Our 2024 Classical Awards
The Australian Music Foundation has presented awards to nearly 300 young Australian musicians to help support their studies overseas since 1975.
The demand was greater than ever this year. It highlights the impact your donations and support make on our Awardee’s development and careers.
The Awards would not be possible without the generosity of our major donors: The Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust; the Helen and David Hains Foundation; The Goodridge Foundation; Maestro Richard Bonynge AC CBE and the Donus Australia Foundation, to whom we are most grateful.
We are proud to announce that our Australian Music Foundation Classical Awardees for 2024 are:
James Emerson - Baritone
AMF Yvonne Kenny Award - donated by the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust.
James Emerson is an Australian baritone from Melbourne who is currently studying for a Master of Performance (Vocal) at the Royal College of Music in London. He is honoured to be the recipient of the Yvonne Kenny Award from the Australian Music Foundation, sponsored by the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust. This prestigious award will support James with his studies and expenses.
James has performed in numerous productions, including Victorian Opera’s Il Mago di Oz and The Butterfly Lovers, and recently appeared in the RCM’s productions of The Merry Widow and contemporary operas in Revolutions. He is also a sought-after soloist for recitals, concerts, and masterclasses. James holds a Master of Music (Opera Performance) from the University of Melbourne and has received several accolades, including the Arnold Matters Scholarship and awards from the Ringwood and Warrnambool Aria Eisteddfods. In 2021, he was a finalist in the Herald Sun Aria competition and in 2022/2023 was a scholarship artist with Melba Opera Trust, further establishing his notable reputation in the Australian classical vocal music scene.
Isla Biffin - Harp
AMF Overseas Study Award - donated by the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust
Isla Biffin was born in 2001 in Armidale, Australia to a musician family. She has played with the Opera Australia Orchestra as principal harpist since 2016, and the Australian Youth Orchestra on multiple occasions. She has performed several major works for solo harp with orchestra and regularly gives solo recitals. She has won several international competitions; International Reinl Competition, the Wales International Harp Festival, and the Great Romantic’s Competition. In June 2024 she graduated her Bachelor degree from the Mozarteum University Salzburg where she will continue her Masters with Stephen Fitzpatrick in October this year. The AMF scholarship will help her continue her studies and to travel to competitions, allowing her to refine her skills as a musician.
Rachel Siu - Cello
AMF Richard Bonynge Award - donated by Richard Bonynge AC CBE
Australian cellist Rachel Siu has gained global recognition since her national debut at the age of seven. Educated at The Juilliard School under Joel Krosnick, she earned her Bachelor of Music degrees, holding the Kovner Fellowship and receiving the William Schuman Commencement Prize and the AMF Nora Goodridge Young Artist Award (2018). Rachel has performed as a soloist with numerous orchestras, including the Guangzhou Symphony and Juilliard Orchestra, under renowned conductors such as ThomasAdès and Long Yu. Her performances have taken her to venues like Carnegie Hall, Musikverein and Elbphilharmonie. She is a Gold Medalist at the David Popper International Cello Competition and the winner of the Juilliard Concerto Competition. Currently, she is a faculty member at the University of Sydney’s Conservatorium of Music and a member of the Streeton Trio. The AMF Richard Bonynge Award will help support her rent and living expenses while furthering her studies at the Koninklijk Conservatoire Brussel.
Raphael Masters - Viola
AMF Guy Parsons Award - donated by the Helen and David Hains Foundation
Raphael Masters is an acclaimed Viola player from Sydney, Australia. A recent graduate of the Colburn School in Los Angeles, Raphael has performed with the Sydney Symphony, LA Phil, LA Chamber Orchestra, Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, Opera Australia, and held the No. 2 seat at the Philharmonia Orchestra in London. Raphael’s solo performances include Carnegie Hall in New York City and the Sydney Opera House, and he has also performed as a Chamber Music Artist at the Edinburgh International Festival. With mentors including Paul Coletti, Tatjana Masurenko and Yura Lee, Raphael will soon begin his Master of Music with Jennifer Stumm in Vienna and performs on a modern instrument from Leipzig. Raphael is generously supported by the Australian Music Foundation and is grateful for their support
Dario Scalabrini - Clarinet
AMF Award - donated by the Helen and David Hains Foundation
Dario Scalabrini is an Australian clarinettist hailing from Brisbane, QLD. He is currently pursuing a Master of Music in Performance at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki under the tutelage of Christoffer Sundqvist. Dario has worked with eminent artists and organisations including the MSO, TSO, Auckland Philharmonia, Simone Young, Lawrence Power, Elision Ensemble, Ensemble Q and Southern Cross Soloists. He has featured as a solo artist for the Castlemaine State Festival, Melbourne Recital Centre and Brisbane Music Festival. In 2024, Dario completed pre-professional tuition at the Australian National Academy of Music, studying with David Thomas. He also holds a Bachelor of Music from the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University studying with Paul Dean. Dario is incredibly grateful to the Portland House Foundation for supporting his studies. His AMF award will assist with living and professional development costs during his studies.
