MSO 2020 Snare Drum Award

SNARE DRUM AWARD 2020

PROGRAM

PREVIOUS WINNERS

BOLCOM Graceful Ghost Rag

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

MSO Percussion Ensemble

HINDSON HEY!

All Snare Drum Finalists

ANNOUNCEMENT OF WINNER WINNER’S OWN CHOICE PIECE CHAVEZ Toccata for percussion

MSO Percussion Ensemble

ADJUDICATORS

Robert Cossom Melbourne Symphony Orchestra John Arcaro Melbourne Symphony Orchestra

Jenny Morrish Anna Webb Sophia Ang Anna Zeltzer Brent Miller Sumeet Singh Andrew Penrose Max Ziliotto Mathew Levy Samuel Butler Sam Rich Thomas von Einem Blake Roden Nathan Gatenby Lochlin Dormer Grace Kruger

The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s Snare Drum Award was established in 2004 under the leadership of MSO percussionist Robert Cossom.

The snare drum is a technically demanding instrument, calling for precision and focus, with little margin for error. The technique and discipline required to play the snare drum forms the foundation for technique across all orchestral percussion instruments. Rob has encouraged his students to dedicate more time and energy to practising the snare drum to improve their playing and their overall percussion techniques.

The Snare Drum Award is open to undergraduate percussion students from across Australia and New Zealand. In previous years applicants travelled to the Iwaki Auditorium in Melbourne, and after a day of auditions in front of a panel of judges, finalists performed for a live audience. Due to the restrictions forced upon the MSO by COVID-19, applications for the Snare Drum award have been received via video in 2020. From these online submissions, Rob and fellow MSO Percussionist John Arcaro have selected four finalists, who will perform in this broadcast. Each year the winner of the Snare Drum Award receives a hand-crafted snare drum by local maker Lou Mastro and a mentorship with Robert Cossom and the MSO, which includes the opportunity to sit in on rehearsals with some of the world’s most highly regarded conductors and soloists.

SNARE DRUM 2020 TEST PIECE MATTHEW HINDSON HEY! The composer writes: As a composer, writing a piece for solo snare drum is one of the more challenging assignments. It is a single unpitched instrument, but with an overwhelming number of possibilities when it comes to how it can be played. Not just the drum itself, but also considerations such as what sticks are used, what parts of the sticks are used, and so on.

With that in mind, I was very much considering the role of this piece as a competition piece for the performers. What makes an excellent musician in the 21st century is not just having a very fine technique. Truly outstanding performers will demonstrate high levels of creativity and ingenuity.

So in HEY!, the performer has to make all sorts of decisions. I have left parts for them to improvise. I have left parts for them to play in ways they wish, including introducing elements of theatricality. Make no mistake — it is still a ‘tough’ piece to play, technically, but I am especially interested to hear those performers who make the composition their own, that give it their own spin and interpretation. This is what makes writing music so fascinating — when someone else takes it and does things with it that I would never have imagined.

FINALISTS WILLOW GILES

KALEAH SCANLON

A passionate percussionist, Willow Giles is a second-year Classical Percussion student at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music. She has been playing percussion for more than nine years. After completing her AMusA during her final year of high school, Willow was a recipient of the Sir Samuel Griffith Scholarship at the Conservatorium and has continued performing and advancing her skills throughout her first and second year of university. She performed as a soloist at the AMEB Awards Ceremony in 2018, and has performed with the Queensland Youth Symphony, Wind Orchestra and the Brisbane Excelsior Band, as well as various Conservatorium orchestras and instrumental ensembles.

This is her first time entering the MSO Snare Drum Award competition.

Kaleah Scanlon is an emerging percussionist and drummer looking forward to playing at Splendour in the Grass, one of Australia’s most prestigious music festivals, with Triple J artist Alex the Astronaut in July 2021. Prior to this performance, Kaleah will embark with Alex the Astronaut on a national tour and support Australian music royalty Paul Kelly and Missy Higgins at Sandstone Point Hotel. Alongside her adventures in the contemporary music scene, Kaleah enjoys performing with ensembles such as Camerata – Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra and Australian Youth Orchestra. A recipient of the Sir Samuel Griffith Scholarship and runner up in the 2019 Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Snare Drum Award, Kaleah is currently completing a Bachelor of Music at Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University. She is guided under the tutelage of Professor Vanessa Tomlinson (Clocked Out) who has described Kaleah as an “excellent player” who “gives privilege to the music”.

