Kettering Concerts

Kettering Concerts


Kettering Concert 2020-08-23

Piano Trio
Sue Collins (Violin), Andrew Seymour (Clarinet), Karen Smithies (Piano)

Piano Trio

Piano Trio

Programme:

  • Suite for Clarinet, violin and Piano, Op. 157b – Darius Milhaud (1892-1974)
  • Trio in G minor for clarinet, violin and Piano – Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978)
Sunday 23 August 2020, 3pm
Kettering Community Hall

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Stay for the post-concert afternoon tea, meet and chat with the musicians.

Sue Collins

Sue Collins

Sue Collins has appeared numerous times in the ABC's Sunday Live series. She has recorded many times for radio, and has performed as soloist and recitalist throughout Australia, the USA and Europe. She has recorded Raymond Hanson Violin Music (Tall Poppies) with David Miller, having completed reconstructive editions of the Hanson works, published by Reed Music. "...Susan plays these extraordinary scores with a remarkable sureness of touch, following even the most unexpected shifts in phrasing and expressive direction with micro-fine precision. Her warm, rich sound works wonders in bringing this music alive, enhanced by a generous, medium-paced vibrato and sensitivity to dynamic shading"... Julian Haylock, The Strad, May 2009.

At age 14, Susan performed Sarasate’s Zigeunerweissen with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Patrick Thomas at the Sydney Opera House. Since that time, she has performed as concert soloist and recitalist throughout Australia, the USA and Europe. Susan has recorded many times for ABC FM, and many other radio stations in live performance broadcasts as well as studio recorded recitals and has appeared numerous times in the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Sunday Live series, performing as recitalist as well as in duo and trio combinations with Kingfisher Trio. Her CD with Duncan Gifford and Sue-Ellen Paulsen of Schumann’s complete Piano trios was released to critical acclaim by ABC Classics. More recently, Susan’s CD recording with pianist Stephanie McCallum of the violin and Piano works for Fritz Hart ‘We have waited a long time for recordings such as this and the wait has been worth it’ (Jonathan Woolf, Musicweb International 2019) Having been appointed Deputy Concertmaster of the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra at the age of twenty-three, Susan has since been engaged as Concertmaster with many orchestras around Australia, performing under the baton of Bonynge, Macerras, Cillario, Hickox, Fiore, Young, de Waart and many other distinguished conductors. In 2003 Susan was awarded the Australian Centenary Medal for her work with Opera and Ballet, and in 2009 was awarded an Australian College of Educators award. Susan has held Head of Strings positions at the University of Tasmania and University of Newcastle conservatoria from 2006 until 2020. She is currently Music Director of the Riverina Summer School for Strings and Sounds of Summer festival, Adjunct Senior Lecturer at UTas, and teaches violin at Queensland Conservatorium. In recent years Susan has been featured in ‘Synesthesia’ and ‘Dark Mofo’ festivals presented by MONA and has recently been featured in Tasmania’s ‘Ten Days on the Island’ festival. In addition to solo engagements, Susan Co-directs the Battery Point Twilight Series, and has enjoyed the opportunity to perform with Southern Cross Soloists, Sydney Soloists and Ensemble Q.

Andrew Seymour

Andrew Seymour Principal Clarinet with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra (TSO) since 2012, Andrew Seymour studied with Robert Schubert at the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) where he completed a Bachelor of Music Performance in 2001. He is a former member of the Australian Youth Orchestra (AYO) and first performed with the TSO as part of the TSO-AYO Orchestral Development Program in 2005. He was active as a freelance musician in Melbourne, having performed with the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Orchestra, Australian Classical Players and Lyric Opera of Melbourne, as well as The Phantom of the Opera and Dr Zhivago. Between 2009 and 2011 he toured nationally as a member of the orchestra for OzOpera, Opera Australia’s touring company. Andrew was singled out by The West Australian review of OzOpera’s production of Verdi’s La Traviata, saying “his every note was meaningful.” In 2010 he performed Schubert’s The Shepherd on the Rock with Sara Macliver and Amir Farid at the Melbourne Recital Centre. In 2014 Andrew was featured in recital on ABC Classic FM’s Sunday Live program, his performance praised by Limelight Magazine as being “soaring and colourful” and by the Hobart Mercury as “an astonishing display of instrumental virtuosity.” Recently, Andrew has performed as guest principal Clarinet with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, West Australian and Canberra Symphony Orchestras. He has also performed as guest principal Eflat Clarinet with the Queensland and Adelaide Symphony Orchestras. In 2016 Andrew made his solo debut with the TSO performing the Copland Clarinet Concerto under the baton of Chief Conductor Marko Letonja. His performance was described by The Hobart Mercury as “sensitive and beautifully shaded” and “gloriously vibrant.”
Since 2017 Andrew has been a profile staff member at the University of Tasmania, Conservatorium of Music, where he is Lecturer in Clarinet and Coordinator of Woodwind.

Karen Smithies

Karen Smithies Karen Smithies moved to Tasmania from the Central Coast of NSW in 1998. She completed her Masters in Music Performance at the University of Tasmania in 2003, studying with Beryl Sedivka and David Bollard. Upon graduating from Sydney Conservatorium with a Bachelor of music in piano performance and accompaniment, Karen was awarded the “Mollie Neal” scholarship for excellence in Accompaniment. She has appeared as soloist and accompanist with regional orchestras and major vocal ensembles across the Central Coast and in Sydney.

Karen has made several national ABC and 3MBS FM broadcasts with artists such as cellist Christian Woijtowicz, violinists Marina Phillips and Romana Zieglerova, baritones Christopher Richardson and Michael Lampard and the TSO Brass and Friends.

Karen is currently lecturer in Accompaniment at the Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music and has lectured in piano studies at the University of Tasmania since 2000. In that time she has been busy as a repetiteur, and accompanist of undergraduates, postgraduates and visiting artists at the Conservatorium and throughout Tasmania. Karen regularly plays as orchestral and rehearsal pianist for the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and repetiteurs for the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra Chorus. Karen lives in on Hobart’s Eastern shore with her husband Matthew and four children.


Phil Hirst – Artist

Hirst Phil The interplay between water and landscape, in the shadowy boundary between day and night is ever changing and often beautiful. The immensity of the Universe displayed in the night sky inspires awe. Phillip Hirst attempts to convey that awe with his photography


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