Megan Yang - Violin
AMF Award - donated by the Helen and David Hains Foundation
Born and raised in Sydney Australia, Megan Yang is a distinguished violinist who has recently relocated to London to commence studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London under the mentorship of Dr. Robin Wilson. Prior to this, she honed her craft under the tutelage of Dr. Robin Wilson and Sophie Rowell at the Australian National Academy of Music in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Megan holds a Master of Music and a Bachelor of Music (Performance) from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, where she studied under Associate Professor Goetz Richter.
Her accolades extend to her time as one of the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s Emerging Artists in 2023. Through ANAM partnerships, she showcased her talent in chamber music performances alongside musicians from the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra at UKARIA. Additionally, she performed as Principal 2nd Violin in Strauss’s Capriccio under the baton of Simone Young AM.
The AMF Award will support Megan with living costs in London for this upcoming academic year.
Emmalena Huning - Violin
AMF Nora Goodridge Developing Artist Award - donated by The Goodridge Foundation
Emmalena is a violinist from Perth currently studying at the Curtis Institute of music on the Master of Music program with Benjamin Beilman and Erin Keefe after having completed her undergraduate degree with honours at the Royal Academy of music with Jack Liebeck and Gyorgy Pauk. She is a major prize winner at multiple national and international competitions including the Osaka International Music Competition and the Royal Overseas League International Music Competition, as well as being a semifinalist in the Michael Hill international Violin Competition. Emmalena has appeared live on BBC Radio 3 playing alongside James Ehnes and has been professionally recorded on multiple occasions at Abbey Road Studios in London. The Nora Goodridge Developing Artist Award and the generous support of the AMF will assist Emmalena with the assosicated costs of continuing her international studies, and enable her to pursue other invaluable endeavours such as masterclasses, competitions and festivals along the way.
Bernice Chua - Piano
AMF Nora Goodridge Young Artist Award - donated by The Goodridge Foundation
Pianist Bernice Chua is currently studying two Master of Arts Degrees in Piano Solo Training, and Piano Chamber Music and Song Accompaniment at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg, Austria under Professors Jacques Rouvier, Connie Shih, and Donald Sulzen. A Canberra native, she studied under Marie Cull, and later under Dr. Bernadette Harvey before moving to Salzburg at the age of 15 where she completed the pre-college program (2018) and her Bachelor of Arts in Piano Performance (2023) under Professor Andreas Weber. She has also undertaken many masterclasses with many renowned pianists including Amandine Savary, Eva Pobłocka, Michael Kieran Harvey, Michał Białk, Óscar Martín and Benedicte Palko. Bernice was the winner of the 2015 ArtSound Young Virtuoso of the Year Award and a finalist in the MBS National Young Virtuoso Awards, was a scholar at the Wesley Music Centre, Canberra Girls Grammar School, and the ANU School of Music, and is a recipient of the 2024 Ian Potter Emerging Artist Grants. The Nora Goodridge Young Artist Award will directly contribute to her expenses whilst completing her studies in Austria.
Jonathan Lee - Organ
AMF Award - donated by The Goodridge Foundation
Jonathan Lee began his organ studies in Australia on scholarship at Canberra Grammar School then at the ACT Organ School. He then moved to the UK as Organ Scholar at Hereford Cathedral and was subsequently Organ Scholar at Trinity College Cambridge. He is currently studying Masters in Organ at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam with Pieter van Dijk. Jonathan received the Nora Goodridge Young Artist Award in 2022, the AMF Guy Parsons Award in 2023 and the AMF Award (Goodridge Foundation) in 2024 which contributes to the Conservatorium van Amsterdam tuition fees and the living expenses of studying in Amsterdam.
Tate Cassells - Trombone
AMF Encouragement Award - donated by the Donus Australia Foundation
Hailing from the Sunshine Coast, QLD, Tate Cassells is a recent graduate from the Queensland Conservatorium of Music. Additionally, he has achieved high distinctions in both the Licentiate and Associate diplomas of Trinity College London, under the mentorship of banding legend John Thomas. Throughout his studies, he has received several awards, including the Bach Stradivarius Brass Prize from QCGU and being a finalist for The Brisbane Club Award, having the pleasure of working closely with Peter Luff, Benjamin Marks, Ashley Carter, and Jason Redman. Tate has also performed with ensembles such as the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Q, the Australian Youth Orchestra, and the Brisbane Excelsior Band. The Australian Music Foundation Award will play a crucial role in facilitating his studies in the UK, as Tate looks forward to commencing his postgraduate studies at the Royal Northern College of Music this year.