The Arioso Players :: The Players

The Players

Emma Jardine, violin

Emma Jardine has performed as Guest Principal of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and is regularly flown to Perth where she performs as a first violin with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra. Emma has also performed with the Melbourne and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras. Having completed her Honours Degree in 2003 at the Australian Institute of Music where she studied with Alice Waten, Emma is currently an Academy Musician at the Australian National Academy of Music, and last year was selected to represent the Academy in their “Best Concertos of 2004” Concert. Emma completed a Bachelor of Music Performance at the Victorian College of the Arts in 2002 with teacher Miwako Abe. During her time at the VCA, she was Concertmaster of the VCA Symphony Orchestra, winner of the 2001 Jasmine Brunner Prize for Violin, the 2002 NCJW/Myer Foundation Scholarship and the 2002 Margaret Sutherland Scholarship. In 2003 Emma Jardine was a finalist in the Kendall National Violin Competition and a State finalist in the Symphony Australia Young Performers' awards.

Nicole Vasilakis, violin

Nicole Vasilakis began studying the violin aged four in Adelaide and has recently completed an undergraduate degree at the Australian Institute of Music, Sydney, studying with Alice Waten. An experienced performer, she has won several competitions including the string section of the Symphony Australia Young Performers Awards and the Hunt Master Performers’ Awards. In October 2003 Nicole Vasilakis was asked to perform as soloist with the Sydney Symphony to commemorate the 30th Birthday Celebration Concert of the Sydney Opera House, and again for the annual Symphony in the Domain Concert as part of the Sydney Festival. She has also performed as soloist with the Melbourne, Tasmanian, Queensland, Wellington and Prague Symphony Orchestras, recently returning home from recording her debut album with the latter. In 2003 Nicole Vasilakis was named in The Bulletin magazine’s ‘Smart 100’, was broadcast and interviewed on two nationwide television programs for Channel 9, and was a finalist in the Young Australian of the Year Award, a result of her involvement in many volunteer programs and community group teaching. She is a co-presenter of a new television series ‘Classical Destinations’, which will be aired in late 2004. Although offered places in the USA, Prague, Hong Kong and London, Nicole Vasilakis has chosen to remain in Australia to complete her musical studies, and in 2005 is an ANAM Academy Musician.

Martin Penicka, cello

Martin Penicka is currently an Academy Musician at the Australian National Academy of Music. As a national finalist in the 2004 2MBS Young Performers’ Awards, Martin performed a live recital this year on 2MBS FM. Martin was also a semi-finalist in the 2004 Symphony Australia Young Performers’ Awards. Martin began to study the cello at the age of seven, with Dorothy Sumner. He has been a member of the Sydney Sinfonia Orchestra from 2001-02, the Sydney Youth Orchestra and was section leader of the NSW Public Schools Symphony Orchestra for five years. Martin graduated from the Australian Institute of Music in 2002 with the degree of Bachelor of Music (Performance) with first class honours. During his studies, he learnt from Lois Simpson and Julian Smiles, and played in many chamber ensembles, most notably with the award-winning Con Brio Trio and the Viva String Quartet. In 1999 Martin Penicka took part in a tour to the USA organised by the Performing Arts Unit to complement the Art Express exhibition in the Corcoran Gallery, Washington DC. A solo artist in the Symphony Australia Conducting Program in 2001, Martin Penicka is a casual member of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

Benjamin Kopp, piano

Benjamin Kopp is currently an Academy Musician at the Australian National Academy of Music, under the tutelage of Rita Reichman. Benjamin is rapidly approaching success as a soloist, reaching the National Finals in the 2004 Symphony Australia Young Performers Awards, where he performed with as soloist with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra. As a winner of the 2004 ANAM Concerto Competition, Benjamin performed as soloist with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in 2004. Benjamin was also selected to represent the Australian National Academy of Music in the “Best Concertos of 2004” Concert. Benjamin completed a Bachelor of Music (Performance) degree at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music studying with Daniel Herscovitch in 2001. He has been the recipient of many prizes and awards, including scholarships for gaining the highest marks in his performance examinations. In 1998, Benjamin was selected to perform as soloist with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra as a participant in the James Fairfax Young Artists Program. He is also a busy and much sought after associate artist. Benjamin Kopp has performed two-piano recitals with Daniel Herscovitch, played in many chamber groups, and is regularly asked by his colleagues to perform major works in senior recitals and concerts. He has been an official accompanist for the Young Musicians Program and tertiary students at the Australian Institute of Music, Sydney, and at the Australian National Academy of Music.

Alexis Kenny, flute

In 2002 Alexis Kenny completed a Bachelor’s degree in Music Performance at the University of Queensland, graduating with first class honours. She received the University Medal and was the Valedictorian of the Faculty of Arts. She has appeared as Guest Principal Flute with The Queensland Orchestra and was a member of the Sydney Sinfonia during its participation in the Maazel/Vilar Conducting Competition in 2002, as well as the Australian Youth Orchestra in its performance of Schoenberg’s Gurrelieder at the Perth International Arts Festival in 2003. In 2004 Alexis Kenny performed Christopher Rouse’s Concerto for Flute and Orchestra with the Queensland Youth Symphony during its tour of Europe and at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre under conductor John Curro; she also undertook an extensive study tour in Europe, attending the Académie Internationale d’Été de Nice with Philippe Bernold, Vincent Lucas and Maxence Larrieu; the Académie Musicalta with Sir Robert Aitken; and the Oxford Flute Summer School with Peter Lloyd, Jonathan Snowden and Pierre-Yves Artaud. In 2004 Alexis Kenny was an ANAM Visiting Young Artist; she returns in 2005 as an ANAM Academy Musician, studying with Margaret Crawford.

