Academy Chamber Players
16 March 2025
Iwaki Auditorium, ABC Southbank Centre
Artists
2025 MSO Academy
Joolee Kim flute
Joel Walmsley trumpet
Michael Lo trombone
Joshua Jones cello
with Gabrielle Halloran curator and viola
Musicians of the MSO
Kathryn Taylor violin
Philippa West violin
Michael Pisani oboe
Nicolas Fleury horn
Program
Klearhos Murphy* First Century† [15’] for flute, oboe, trumpet, trombone and string quartet
I. Hardship
II. Abandonment
III. Love
IV. Transience
V. Mirror
VI. Providence –
VII. Light
Ludwig van Beethoven Duo for viola and cello ‘with two obbligato eyeglasses’, WoO 32 [15’]
I. Allegro
II. Minuet – Trio
Adrian Hernandez Syzygy – Music for flute, trumpet, horn, trombone, violin and cello [9’]
Maurice Ravel Sonatine [11’] arranged for flute and string quartet by Adam Manijak
I. Modéré
II. Mouvement de menuet
III. Animé
* Cybec Young Composer in Residence † World premiere of an MSO commission
Duration: 1 hour with no interval. Timings are approximate. The MSO Academy is supported by Platinum Patrons Di Jameson OAM and Frank Mercurio.
Klearhos Murphy’s position is supported by the Cybec Foundation.
MSO Academy
The MSO Academy plays an essential role in developing the next generation of orchestral talent in Australia.
The Academy program bridges the gap between tertiary music education and a professional career through paid placements with the MSO, including mainstage performance opportunities, chamber music performances such as today’s concert, and Learning and Engagement programs. Academy participants also perform as part of the MSO’s annual regional touring program.
As part of their professional development, Academy participants are mentored by MSO musicians and are able to learn about orchestra management from MSO staff.
Gabrielle Halloran curator and viola
Gabrielle Halloran studied viola at the Victorian College of the Arts with Lawrence Jacks and at the Mozarteum Salzburg with Thomas Riebl. During her time in Salzburg, she performed in various chamber ensembles and was tutored by members of the Hagen Quartet. She gave chamber concerts in Paris for the Mozart bicentenary in 1991 and toured Europe with Salzburg Sinfonietta.
In 1993 Gabby obtained a tutti position with the MSO. She returned to Europe in 1996, supported by an MSO Friends study grant, and attended summer schools in Salzburg (with Thomas Riebl) and Siena (with Yuri Bashmet). She also had lessons with David Takeno in London and Karen Tuttle in New York. Gabby is a regular performer with MSO Chamber Players and enjoys a busy musical life in Melbourne.
Joolee Kim flute
Joolee Kim attended the Sydney Conservatorium High School, after which she was awarded a full entrance scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music in London, where she earned a Bachelor of Music (Hons) degree and a Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Music diploma. At RAM, she studied under Katherine Baker and Patricia Morris. Joolee is now in her final year of her Master of Music (Orchestral Performance) degree at the Melbourne Conservatorium, studying with Lisa‑Maree Amos.
Joolee has has been invited to perform at the Sydney Opera House for Encore, Government House, Sydney, LSO St Luke’s, and Cadogan Hall in London. As part of RAM’s 200th bicentenary, she premiered solo piccolo works by Gabriel Erkoreka and Zhenyan Li, the latter performed at the commemoration of William Bennett.
Musical highlights include playing Mahler’s Symphony No.2 with the RAM Symphony Orchestra and Semyon Bychkov at the Royal Festival Hall, and regular performances with the RAM’s Opera Orchestra and Manson Ensemble.
Since returning to Australia, she has collaborated with the Australian String Quartet, and performed with the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic and Aussie Pops Orchestra, as well as playing alongside members of Orchestra Victoria and the MSO.
Joel Walmsley trumpet
Born in Melbourne, Joel Walmsley was raised in a musical family and developed a love for music as a member of the Young Voices of Melbourne Children’s Choir. As a boy, Joel discovered his uncle’s dusty old trumpet and after terrorising the eardrums of the household, it was decided that he would begin lessons. His love for the trumpet quickly grew and he was particularly influenced by the electrifying playing of Geoffrey Payne with the MSO.
Joel is inspired by the heroic character and versatility of the trumpet, and he enjoys exploring the vocal nature of his instrument. He developed his musicianship in several programs for young musicians, including the Sydney Symphony Orchestra Fellowship, Aspen Music Festival, and various Australian Youth Orchestra programs. He has performed with the Melbourne, Sydney, Tasmanian and West Australian symphony orchestras, as well as Orchestra Victoria and the Auckland Philharmonia. In 2023 he made his professional solo debut with the Percy Grainger Youth Orchestra.
Joel holds a Music (Hons) degree and a master’s degree in Orchestral Performance from the University of Melbourne, where he studied with Joel Brennan, Mark Fitzpatrick, Rosie Turner, Shane Hooton and Owen Morris. He also spent three years at the Australian National Academy of Music, studying with Yoram Levy and David Elton.
Michael Lo trombone
Michael Lo completed his undergraduate degree at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music studying with Don Immel, Jessica Buzbee, Ben Lovell Green and Ming Yeung Li. During this time, he also studied with Peter Moore at the Hamamatsu Academy in Japan. He then completed a Master of Teaching degree at the University of Melbourne and has since returned to the Conservatorium of Music where he is now studying for a Master of Music degree.
