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Stephen Whittington Profiled in FABLE Newsletter
Our Associate Director International and Senior Lecturer in Composition, Stephen Whittington, was recently profiled in the Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Economics (FABLE) newsletter.
[Read more about Stephen Whittington Profiled in FABLE Newsletter]
Dr Oliver Fartach-Naini in South Korea
Teaming up with guitarist Lee Song-Ou, Dr Oliver Fartach-Naini performed at the UNESCO Global Forum in South Korea and gave concerts in Daegu and Busan. Their program featured music by Francis Poulenc, Manuel de Falla and Napoléon Coste as well as three recent compositions by our very own Stephen Whittington.
Elder Conservatorium Graduates Cast in 2026 State Opera South Australia Productions
Congratulations to Elder Conservatorium alumna Charlotte Kelso (soprano; pictured above), who will be joining State Opera South Australia's Golden Jubilee 2026 Season in the leading role of Carmen in George Bizet's much-loved Carmen (Saturday 17–Saturday 24 October 2026). Elder Conservatorium graduate and current PhD candidate Fiona McArdle (pictured below) has also been cast as Mercedes, along with ECM alumna Desiree Frahn (soprano) in the role of Micaëla. A number of other Elder Conservatorium alumni have also been cast in leading roles throughout SOSA's 2026 Season.
ECM Flute Students and Alumni Receive Prizes in the David Cubbin Memorial Competition (Flute Society of South Australia)
Recent Elder Conservatorium graduate Ronny Xiao has been awarded Second Prize at the David Cubbin Memorial Competition, hosted by the Flute Society of South Australia. Current students Lucy Ryan and Annaliese Jeffery also received an Honourable Mention for their excellent performances.
Ensemble Lumen in the OzAsia Festival
Under the baton of Associate Professor Luke Dollman, Ensemble Lumen recently shared the stage with legendary photographer William Yang and renowned Australian composer Elena Kats-Chernin AO to bring to life Milestone at the Adelaide Town Hall on Friday 31 October as part of this year's OzAsia Festival. The performance received some wonderful reviews in Glam Adelaide and InReview.
Open Music Academy (OMA) End-of-Year Concert 2025
On Saturday 8 November, the Open Music Academy (OMA) marked the completion of the first year of its new programs with two concerts in Elder Hall. Ten students were honoured with the OMA Excellence Award and Associate Director Edith Salzmann praised the concert as 'a wonderful showcase of what our students and mentors have achieved this year.' Thank you to all the OMA teachers for their hard work in 2025! The stage is set for a bright future for the programs and its students. Enrolments are now open and filling for 2026.
[Read more about Open Music Academy (OMA) End-of-Year Concert 2025]
Composer Concerts
On Tuesday 28 and Thursday 30 October in Elder Hall, thirteen new works by our undergraduate composers were showcased in two concerts. A big congratulations to composers Belle Smibert, Ben Lyons Reid, Matthew Coldrey, Heather Duthie, Joey Yau, Edmund Sikorski, Raff Raschella, Antony Abbracciavento, Hugo Johnston, Reo Gerhardy, Thomas Godwin, Leah Komad-Antic, and Charlie Wells.
Elder Conservatorium Circle Garden Party
The Elder Conservatorium Baroque Ensemble performed a special outdoor concert as part of a Garden Party held last Thursday 6 November at the home of Mary Lou and Anthony Simpson, for our Elder Conservatorium Circle. Led by Rob Nairn, the program featured music by Handel, Hasse, Motta, Marcello and Dall'Abaco. The Chancellor was among the guests.
Guitarissimo (Elder After Hours)
Elder Conservatorium guitar students, the Elder Conservatorium Guitar Ensemble, alumni Yueqi Li and Alexandra Shepherd as well as alumnus and OMA Guitar Teacher Caleb Lavery-Brook performed another eclectic Guitarissimo program for an enthusiastic Elder After Hours audience on Saturday 25 October.
2025 Patronage Garden Reception
Joseph Simons, Emily Kelly, Associate Professor Luke Dollman and Professor Anna Goldsworthy attended the 2025 Patronage Garden Reception at Government House on behalf of the Elder Conservatorium Circle. It was a delightful opportunity to celebrate the patronage of Her Excellency the Honourable Frances Adamson AC and Mr Rod Bunten, for which we are truly grateful.