James Wannan, viola

In 2003 James Wannan completed his third year of studies at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music where he studied with Caroline Henbest. He received his LMusA in 1996, was a prize winner in the Kuring-gai Concerto Competition and participated in the James Fairfax Young Artists Program. As a member of the SBS Youth Orchestra, James Wannan has toured overseas many times as Principal and soloist. He has performed in the Sydney Sinfonia, worked as a chamber musician with Kolja Blacher, John Harding and Caroline Henbest, and gave the first performance of Cyrus Meurant’s Viola Concerto as part of the C21 Music Festival. Presently studying with Alice Waten, since 2004 James Wannan has been an ANAM Academy Musician at the Australian National Academy of Music..

Kylie Liang, violin

Perth-born violinist Kylie Liang commenced piano studies at the age of five and violin studies at the age of nine. In 1999 she attained her AMusA on piano. In 2000 she gained her AMusA on violin with distinction, an achievement for which she received the AJ Leckie Award for the best AMusA performance in Western Australia. In 2001 she was awarded her LMusA on violin, and completed the Tertiary Entrance Examinations achieving the second highest scores in Music and Italian. Kylie Liang is currently studying with Alice Waten, having previously studied with Daniel Kossov. She has participated in masterclasses or lessons given by Howard Davis, Daniel Gaede, Oleh Krysa, Charles Castleman and John Harding. She has been a casual member of the WA Symphony Orchestra, a member of the Australian Youth Orchestra, Associate Concertmaster of the WA Youth Orchestra and Concertmaster of the WAYO Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2002 Kylie Liang performed with the City of Fremantle Symphony playing Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto, and at the 2002 and 2003 WA Music Teachers’ Association Recital and Concerto Awards she won both the Open Concerto and Open Recital categories. In 2005 Kylie Liang is a finalist in the Kendall National Violin Competition and has been an ANAM Academy Musician at the Australian National Academy of Music since 2004.

Nicholas Clifford, viola

Nicholas Clifford started playing the viola at the age of ten, and since 1997 has studied with Marco van Pagee. He attended Melbourne Grammar School, and subsequently studied at the Victorian College of the Arts. Playing in many string quartets throughout these studies helped him to develop his particular interest in chamber music. In 1999 Nicholas Clifford gained his AMusA with distinction, and has enjoyed a range of orchestral experience with various ensembles including the Australian Youth Orchestra and the Geminiani Chamber Orchestra. He has toured to Europe three times with the Chamber Strings of Melbourne, winning the Vienna Youth Music Festival in 1998, and as soloist in Paul Hindemith’s Trauermusik in Berlin, Vienna and London during January 2003. Since 2004 Nicholas Clifford has been an ANAM Academy Musician at the Australian National Academy of Music..

Rebecca Chan, violin

Born in Melbourne in 1981, Rebecca Chan commenced her musical studies aged three, learning piano from Nehama Patkin. She began her violin studies later, her teachers including Miwako Abe, Deborah Fox, Brian Finlayson, Julian Quirit and Elizabeth Sellars. After finishing school in 1996, Rebecca Chan commenced a medical degree combined with a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Melbourne. She continued to pursue her musical studies avidly, studying violin at the University’s Faculty of Music with William Hennessy, performing with the Faculty’s orchestra and various chamber groups. Rebecca Chan has performed as a soloist with the Melbourne Youth Orchestra, the Percy Grainger Youth Orchestra and the University of Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, and has been a member of a number of orchestras and string quartets. Presently studying with Alice Waten, since 2004 Rebecca Chan has been an ANAM Academy Musician at the Australian National Academy of Music.

Vivien Jeffery, violin

Vivien Jeffery began playing the violin at age five under the Suzuki Method. In 1998 she commenced study with Alice Waten in Year 11 at the Australian Institute of Music. The following year she was a prizewinner in the Gisborne International Music Competition. In 2001 Vivien Jeffery won the Kendall National Violin Competition and as part of the prize received a violin made by the Australia luthier, Graeme Caldersmith. She was also the recipient of the Order of Australia Scholarship, and was featured on 2MBS FM and ABC Classic FM’s Young Australia. Vivien Jeffery completed a Bachelor of Music degree with first class honours at the Australian Institute of Music, Sydney in 2002. She was silver medallist in the Hunts Master Performers Scholarship and won the Marcus Edwards Violin Prize. Vivien has been a string finalist in the Symphony Australia Young Performers Awards in 2002 and 2004, and has performed the Barber and Prokofiev 2 violin concerti with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. In 2003 she won the Dorothy Fraser Scholarship, the Richard Goldner Scholarship and the Dorcas Maclean Travelling Scholarship. In February 2004 Vivien Jeffery performed the Bruch Violin Concerto No 1 in the Sidney Myer Music Bowl with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. She also performed Sarasate Carmen Fantasy with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Orchestra Victoria to great acclaim. She has played for Cho Liang Lin, and has participated in masterclasses given by Salvatore Accardo. Since 2004 Vivien Jeffery has been an ANAM Academy Musician, studying with Alice Waten.

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