In 2023, Michael travelled to Europe to undertake an intensive period of study with trombonists in Denmark, Germany, Switzerland and Italy. He also had the opportunity to study with Jorgen Van Rijen at the Punte Arte Festival.
Michael has worked with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Royal Melbourne Philharmonic, Melbourne Opera, Netherlands Festival Orchestra and 70s rock band Foreigner as a guest musician. He is also a former member of the Melbourne Youth Orchestra and has taught at its summer school program.
As a soloist, Michael has given Australian premieres of works by Miho Hazama, Pauline Oliveros and Susan Mutter. He also performed the world premiere of Hendrik Hoyfmeyr’s Trombone Sonata with pianist Coady Green.
Outside music, Michael is an avid home cook who is determined to improve his baking skills.
Joshua Jones cello
Joshua Jones is a cellist from Brisbane, a graduate of the Australian National Academy of Music, and is currently completing his third year of undergraduate study at the Melbourne Conservatorium (University of Melbourne) under Howard Penny.
Joshua has won numerous awards, including placing in the Queensland Symphony Orchestra Young Instrumentalist Prize four times, and winning the Australian String Teachers Association Concerto Competition three times. He has also participated in the Australian Chamber Orchestra Academy, and as a member of the Amogus Piano Trio, he won Musica Viva’s Strike A Chord competition.
As an orchestral soloist, Joshua has performed the Dvořák Cello Concerto with the Queensland Youth Symphony and was a finalist in the 2021 National Youth Concerto Competition. He won the ANAM Concerto Competition in 2023, performing Prokofiev’s Symphony Concerto in E minor with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. That same year, he won the Melbourne Conservatorium Concerto Aria competition with the same piece. He will also be participating in the Australian Youth Orchestra 2025 International Tour.
Joshua’s interests include chess, music production and audio engineering.
Kathryn Taylor violin
Originally from Tasmania, Kathryn Taylor was appointed to the first violin section of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in 2005. She has been the first violinist in the Quartz string quartet since 2015 and also performs regularly with the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra. Since the age of 11 she has appeared as soloist with many orchestras, including the Queensland and Melbourne symphony orchestras.
In 2003 Kathryn attended the Australian National Academy of Music, followed by further studies in Dublin with Eyal Kless, and in 2008 completed her Bachelor of Music (Performance) degree.
Kathryn has had lessons and performed in masterclasses with Maxim Vengerov, Salvatore Accardo, Takacs Quartet and many other notable international teachers, and has performed extensively overseas.
Philippa West violin
Philippa West has been a proud member of the MSO Second Violin section since 2010. She began lessons in Adelaide after attending concerts and being enchanted by the sound and facility of the violinists. After moving to Brisbane with her family, she continued her studies at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music School under Marguerite Sopinski. She also began playing in the Queensland Youth Orchestra, culminating in touring as Principal Second Violin before moving to Melbourne in 1997.
She completed her Music Performance degree at the Victorian College of the Arts, then received her Master of Music (Performance) degree from the University of Melbourne in 2001, studying under Mark Mogilevski. During this time she gained valuable experience as a casual player with the MSO, QSO and Orchestra Victoria.
In 2001, Philippa won her first job in Orchestra Victoria, igniting a love for opera and ballet. She particularly relished the chance to work with Opera Australia and Victorian Opera, presenting chamber opera in remote Australian communities.
Philippa is fascinated and inspired by the interplay between musicians that chamber music affords, and she has played second violin in the Quartz quartet, alongside Merewyn Bramble, Zoe Wallace and her MSO colleague Kathryn Taylor, since 2017.
Michael Pisani oboe
Michael Pisani joined the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in 2004, initially as Second Oboe, and in 2012 was appointed Principal Cor Anglais. Michael grew up in Melbourne, first learning piano before starting the oboe at age 12. After studying at the Victorian College of the Arts (Melbourne University), he held the position of Associate Principal Oboe in Orchestra Victoria and then the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra.
On occasion, Michael also plays Principal Oboe with the Australian Chamber Orchestra and has been guest principal with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonia and Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. He has appeared as oboe soloist with various orchestras in Melbourne, performing Strauss and Mozart concertos, and in 2021 premiered a new work for solo cor anglais with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra titled The Rest is Silence by Adelaide based composer Anne Cawrse.
Nicolas Fleury* horn
Nicolas Fleury began studying natural and French horns at the age of eight. Upon completing his studies in his native France – first in Nantes Conservatoire and later in Rueil Malmaison Conservatoire – he continued his education at the Royal College of Music under the guidance of professors Timothy Brown, Timothy Jones and Sue Dent. He graduated in 2009 with distinction and the Tagore Gold Medal.
Nico was appointed Principal Horn of the MSO in 2019. Previously he was Principal Horn in the Aurora Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, where he performed Mozart’s horn concertos and Britten’s Serenade for tenor, horn and strings, broadcast live on BBC Radio 3.
* Nicolas Fleury’s position is supported by Margaret Jackson AC .
He appears frequently as a guest principal horn in orchestras such as the London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Utah Symphony Orchestra. He has performed the most demanding works of the orchestral repertoire alongside conductors such as Andrew Davis, Charles Dutoit, Lorin Maazel, Esa‑Pekka Salonen, Bernard Haitink, Andris Nelsons, Valery Gergiev, Neville Marriner and John Eliot Gardiner.
