Lauded for their “world class” performances, Melbourne Chamber Players comprises of musicians who have dedicated their lives to performing exceptional chamber music at the highest level. Directed by clarinetist Justin Beere and oboist Steph Dixon, the ensemble is committed to illuminating extraordinary and unique chamber music; championing lesser-known works by important and meaningful composers. To date, the ensemble has enjoyed an active life on stage with numerous performances across Melbourne and regional Victoria, including live recordings for 3MBS Radio.

NATALIA HARVEY is earning a reputation as one of Australia’s most versatile and dynamic young violinists, her expertise ranging from historical performance to contemporary music and improvisation. As a soloist she has been a finalist in international and national competitions, including the Gisborne International Music Competition (New Zealand) and the Australian Youth Classical Music Competition.

An Emerging Artist with the Australian Chamber Orchestra in 2017, Natalia is also an active orchestral musician. She is currently Principal Second Violin of the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra and a casual member of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. She often appears as a soloist and guest director with the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra in programs broadcast on ABC Classic FM. Natalia’s passion for chamber music has seen her perform chamber works with internationally acclaimed artists such as Anthony Marwood, Malin Broman and Pekka Kuusisto. She is a member of the Australian Octet and is regularly invited as a guest artist with string quartets (her favourite form of chamber music) around the country, such as the Flinders Quartet.

Natalia is a both a keen performer of new music and an experienced period violinist. She has been a recitalist with new music advocates such as Michael Kieran Harvey and the Rubiks Collective. As a period violinist, she was the winner of the Holdsworth Family Bach Prize and is a member of the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra. She often appears in period chamber music ensembles and performs with orchestras such as the Australian Romantic and Classical Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Antipodes and Genesis Baroque. Natalia has been a guest artist at festivals such as the Four Winds Festival (NSW), the Coramba Chamber Music Festival (NSW), the Extended Play Festival (NSW), the Vasse Felix Festival (WA), the Canberra International Music Festival (ACT), and the Musica Viva Huntington Estate Festival (NSW).

Melbourne-based pianist Aidan Boase is an Associate Faculty Artist at the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM), where he has the delightful job of collaborating with and coaching musicians of the Academy. He also performs with Melbourne Chamber Players, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Orchestra Victoria, and is in high demand as a pianist and collaborator. Aidan has performed at festivals in Europe and in the US. He was a 2015 fellow at the prestigious Norfolk Chamber Music Festival run by the Yale School of Music; and was a prize winner in the Virtuoso and Bel Canto Chamber Music Competition in Lucca, Italy. As a concerto soloist Aidan has performed with orchestras around the country, including the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and Orchestra Victoria.

Aidan was born in Perth, Western Australia, where he completed a Bachelor of Music with honours at the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA). He had considerable success there studying with Ukranian pianist Anna Sleptsova, receiving the Cecilia Daff piano prize and winning the Warana Concerto Competition three times, enjoying performances with the university orchestra on each occasion. Following his degree Aidan made his first move to Melbourne to train at the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM), learning with Timothy Young. During his time there he was twice a finalist in the ANAM Concerto Competition and won first prize and the 3MBS Listeners’ Choice award in the Chamber Music Competition. Aidan returned to Perth for two years after his studies to become a member of the piano teaching staff at WAAPA, before moving again to Melbourne to take up the position at ANAM.

THE UNSW ORCHESTRA was founded in 1989 to bring the live performance of fine music to the University community and to the many people who live in the surrounding suburbs.

The Orchestra was established by three undergraduate students, Jan Howe, Richard Pulley and Emery Schubert, with guidance from Professor Roger Covell of the (then) School of Music and Music Education and was initially funded by a grant from the (then) Vice Chancellor, Professor Michael Birt. The vitality of the Orchestra today owes much to all these founders’ vision and caring.

The Orchestra’s repertoire is broadly from the Classical (1750-1810) and Romantic (1810-1910) eras. More recent works, especially works by contemporary Australian composers, are well represented in the Orchestra’s programs, as is film music from the past four decades. Concertos for various solo instruments figure prominently. The soloists in these concertos are mostly students from the University’s music department. All musicians are members of UNSW Society of Orchestra and Pipers

The Orchestra’s first concert took place on 15 August 1989, and on 14 May 2010 it gave its 100th public performance. There are, at any one time, about 65 players in the Orchestra. Additional guest players are brought in as the need arises, usually for the rarer instruments such as bass clarinet, contrabassoon, harp and celeste, or when a large-scale symphonic work is on the program.

