Guest Artists
The New Sydney Wind Quintet often performs with guest chamber musicians and soloists from around Australia.
Piano soloists
Gerard Willems, Philip Shovk and Clemens Leske
Emma Sholl - Flute
Emma Sholl is currently Chair of Associate Principal Flute with the Sydney Symphony. She was born in Sydney, Australia, in June 1980, and began learning the flute at age seven. Emma attended high school at Roseville College, Sydney where she was awarded a music scholarship, and began her studies at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music’s Young Artists Program in 1995.
Emma’s teachers in Australia have been Karin Hentschel, Linda Pirie, Louise Dellit, Michael Scott, Margaret Crawford, Geoff Collins, Rose Plummer and Alison Mitchell. Emma graduated from the Sydney Conservatorium with First Class Honours, completing her Bachelor of Music Degree in 2001, and was placed on the Dean’s List of Merits. In 1999 Emma was awarded a year’s contract in the position of Second Flute with the Sydney Symphony, and in 2000 went on to win the permanent position.
Emma’s awards have included 2MBS Young Performer of the Year 1997, Symphony Australia Young Performers Award “Other Instruments” winner 2001, National Orchestral Flute Competition Winner 1999 and National Solo Flute Competition in 2002.
Emma has performed concertos with the Adelaide, Tasmanian and Sydney Symphony Orchestras, and has performed as Guest Principal Flute with the Australian Chamber Orchestra. In 2002-3, aided by the Martin Bequest, AFUW, AETT, and Dorothy Fraser Scholarships, Emma studied in Geneva, Switzerland with Jacques Zoon. During that time she performed in St Petersburg and Moscow as part of the World Orchestra for Peace. Emma won the Position of Associate Principal Flute with the Sydney Symphony in November 2003.
Robert Johnson: Horn
Robert Johnson studied Horn at the NSW Conservatorium (now the Sydney Conservatorium of Music). After spending a year with the ABC Training Orchestra he joined the West Australian Symphony Orchestra as Third Horn and was appointed Principal Horn in 1977. He appeared as soloist with the Orchestra and with the Perth Wind Quintet which regularly toured Western Australia and recorded for ABC Radio.
Robert joined Sydney Symphony as Associate Principal Horn but left for further study in Europe and the USA in 1979. He returned to Sydney in 1981 to take up the position of Principal Horn with the Elizabethan Sydney Orchestra. In 1986 Robert returned to Sydney Symphony as Principal Horn and one year later formed the Chamber Soloists of Sydney, comprised of Sydney Symphony members.
In 1990 Robert performed Strauss' Horn Concerto No. 1 and devised the program for the concert Spring Classics in Sydney Symphony's Music for Spring series, appearing as soloist and conductor. He also performed in the 1991 Music for Spring series concerts.
Also in 1991 he was involved in concerts as Artistic Director with the Amadeus Wind Players at the Verbruggen Hall, Sydney Conservatorium, and appeared as soloist with Sydney Symphony in Ross Edwards' Aria and Transcendental Dance at the Seymour Centre, in the Twentieth Century Orchestra series. Other highlights with Sydney Symphony in recent years include the Mozart Horn Concerto No.2 in 1992 and the Britten Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings in 1993.
Robert Johnson works regularly with the Australia Ensemble and the Sydney Soloists, and in addition has taught at the Sydney Conservatorium and the Canberra School of Music.
Matthew Ockenden : bassoon
Matthew was born in Sydney in 1973 and began learning the piano at age five. He attended the Conservatorium High School where he studied the piano with Gerard Willems and Margaret Hair, and began learning the bassoon with Gordon Skinner when he was thirteen years old.
In 1995 Matthew completed a Bachelor of Music Degree at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, majoring in Bassoon, and the following year toured America and Europe with the Australian Youth Orchestra. He remained in Europe from 1996-1998 studying with Karl Otto Hartmann, Gustavo Nunez, and Matthew Wilkie, and on his return to Australia, Matthew won the position of Section Soloist with the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, which he currently holds.
Matthew has worked with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra with which he toured to Japan and Korea in 2001, the Tasmanian Symphony, the Sydney Symphony and the Australian Chamber Orchestra, as well the Australia Ensemble and many other chamber music groups.
Irit Silver : Clarinet
Bio coming.......