OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE WESTERN AUSTRALIAN ACADEMY OF PERFORMING ARTS, EDITH COWAN UNIVERSITY (ISSUE 37) October 2014 Acclaimed violinist joins WAAPA McCusker family donates Fazioli Page 2 Frozen’s Elsa comes alive Page 4 Art Song success Page 5 Plus Visiting artists, awards and much more! Inside WAAPA Issue 37 Page 1 NEW PIANO HITS RIGHT NOTES ormer State governor Malcolm McCusker Paul Tunzi, WAAPA’s piano and his family have generously provided technician for 27 years, travelled to Fa Fazioli grand piano for a new generation Sacile in Italy to personally inspect of WAAPA students, 24 years after he and his the pianos at the Fazioli factory. late father, Sir James McCusker, donated the Tunzi enlisted the expertise of university’s original grand piano. Fazioli founder, Mr Paolo Fazioli and “In 1990 my father, the late Sir James Italian concert pianist Alessandro McCusker, and I were very pleased to donate Taverna – who spent a day playing funds to WAAPA for a grand piano. We recognised three shortlisted pianos – to help Wheatley Kathy by Photo select the piano that would be most Second year music student Hannah Th’ng tests the new Fazioli grand piano, with McCusker the importance of students at the high level of Charitable Foundation Trustees Dr Malcom McCusker and Carolyn McCusker WAAPA having a first-class instrument on which suitable for WAAPA’s demands. to hone their talents,” said Dr McCusker. “I am The Fazioli piano chosen for WAAPA displays a The acquisition of the Fazioli grand, which delighted to repeat that gesture as WAAPA has versatility and flexibility which means students was made possible with logistical support become a world class academy.” will be able perform a range of musical genres from Rob Cowell at Snadens Pianos, follows the Now, thanks to the generosity of the on the piano, from classical to jazz. replacement of 53 upright pianos in 2009 in McCusker Charitable Foundation, WAAPA’s music “What we were looking for is a piano that partnership with Yamaha, which are used in day- students are able to practice and perform on can be very ‘diverse’,” explained Tunzi. “It’s very to-day teaching and learning. the new $250,000 Italian grand piano. Fazioli difficult for a piano to play jazz and then do “The students are the beneficiaries of this pianos are entirely handcrafted from red spruce intimate solo work and then be a concerto piano very generous gift and they are hugely excited cut from Italy’s Val di Fiemme, the same forest as well. That this piano does this very well is why by the look and sound and feel of this particularly where Stradivarius gathered wood for his violins. this piano is truly remarkable.” beautiful piano,” said WAAPA Director, Professor Over a period of three years, the timbers are Mr Tunzi then endured a nervous wait as Julie Warn. “We can look forward to some transformed in a laborious process that includes the piano was flown from the Fazioli factory to wonderful concerts, knowing that the support of a natural drying period that takes between six Singapore and then Melbourne, before being the McCuskers has made this possible.” months and a year. trucked across the Nullarbor to Perth. ACCLAIMED VIOLINIST JOINS WAAPA VIRTUOSO VIOLINIST ALEXANDRE DA COSTA SET TO TAKE UP POSITION AT WAAPA AS HEAD OF STRINGS “It is with so much enthusiasm that I am and Asia in celebrated venues such as New joining the faculty of WAAPA,” said Da Costa. York’s Carnegie Hall, Vienna’s Musikverein and “I know that Perth will become my own little the Berlin Philharmonie. He has been concerto paradise where I will be able to help a new soloist with London’s Royal Philharmonic, the generation of string players achieve Montreal Symphony and the Vienna Symphony their goals and professionally among many others, performing under the live with music daily ... most eminent conductors, including Fruhbeck Working with the de Burgos, Leonard Slatkin and Kent Nagano. wonderful team He has made more than twenty CD recordings, of WAAPA will be most recently recording for the Warner label the a joy, and together complete Brahms sonatas for violin and piano we shall build one of the strongest string with pianist Wonny Song. programs in the Asia-Pacific region.” In addition to his international concert Born in Montreal in 1979, Da Costa’s ability schedule, Da Costa has held the position as a child to play both the piano and violin with of Professor of Violin at the Gatineau Music stunning virtuosity brought him recognition Conservatory in Ottawa, Canada and regularly as a musical prodigy. At age 18, he obtained a gives masterclasses at various universities and Masters Degree in violin and a First Prize from conservatories around the world. the Conservatoire de Musique du Québec. At Da Costa’s Perth concert, the audience lexandre Da Costa has been described as Concurrently, he also obtained a Bachelor’s was able to hear the master’s priceless