A Day at the Con! 2025

A Day at the Con! 2025

Welcome to A Day at the Con! 2025

As the home of music education in South Australia, the Elder Conservatorium of Music opens its doors to the community on Saturday 30 August 2025 with A Day at the Con! 2025.

School students are invited to join us for the day as our brilliant staff offer a range of free workshops, masterclasses, and a variety of ensemble activities, across the disciplines of Classical Performance, Jazz Performance, Music Theatre and Creative Practice.

Performances and demonstrations will include Elder Conservatorium staff, together with current Conservatorium students and alumni.

You can explore your creativity through jazz improvisation or performance masterclasses; take part in a studio recording workshop; work with Ableton Live; witness the power of making music together in ensembles; or be a 'fly on the wall' in rehearsals for an all-singing, all-dancing Music Theatre show.

A Day at the Con! 2025 is a wonderful opportunity for school students to connect with the Conservatorium, allowing participants the chance to talk to faculty and current students about what life and learning is like at the Elder Con.

Come and join our community!

REGISTER

Classical Performance

PRESENTATIONS AND WORKSHOPS FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS – YEARS 10 TO 12

Date: Saturday 30 August
Registration: Attendance is FREE but registration is essential!

Registrations close at 1.00pm on Thursday 28 August, or when session capacity is reached.

Presentations:

11.30am–12.00pm: Tertiary music opportunities presentation (Elder Hall)
12.15–1.15pm: Elder Conservatorium of Music Student Concert (Elder Hall)
4.00–4.30pm: Tertiary music opportunities (Elder Hall)

Instrument Workshops:

Please register using the links below.

BRASS

CLASSICAL GUITAR

CLASSICAL VOICE

KEYBOARD

PERCUSSION

STRINGS

WOODWIND

For questions and enquiries, please contact our Head of Classical Performance, Dr Elizabeth Layton.

Jazz Performance

WORKSHOPS FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

Date: Saturday 30 August 2025
Time: 9.00am–1.00pm (Registration starts at 8.40am)
Venue: Madley Rehearsal Studio, Madley Building, Elder Conservatorium of Music, The University of Adelaide
Registration: Attendance is FREE but registration is essential!

REGISTER

Registrations close at 1.00pm on Thursday 28 August 2025, or when session capacity is reached.

Explore your creativity through improvisation and jazz interpretation with our faculty of award-winning educators, composers and performers, including National Jazz Award Winner's James Muller (guitar) and Lauren Henderson (voice), National Jazz Award semi-finalists Mark Ferguson (piano) and Alex Taylor (brass), new staff member (dearly Dr) Timothy Clarkson (saxophone), and Dr Lyndon Gray (bass), along with some of our award-winning current students.

The day is held in four parts – we encourage you to participate in all four sessions, but if you only have time for one session, come to Session 4 at 11.45am–1.00pm.

Applications now open for trumpet, trombone, saxophone, clarinet, flute, piano, guitar, bass, drums, vibraphone, violin and voice. If you instrument is not listed, let us know and we just might find a way to have you involved!

Drum kits, bass amps and guitar amps will be provided, and each room has a piano!
 

Schedule:

9.00am–9.20am: Session 1 – Whole group workshops with all-staff and students

Instruments not required – other than your hands and voices!
Students will listen to staff and current Elder Con students perform and demonstrate jazz concepts
Students will participate in vocal jazz warm-ups and staff will guide students through a short active listening session.

9.30am–10.15am: Session 2 – Instrument Specific Masterclasses

Instruments required!

10.25am–11.30am: Session 3 – Workshop session in smaller groups

Instruments required!

Depending on your experience we will place you in one of the following smaller group workshops, but please state your preference and we will do our best to accommodate your request.

a. Jazz Improvisation and small ensemble preparation workshop

If you haven't had a lot of experience in jazz, then this is the workshop for you!

We will explore how to interpret a melody, how to get started with improvisation and the roles of the jazz rhythm section (piano, guitar, bass).
 

b. Small jazz ensemble

If you have intermediate/advanced jazz skills, then this is the workshop for you!

