2015 Awardees perform at Sunday in the Apartment

AMF Awardees Emily Sun (violin) and Andrey Lebedev (guitar) performed together as a duo at Sunday in the Apartment on 11 September, at the Rah Rah Room, Piccadilly. Their programme included: 

Claude Debussy: Clair de Lune from Suite Bergamasque, arranged by Andrey Lebedev
Manuel de Falla: Canciones Populares Españolas, 1. El Paño moruno, 2. Il Jota

Photo credit: Peter Livingstone Photography

There was also an appearance by AMF Alumnus, singer Russell Harcourt.

Sunday in the Apartment, run by Australian Business, is a showcase of Australian talent, based in London, and is a light-hearted afternoon entertainment, part chat-show, part cabaret. The next show will be on 27 November. More information: 

http://www.sundayintheapartment.com/

AMF Welcomes new Trustee, Dr Margaret Mayston AM

The AMF welcomes a new Trustee, Dr Margaret Mayston AM, who is a leading researcher, therapist and lecturer in the field of neurosciences.

She was named the 2010 Australian Woman of the Year in the UK, for her ongoing work helping children and families deal with Cerebral Palsy.

Dr Mayston was recognised in the Australia Day honours in 2009 and is a recipient of the prestigious Schafter Award in Physiology.

The AMF is very grateful for Dr Mayston's support and looks forward to working with her on future projects to assist more talented young Australian musicians in their studies overseas.

Life President, Guy Parsons awarded OBE

The AMF is delighted to announce that founding trustee, long-serving Treasurer and now Life President, Guy Parsons, has been awarded the OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours, for his services to business and charity. 

Mr Parsons was a senior partner at auditing firm KPMG, where he was appointed liquidator for many companies and undertook overseas projects for the Government.

In addition to his work with the AMF, he also set up and is a trustee of The Lynn Foundation, a charity which annually makes some 500 grants to help people with disabilities.

The AMF would like to congratulate Mr Parsons on receiving this honour in recognition of his wonderful work for charity, and to thank him for his support of young Australian musicians over the last 40 years.

Photo credit: Steve Robards

 

 



 

2016 AMF Finalists Announced

The live Finals of the AMF Awards will take place at the  Wigmore Hall, London, on the morning of Thursday 6 October. All are invited to this free event in the AMF calendar, to support these talented young artists as they compete for scholarships to support their studies in the UK, Europe or the USA. If you would like to attend, please contact sas@australianmusicfoundation.org

AMF Finalists 2016 

Justin Sun - Bassoon

Waynne Kwon - Cello

Seong Sin Lee - Cello

Sam Lucas - Cello

Oscar Jiang - Piano

Sonya Pigot - Piano

James Guan - Piano 

Sabina Im - Piano

Jesse Flowers - Guitar

Shanie Klas - Percussion

Rebecca Gulinello - Soprano

Jade Moffat - Mezzo-Soprano

Daniel Mullaney - Tenor

James Yan - Composer

AMF Awardee, violinist Emily Sun, wins Gold Medal at Royal Overseas League

The AMF is delighted to announce that current awardee Emily Sun has won the Gold Medal at the Grand Final of the Royal Overseas League Competition in London on 1 June, playing Debussy's Violin Sonata in G minor and Wieniawski's Fantasie Brilliant sur des motifs de l'opera Faust de Gounod.

Emily told AMF: "I am incredibly honored and thrilled to be awarded the Gold Medal and 1st Prize in the 2016 Royal OverSeas League Music Competition in the UK. This competition hails competitors from all Commonwealth countries and I am very excited to have represented Australia. This award is especially important to me as I am the only violinist to have won the Gold Medal since 1981. 

This could not have been possible without the support of the Australian Music Foundation who have sponsored me through years of study at the Royal College of Music in London. Without the help from this thriving foundation it would be impossible for young Australian musicians to pursue our careers abroad. I am eternally grateful for all the support I have received from Australia. "

The AMF is extremely proud of her achievement and wishes Emily every success in her career.

Watch videos of Emily performing on the AMF Current Awardees page .

 

 

AMF Supports Launch of new Creative Professionals Network

The AMF is proud to support the new Creative Professionals Network Australia, instigated by AMF alumna, soprano Samantha Crawford, and Emma Cullen of Cullen Wines. AMF Chairman, Yvonne Kenny AM, attended the launch at Australia House on Tuesday, 10 May, which included performances by Samantha, and fellow AMF alumna, soprano Sky Ingram.

The CPN Australia's mission is to 'connect young Australian and British people working in the arts, business, services and government agencies, to provide them with new experiences. We want to build friendships across these industries, offering professional development opportunities while they are living in the UK.’    

For more information and updates: www.facebook.com/CPNAustralia

"AMF is proud to support this new joint initiative. We think it is a wonderful idea to start building connections with the next generation of potential music lovers. We wish Emma and Samantha a great success." Yvonne Kenny AM

Photograph by James Gifford Mead shows Yvonne Kenny AM, Emma Cullen, Samantha Crawford, Deborah and Andrew Todd (Deputy High Commissioner to the UK). 

 

 

 

Andrey Lebedev to perform in Australian Music and the Classical Guitar at the RAM on 2 March 2016

2015 AMF Awardee Andrey Lebedev will be performing in a unique evening devoted to "Australian Music and the Classical Guitar” at the Royal Academy of Music on Wednesday 2nd March at 7:30pm in the Duke’s Hall.