violin: “a musician of the highest international Degree in Piano Interpretation from the a 1730 Guarneri del Gesu and a Sartory bow, on Aquality” who displays “a virtuoso University of Montreal. He then studied in Madrid loan to him from Canadian firm Canimex which technique and a huge sound, plus passion, with legendary violin teacher, Zakhar Bron. purchases fine, rare instruments and lends them commitment and musicality in equal measure”. He later pursued post-graduate studies at the to musicians who would otherwise have no access In August, WAAPA hosted a showcase recital Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst of to them. Da Costa loves playing the Guarneri by the acclaimed Canadian concert violinist as a Vienna, Austria. which he says “is one of the most beautiful and prelude to his taking up the position of Associate Since then, this master violinist has garnered powerful instruments on the planet”. Professor of Classical Performance at WAAPA numerous awards and has given more than WAAPA looks forward to welcoming Da Costa next January. 1000 concerts across North America, Europe to the Academy next year. Page 2 Inside WAAPA Issue 37 HELPMANN HAUL THREE WAAPA GRADUATES HONOURED AT AUSTRALIA’S PRE-EMINENT LIVE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY AWARDS The talents of graduates Charmene Yap, Verity Her other stage credits include Hunt-Ballard and Dean Bryant were recognised Shane Warne: The Musical Concert, at the prestigious 2014 Helpmann Awards, held Jersey Boys, The Rocky Horror Show, on August 18 at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney. Eureka, Virgins, After the Beep and The annual awards acknowledge distinguished Metro Street, for which she won artistic achievement and excellence in the a Theatre Critics Award for Best many disciplines of Australia’s vibrant live Female Performance. In 2013 Hunt- performance sectors. Ballard made her television drama debut in the ABC series The Doctor At this year’s ceremony, WAAPA trained dancer Blake Mysteries. Charmene Yap was honoured with her second Helpmann Award. She won Best Female Dancer 1999 Music Theatre graduate Dean for her role in Sydney Dance Company’s 2 in D Bryant won Best Direction of a Musical Minor as part of Interplay. Her previous award for Sweet Charity. was presented in 2012 for her performance in Bryant, who has previously SDC’s 2 One Another. won two Green Room awards and a Yap, who joined SDC in 2010, will be part of the Sydney Theatre Award, has a string of company’s Louder Than Words season in October writing/directing credits for cabarets and will make her choreographic debut with Do and musicals to his name including We, a piece for the SDC’s New Breed season at Prodigal, which had an off-Broadway Carriageworks in November. season, Josie in the Bathhouse, and In Vogue: Songs by Madonna, among Verity Hunt-Ballard, a 2003 Music Theatre Jim Lee by Photos many others. graduate, also received her second Helpmann Verity Hunt-Ballard (top) and Charmaine Yap with their Helpmann Awards Award this year. She won Best Female Actor in As a director, Bryant’s work includes shows currently being reproduced all over the world. a Musical for her performance in Sweet Charity. with the Melbourne Theatre Company, The Byrant recently directed his own musical She previously won both a Helpmann and a Production Company, Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre Once We Lived Here at the Kings Head Theatre Green Room Award in 2011 for her title role in and he is the assistant director (under Simon in London. Mary Poppins. Phillips) of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert, TEACHING MUSIC THEATRE MAGIC WAAPA’S MUSIC THEATRE DEPARTMENT CELEBRATES 30 YEARS OF TRAINING NEXT YEAR BY HOSTING AN IMPORTANT INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE FOR EDUCATORS It’s been 30 years since WAAPA’s Music directors from different cultures, with different and voice, and will feature key Australian and Theatre course first opened its doors to aspiring approaches. What a great idea to get Music international educators and artists. performers. Its graduates are employed in Theatre students, professionals, and educators “As a writer and director both in Australia every major commercial musical throughout together in the one place at the one time. and the UK, I am always delighted when I Australasia and it has produced stars such as Go WAAPA!” see WAAPA graduates appear at auditions, Lisa McCune, Eddie Perfect, Lucy Durack and The MTEA’s annual conference brings they are invariably talented, enthusiastic and Melissa Madden Gray (aka Meow Meow). together international musical theatre educators wonderfully trained,” said Ben Elton, patron of So it seems only fitting that WAAPA should to share ideas about curriculum, recruitment, the 2105 Conference. “Living in Fremantle WA be chosen to host the 2015 Conference for the production, and professional placement.