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Local musicians return to perform in Latrobe

Moe Town Hall will host ‘Earth’, a clarinet and dance performance by talented music and dance ensemble The Phonos Project on Sunday 4 July.

By Latrobe Shire Council - 23rd June 2004 - Back to News

The Phonos Project consists of pianist Rohan Murray, vibraphonist and pianist Rae Howell, local dancer Susan van den Ham and local clarinettist and dancer Karen Heath. The ensemble will perform original pieces and works by Australian and international composers.

Latrobe City Box Office and Program Coordinator, Kathleen Roberts, said that The Phonos Project is an inspiration to local musicians and is proof that country performers can break into the music industry.

"The Phonos Project is very well known in the Gippsland region because two of its members are from the local area. Karen Heath graduated from Lowanna Catholic College in 1998 and then went on to study music at a tertiary level at Monash University, graduating with an Honours Degree in the Bachelor of Music in 2003. Karen received the highest mark ever recorded at the institution and was subsequently offered a place in the university’s Master’s Degree program, which she is currently undertaking. Apart from studying, Karen is also a composer and she teaches clarinet and saxophone at Lavalla Catholic College and, until recently, she also taught at Gippsland Grammar School in Sale," Ms Roberts said.

"Susan van den Ham is also a local girl, and she graduated from Box Hill TAFE in 2001 with a Diploma of Dance Teaching and Management. Susan has spent a lot of time in Gippsland, teaching students at KC School of Dance in Warragul and also at Dance Limits School of Excellence. In 2003 Susan, and fellow student Adam Wheeler, performed a piece for the Melbourne Fringe Festival that was nominated for a Green Room Award and also received the Fringe Festival accolade of ‘Best New Work’. Susan became a member of The Phonos Project in 2003 and she was recently given a position on Ausdance Australia’s Board of Youth Dance. As well as this, Susan is currently studying for her final year of dance at the Victorian College of the Arts."

Ms Roberts said that Rohan Murray and Rae Howell are also accomplished musicians who have dedicated their lives to their music and have had a great deal of experience in the music industry.

"Rohan Murray has completed his Master of Music Performance degree at the Victorian College of Arts with First Class Honours and was a grand finalist and prize-winner at the 2000 Australian Piano Awards. Rohan has performed as a soloist with the Melbourne Youth Orchestra, the Victorian Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Melbourne University Choral Society, Monash Sinfonia and the New Monash Orchestra, and has also been the recipient of many awards and prizes including the Mazda and the Joan Earle Prizes. Rohan was the Victorian College of Arts’ first PhD candidate and he has also performed and lectured in Europe and Asia," Ms Roberts said.

"Rae Howell graduated from the Conservatorium of Music at the University of Melbourne, majoring in Composition and Sound Production. Rae has been involved with numerous theatrical productions, film and television music composition, live radio performances and live weekly gigs at various Melbourne venues. She currently performs on a regular basis in her group, ‘sunwrae’, and also works regularly as a session multi-instrumentalist in music studios and engages in live performance work on trumpet, mellophone, vibraphone, glockenspiel, melodica, guitar, vocals and percussion. In July 2002, Rae wrote and performed original music for a German-Australian theatrical co-production at the ARENA International Theatre Festival in Erlangen, Germany and she was recently awarded the City of Melbourne Young Artist Grant for 2004 to launch a project entitled ‘eavesdropping’," Ms Roberts said.

Source: www.gippsland.com

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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