At 6:15pm there will be a pre-concert discussion, with Australian-born classical guitarist John Williams and Dr. Raymond Holden, in the David Josefowitz Recital Hall.

The programme showcases a breadth of solo, chamber, and orchestral music from Australia featuring the classical guitar. Originally conceived as a homage to the late Peter Sculthorpe, the programme is bookended by the composer’s exquisite evocations of Kakadu National Park and Nourlangie, and includes works by Ross Edwards, Phillip Houghton, Nigel Westlake and Brett Dean, whose Gertrude Fragments for mezzo-soprano and guitar will be receiving its World Premiere. 

More details of the programme can be found at http://www.ram.ac.uk/whats-on/event/australian-music-and-the-classical-guitar-

Andrey will be performing alongside exceptional Academy musicians from Australia and abroad including Joseph Havlat, Lotte Betts-Dean, the Ardour Quartet and Joseph Prindl, and will be accompanied in the final item by the Academy String Orchestra conducted by Jo Cole (RAM Head of Strings)

 

 

 

 

Emily Sun, Winner of Royal Overseas League Competition String Section

The AMF is delighted to announce that violinist Emily Sun (winner of the 2015 AMF Nora Goodridge Emerging Artist Award), has won the String Section category in the 2016 Royal Overseas League Competition. She will take part in the Finals at Cadogan Hall in London on 1st June. Emily has also been selected for the Tillett Trust Young Artists' Platform, which consists of a series of recitals in the UK over the next year, including a recital at the Wigmore Hall. Many congratulations to Emily and all good wishes for her continued success.

AMF Prize-Winners' Concert, Australia House, 25.11.15

Many thanks to all who attended the AMF Prize-Winners' Concert in the Downer Room at Australia House on 25 November. All seven of the 2015 Awardees performed in the presence of the Deputy High Commissioner, Mr Andrew Todd. Penfolds fine wines were kindly sponsored by Treasury Wine Estates and Cooper's Ale was served courtesy of the office of the Agent General for South Australia. Catering was by Australian Chef, Chris Honor of Chris Kitch in Muswell Hill. The AMF gratefully acknowledges all donations received as a result of the event.

Emily Sun to play in the Tchaikovsky Great Hall, Moscow

Violinist, Emily Sun, winner of the 2015 AMF Nora Goodridge Emerging Artist Award, has been invited to play as soloist with the Moscovia Chamber Orchestra in the Tchaikovsky Great Hall in Moscow on 1 December. 

Emily Sun, born in Sydney, began playing the violin at the age of 4, studying with her late father Dr Daniel Yi Sun. She has won all major violin competitions in Australia including the National Youth Concerto Competition, and the ABC Young Performers Award, and is a regular soloist with the Sydney, Melbourne, Queensland, Tasmania and Canberra Symphony Orchestras. Emily is widely recognized in Australia following the release of the award-winning documentary 'Mrs Carey's Concert'. She is using the AMF Nora Goodridge Emerging Artist Award to support her final year in the Masters of Music degree at the Royal College of Music. Future engagements include soloist with the Moscovia Chamber Orchestra in Moscow, South Arizona Symphony in Phoenix USA and the premiere of the Kazemi Violin Concerto with the Light of Music Philharmonic Orchestra in Cadogan Hall next January. 

Stephanie Jones to feature in Sunday in the Apartment 29.11.15

2015 AMF Awardee, classical guitarist Stephanie Jones, will feature as a guest artist in Sunday in the Apartment on Sunday 29 November, which marks the 5th Anniversary of the cabaret show. 

Stephanie Jones began learning the guitar at 11 years old in Perth, Australia. After school she studied guitar at the Australian National University, Canberra, and graduated with First Class Honours in 2014. She is currently studying for a Masters in Classical Guitar Performance with Thomas Müller-Pering at the University of Music Franz Liszt in Cologne, Germany. She has had a successful career so far, taking part in an Australia-wide tour and releasing a new CD entitled ‘Colours of Spain’. Stephanie has won multiple competitions, prestigious scholarships and awards, and will use her AMF Award to continue to study in Europe, and enable her to attend many festivals, including the Darmstadt Guitar Festival in December and the Guitar Foundation of America Convention. She is planning a New Zealand tour next year. 

AMF Prize Winners' Concert

On 25 November, all seven of the 2015 AMF Awardees took part in the Prize-Winners' Concert in the Downer Room at Australia House in the presence of the Deputy High Commissioner, and Mrs Todd. Many thanks to Treasury Wine Estates  and to Coopers Ale for providing drinks for the Reception. Catering was by Australian chef, Chris Honor of Chris Kitch restaurant, Muswell Hill. We wish all the Awardees every success in their future studies.

Announcement of the 2015 AMF Awardees

Following the Finals of the AMF Awards at the Wigmore Hall in London on 15 October, the Foundation is delighted to announce the names of the 2015 Awardees:

Emily Edmonds - Mezzo soprano

Lauren Fagan - Soprano

Alexandra Flood - Soprano

Stephanie Jones - Guitar 

Andrey Lebedev - Guitar

Sonya Pigot - Piano -  The AMF Nora Goodridge Young Artist Award

Emily Sun - Violin - The AMF Nora Goodridge Emerging Artist Award

The Australian Music Foundation is a Registered Charity in the UK (Reg. No. 270784). The AMF Australia Foundation is registered in Australia as a Discretionary Investment Trust (ABN 33 797 767 154). The Australian Music Foundation North America, Inc. is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organisation of the United States (Fed Tax ID: 45-3610532).