STUART ANDREW
photo courtesy of Little Red Photography
Stuart Andrew is a young and spirited pianist and teacher. He has performed across Victoria as a recital soloist, jazz pianist, associate artist, accompanist, and in theatre pit-orchestras. Stuart studied with Dr Donna Coleman, former head of keyboard, Victorian College of the Arts, at the University of Melbourne. Dr Coleman remains a close influence on his style and approach to piano playing and artistry.
In addition to his performance this evening, Stuart has played the trombone with The Grainger Wind Symphony for three years and currently serves as Publicity Officer and Brass section manager for the group. At their final concert for 2019, Stuart is delighted to be conducting The Grainger Wind Symphony. He will do so under the guidance of Music Director Roland Yeung, who is another principal influence on his musicianship and craft.
Elsewhere, Stuart is Assistant Conductor for The Victorian Branch Scout Band, and piano teacher at his private studio and The Josh Cohen School of Music.
ALLANAH COLDWELL
Growing up in the rural Victorian town of Cobram, Allanah moved to Melbourne to study a Bachelor of Music in Classical Saxophone at Monash University, under the tutelage of Michael Lichnovsky and Lachlan Davidson. She was awarded the Music Lovers’ Society Prize for highest performance results in first year, and completed an Honours year with a thesis focusing on classical-jazz crossover music for saxophone.
Since completing her studies, Allanah has attained an A.Mus.A. in saxophone, and has appeared as part of saxophone ensemble Quartet Epiphany in numerous performances, including the Melbourne International Saxophone Festival, Geelong After Dark, and 3MBS’s The Talent.
Allanah enjoys performing in wind bands, and performed with a number of wind bands during her studies. She has made regular appearances with the Royal Australian Air Force Band since 2014, and joined The Grainger Wind Symphony on saxophones in 2016.
Outside of performing, Allanah is also Concert Manager for The Grainger Wind Symphony. With an interest in coordinating concerts and events, she has worked with organisations such as Australian Youth Orchestra and Musica Viva in administrative roles, and aspires to work as an arts administrator within Melbourne’s thriving arts community.