You will have the opportunity to work in a small ensemble setting with other high school students and current Elder Conservatorium jazz students, mentored by one of our jazz staff members.

How will you know if you are up for this? Check out the attached lead sheet for 'The Jody Grind' by Horace Silver, and if you feel like you are ready to interpret and perform this piece in a small jazz ensemble setting, then join this session. You don't need to be an expert – you're just checking to see if these are concepts that you have started exploring!

The Jody Grind – Parts Download

c. Vocal jazz workshop

If you want to focus on developing your jazz vocal skills, please attend this workshop with our award-winning jazz vocal lecturer Lauren Henderson!

11.45am–1.00pm: Session 4 – Interactive performance with all staff and students, and Q&A with current students and staff

All students together for a session which will include:

1. Interactive concert with our Elder Con jazz staff and students
2. Performance of tunes from some of the Day at the Con small ensembles
3. Performance of a tune by morning session jazz vocalists

Students are welcome to come as observers only, but this music is best experienced by playing it!

For questions and enquiries, please contact our Head of Jazz Performance, Mark Ferguson.

Creative Practice

WORKSHOPS AND DEMONSTRATIONS FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

Date: Saturday 30 August 2025
Time: 10.00am–2.30pm
Venue: Level 5 and Level 4 (Schulz 406), Schulz Building, The University of Adelaide
Registration: Attendance is FREE but registration is essential!

REGISTER

Registrations close at 1.00pm on Thursday 28 August 2025, or when session capacity is reached.

A warm welcome to high school students! Join our team of expert lecturers and teachers for an exciting day of workshops and demonstrations! The day begins with a tour of the facilities and a Q&A with our current staff. Throughout the day, sessions will be run by Associate Professor Luke Harrald, Dr Dylan Crismani, Dr Daniel Pitman, and Dr Sebastian Tomczak, and include performances by our current Popular Music and Composition students, a studio recording workshop, a vintage synths demonstration, and an Ableton Live Workshop.

Schedule:

10.00am–10.30am: Tour and Q&A (Luke Harrald) (Level 5, Schulz Building)
10.30am–11.00am: Performances by Pop and Composition Students (Luke Harrald) (Level 5, Schulz Building)
11.00am–12.00pm: Modular Synths and VR Demonstration (Sebastian Tomczak and Daniel Pitman) (Level 5, Schulz Building)
1.00pm–1.45pm: Studio Recording Workshop (Daniel Pitman) (Level 5, Schulz Building)
1.45pm–2.30pm: Ableton Live Workshop (Sebastian Tomczak) (Level 4, Schulz 406, Schulz Building)

For questions and enquiries, please contact our Head of Creative Practice, Associate Professor Luke Harrald.

Music Theatre

WORKSHOPS FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

Date: Saturday 30 August 2025
Time: 10.00am–2.00pm
Venue: Exercise Studio, Union House 208, The University of Adelaide
Registration: Attendance is FREE but registration is essential!

REGISTER

Registrations close at 1.00pm on Thursday 28 August 2025, or when session capacity is reached.

Schedule:

10.00am–11.00am: Open Rehearsal Room

Be a fly on the wall in our rehearsal room, where students of the Bachelor of Music Theatre are preparing for our upcoming production of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Watch Head of Music Theatre Erin James direct the students with choreographer Alexander Kermond for this all-singing, all-dancing show.

11.00am–11.30am: Q&A with current students and staff

12.00pm–1.00pm: Dance Class

In Music Theatre, we use our bodies to help tell stories. Participate in a one-hour dance/movement class with Music Lecturer Joseph Simons. All dance levels/abilities are welcome.

For participation in the dance class, please wear clothes you can move in, and either jazz dance shoes or sneakers. Don't forget your water bottle!

1.00pm–2.00pm: Ensemble Singing

Sing out! Join Music Theatre lecturers George Torbay and Peter Johns to learn how to sing together as one.

For questions and enquiries, please contact our Head of Music Theatre, Erin James.