Kettering Concerts

Kettering Concert 2021-08-22

Piano and violin duo
Sue Collins (violin), Karen Smithies (piano)

Spring

Programme:

Violin Sonata No 22 in A major, K305 – Wolfgang A. Mozart (1756-1791)
Four Short Pieces for Violin and Piano, H104 – Frank Bridge (1879-1941)
Three Pieces for Violin and Piano, Op 4 – Edward William Elgar (1857-1934)
Violin Sonata No 5 in F major, Op24 – Spring Sonata – Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

Sunday 22 August 2021, 3pm
Kettering Community Hall
SOLD OUT - No door sales

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

Sue Collins

Sue Collins "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."
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 soloist and recitalist throughout Australia, the USA and Europe. Critically acclaimed commercial CD releases include the complete violin works of Raymond Hanson (Tall Poppies) with pianist, David Miller, the complete Schumann Piano Trios (ABC Classics) with Kingfisher Trio, and Fritz Hart Music for Violin and Piano with Stephanie McCallum (Toccata Classics).
From 1992 until 2001, Susan held the position of Deputy Concertmaster of the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra and in 2003 was awarded the Australian Centenary Medal for her contribution to Opera and Ballet. From 2014 to 2021 she was Head of Strings and Orchestra at University of Tasmania Conservatorium following a 6-year tenure at University of Newcastle. Now based in Queensland, she teaches at Qld Conservatorium, Griffith University.
In recent years, Susan has enjoyed performing as a featured artist in music festivals including Dark Mofo, Synesthesia, Ten Days on the Island and Bangalow festivals. In 2022, Susan conducted the Queensland Youth Orchestra and performed as soloist for the organisation’s fundraising event, was a featured artist at the Newcastle Music Festival, joined the panel of international judges for the Lipizer Violin Competition in Italy, and conducted the Brisbane Philharmonic Orchestra’s final Metro Concert.
Since 2018, Susan is Musical Director of the Riverina Summer School for Strings. In 2021, she founded the Nova Muse Festival in Penguin as Artistic Director, which is a highlight of her year.

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.

Botaniko Artist Group – Artist

Formed in 2014, Botaniko, (Esperanto for botanical), is a small group of dedicated botanical artists, who, by invitation, collaborate towards yearly exhibitions depicting plants found in gardens and other venues of historical significance in Tasmania. Past projects include the gardens of the Port Arthur Historic Site, the 200th anniversary of the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens, The Tasmanian Herbarium, The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG), The Windsong property, and in 2022, the trees of historical significance found in the garden of Tasmania's Government House. Titled Floral Splendour - Government House Garden. This year, members of Botaniko have been painting plants, shrubs and trees growing in in a number of private gardens of historic Battery Point (Hobart). Some of the resulting works will on display at the concert.