead before being awarded the Elder Overseas Scholarship. Studies in London at the Royal College of Music brought her in contact with fellow student Trevor Pinnock among others, leading to the varied and wonderful musical life that she has enjoyed.

  She has played both modern cello and Baroque in such groups as English Concert, Menuhin Festival Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, New London Consort and Musicians of the Globe, Monteverdi Choir and Orchestra, Florilegium and has made recordings and toured most parts of the world. Yehudi Menuhin, Philip Pickett, and many other incredible players and singers have been inspiration to both her playing and her teaching.

  In 2010 she and her family returned at last to live in Adelaide and she is privileged to have been welcomed into its rich musical scene. She appears with Adelaide Baroque, Ensemble Galante and will be a soloist in the 2012 Coriole Vivaldi Festival in McLaren Vale in May along with artists Lucinda Moon, Tommie Andersson and Glenys March. She will also be taking part in the Adelaide Festival of Arts as a soloist in JS Bach's St John Passion, with Carl Crossin and the Adelaide Chamber Singers.