More than 1000 UNSW students both from UNSW School of the Arts and Media and other faculties, staff and alumni have played in the Orchestra over the first 23 years of its existence. This remarkable figure shows what a wealth of amateur musical talent there is on campus. It also reflects the inevitable annual turnover among players, as existing players go off with their degrees and new players join.

The minimum standard is Grade 8 AMEB.

STEVEN HILLINGER is a versatile conductor and educator who is widely recognised for his work in both the orchestral and symphonic band fields.

Steven graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree in 1992 from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music studying French Horn with Anthony Buddle and has performed with orchestras including the Australian Chamber Orchestra, The Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra and the Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra.

In 1993 Steven completed a Graduate Diploma in Conducting at the Sydney Conservatorium, studying with Henryk Pisarek and the following year was offered a place in the Master of Music course, graduating in 1997, with John Hopkins as his teacher. This was the first time a Masters in Conducting had been offered. In 2019, Steven completed his Doctoral studies at the Sydney Conservatorium, studying with Eduardo Diazmuñoz while undertaking research into the forgotten Hungarian composer, Tibor Idrányi.

Steven has guest conducted many orchestras including the Willoughby, Penrith and Mosman Symphony Orchestras, the Ku-ring-gai and East-West Philharmonic Orchestras, the Cove Chamber Orchestra, The Occasional Performing Sinfonia, the Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra and the NSW Youth Orchestra. Steven has also worked with the Australian Youth Orchestra and was shortlisted to audition for the position of Assistant Conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. He was a finalist the 1997, 1998 and 2000 Westfield Young Conductor of the Year Awards with the Queensland, Adelaide and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras respectively.

Steven was the conductor of the Lane Cove Youth Orchestra (1998), Fisher’s Ghost Youth Orchestra (1998-2000), Sydney Youth Brass (2000), Shore School Symphony Orchestra (2005-2006), Burwood Girls High School Senior Concert Band (2010-2011), St. Aloysius College Senior Concert Band (2012), Ascham School Symphony Orchestra (1997-2014) and was Musical Director of the City of Sydney Wind Ensemble (2001-2006). Steven also worked extensively with the Sydney Youth Orchestra’s Association (2001-2007), conducting the Sydney Youth Orchestra, Philharmonic Orchestra and Symphonic Wind Orchestra and was Musical Director of the University of New South Wales Wind Symphony (2006-2012) and Associate Conductor of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music’s Wind Symphony (2013-2014). Steven has also worked as Assistant Conductor with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

As well as a large amount of guest conducting, at present, Steven holds the position of Chief Conductor and Musical Director of the North Sydney Symphony Orchestra, as well as conducting the Chatswood High School Wind Orchestra, North Sydney Girls High School Symphony Orchestra and Wind Orchestra – leading them on several international tours to Europe and China. Steven is also Musical Director of the University of New South Wales Symphony Orchestra, and from 2016 to 2018, held the position of Chief Conductor of the Melbourne Youth Orchestra.

ASHLYN TYMMS recently performed with the West Australian Opera as Dorabella in the Glyndebourne Festival production of Così fan tutte. This coming July Ashlyn will make her role debut as Santuzza for WAO Cavalleria Rusticana. In 2020 Ashlyn also performed as Hansel at the WAO production of Hansel and Gretel. Ashlyn has also performed the roles of Flora in La Traviata, Lapák & Mrs Pásková in The Cunning Little Vixen, Lady in waiting in Verdi’s Macbeth as well as singing regionally with the company in the Pinnacles, the Valley of the Giants and Opera in the Quarry.

Ashlyn graduated as a HF Music Scholar at the Royal College of Music, London, Masters of Vocal Performance with Distinction and has been awarded Outstanding Australian Musician Award from the Royal Over-Seas League, London. Ashlyn performed the role of Rosimonda in Handel’s Faramondo at the London Handel Festival. Other roles include Judith, The Two Sisters, premier with Tête à Tête Opera, La Marchande de journaux in Poulenc’s Les mamelles de Tirésias, Euridice in Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo, Title role in Dido and Aeneas, Eurydice in Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld, Berenice in Rossini’s L’occasione fa il ladro.

Ashlyn has performed extensively within Australia, UK and Asia on the concert platform. Of note, Vaughan Williams Serenade to Music at Buckingham Palace hosted by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, South Korea tour in recital with the London Cello Orchestra and Verdi’s Requiem, Sydney Town Hall.