FINALISTS HUON BOURNE BLUE

BUDDY LOVETT

Huon started playing percussion at the age of 10. After learning piano for a year, he wanted to have a go at playing with other people, and so began playing percussion in Newcastle Conservatorium community ensembles. Huon began lessons on percussion in 2015, studying with Charissa Ferguson, and then from 2016 with Stephan Muehr. He has taken part in the Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s Playerlink program from 2015–2017, was Principal Percussionist of Sydney Youth Orchestra in 2018 and has participated in numerous Australian Youth Orchestra programs since 2017. This includes AYO’s international tour to Europe and China in 2019. Huon has participated in masterclasses and been tutored by musicians including Herman Rieken (Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra), Grahame King (Royal Birmingham Ballet), Edward Choi (Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra) and Alexander Radziewski (Hamburger Symphoniker). Huon commenced undergraduate studies at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 2018 studying with Daryl Pratt and Mark Robinson (Acting Principal Timpani — Sydney Symphony Orchestra). He recently relocated to Melbourne to continue his studies at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, studying with Guy Du Blêt (Principal Timpani — Orchestra Victoria).

Buddy Lovett is a first-year percussion student at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, studying with Daryl Pratt.

He began studying piano at age 7 and commenced drum kit lessons at the age of 10. He soon progressed to marimba and orchestral percussion, learning from Robert Oetomo throughout his later high school years at Barker College. Buddy’s orchestral experience includes his role as Principal Percussionist of the Sydney Youth Orchestra (2019–present), as well as past and ongoing performances with other Sydney-based orchestras including NSW Youth Orchestra and Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic Orchestra. Buddy attended the 2019 Sydney Youth Orchestra United Kingdom tour as Principal Percussionist, participating in a lesson with Tony Bedewi (Principal Timpani — BBC Symphony Orchestra), and masterclasses and performance opportunities with David Hext (Principal Percussionist — Hallè Orchestra) and Peter Fry (Philharmonia Orchestra).

Buddy’s solo experience includes performing The Russian Marimba Concerto at Chatswood Concourse (sold out) as well as competition experience (2nd Place 2019 Australian Marimba Competition, Percussion Champion of Champions at the 2019 NSW State Solos, 1st Place in Snare Drum at the 2019 Australian Percussion Eisteddfod).

MSO PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE

John Arcaro

Robert Cossom Robert Allan Brent Miller Conrad Nilsson Greg Sully Lara Wilson

SPECIAL THANKS

The MSO Snare Drum Award is proudly supported by MSO Percussionist Robert Cossom.

Many thanks to all our supporters who help make this award possible.

Prizes for the Snare Drum Award finalists are courtesy of Lucio Mastro, Just Percussion, Zildjian Cymbals and Evans Drumheads.

JENNY MORRISH BURSARY Jenny Morrish (1984–2015) was a brilliant young percussionist whose untimely death in August 2015 shocked the tight knit-world of professional percussion players in Australia.

From the time Jenny was a student at Blackburn High School she showed unusual promise, studying both violin and percussion, and playing with the Melbourne Youth Orchestra before she won the inaugural MSO Snare Drum Award in 2004. Jenny went on to make a career in various professional roles in Melbourne, including the MSO and Orchestra Victoria.

The MSO percussionists knew Jenny well, and were proud to invest in her talent. They are delighted that some generous MSO donors have stepped forward to fund a bursary for the winning percussionist tonight. This bursary will be awarded annually and will help to cover the costs of participating in the mentorship, a key element of the prizes our winner will take home.

The MSO wishes to thank two generous couples, one wishing to remain anonymous, and the other, MSO Principal Patrons The Hon. Michael Watt QC and Cecilie Hall, great lovers of percussion performance who are proud to invest in talented young players.