This workshop offers an Intense Tutorial with a Conductor Mentor on work the Full Participating Conductor applicant brings, then conducting The Grainger Wind Symphony in a videoed workshop guided by their mentor. This will occur on the same evening. Full Participating Conductors are also able to choose a second program which will be in the form of a Class that will meet twice prior to the workshop. Conductors can choose which program suits them.
There are very limited places for full participants who will conduct The Grainger Wind Symphony. The podium time will be videoed and can be part of the discussion immediately after in the review session.
The choice of repertoire they wish to conduct will determine which program they select.
- In the One-On-One program, conductors will choose a few excerpts from one work to study with their mentor and conduct. They choose their own work, but must supply a full set of parts and an extra score. Have a recording for the tutorial. Successful applicants will choose a One-on-One Conducting Mentor from the list below.
- In the Class program conductors will conduct two or three excerpts from those that are set – choose from Symphony No.2 by Frank Ticheli. Your mentor would be Roland Yeung, Music Director and principal Conductor of The Grainger Wind Symphony.
Application Form click here. The closing date is March 13th unless already filled. This will allow time to arrange mentors, times and distributing the set of parts.
Any questions, please contact Roland Yeung, Music Director, The Grainger Wind Symphony m: 0432 445577, e: roland.yeung@graingerwindsymphony.asn.au
CONDUCTING MENTORS
Full Conducting Participants may choose a mentor on a first come-first choice basis. They can discuss their choice with Roland Yeung, the convenor of the workshops as soon as they have submitted their application form. Below are all the conducting mentors – most are for the One-on-One Program.
Lynette Bridgland
Stephen Carpenter
Jo Heaton
Shane Walterfang
Roland Yeung – mentor for Class Program only
See below for their musical biographies.
Lynette Bridgland
Lynette has studied extensively in music, having gained her Bachelor of Education in Music at Victoria College, her A. Mus. A. Piano and a Post Graduate Diploma in Music – Conducting at the University of Surrey, England, where she studied under Professor Sebastian Forbes and Nicholas Conran. During her time in England she held the position of Conductor of the University of Surrey Symphonic Wind Band and also conducted the University Symphony Orchestra and Choir.
Lynette completed the Conductors Graduate Seminar with Jerry Nowak and the Advanced Conductors Seminar with Professor Larry Wagner and was selected to participate in the Symphony Australia Conducting course, under the direction of the Finnish conductor Maestro Jorma Panula.
Lynette has a long career in music education, firstly as Music Coordinator at Canterbury Girls Secondary College. As well as teaching classroom music she conducted the Concert Band, which culminated in an invitation for the Band to participate in the 1989 International Youth Music Festival for the 2000th year celebrations for the City of Bonn (Germany), followed by an accompanying concert tour of Europe.
From 1992 to 2003 Lynette was Director of Music at Fintona Girls’ School and from 2008 to 2017 taught music at Strathcona Baptist Girls Grammar School, where she conducted the Symphonic and Stage Bands.
Lynette’s involvement in music includes the Associate Conductor of the Eastern Youth Laureate Wind Symphony in 1992 and guest conductor in 2000. For six years Lynette conducted the Alexander Concert Band at the Border Music Camp, Albury. She was the Musical Director of the Western Region Concert Band and has been Musical Director of Theatre Productions, including Cabaret, Damn Yankees, Annie, Jesus Christ Superstar and the awards night for the Victorian Theatre Guild. Lynette is often invited to be a guest conductor for schools and community groups and to adjudicate at music festivals.
In 2000 Lynette received an Excellence Award from the Australian Band and Orchestra Director’s Association, Victorian Branch.
Lynette is currently the conductor of the South Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, a position she has held since 1993. She is very proud of her long association with the South Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. During her time with the orchestra she has conducted works from all styles and forms of orchestral music and is delighted to rehearse and perform with the regular members of the orchestra and the special guests who have appeared with the orchestra over the years.
Stephen Carpenter
STEPHEN CARPENTER: Is a graduate from the University of Melbourne, Faculty of Music with a Bachelor of Music Education and Master of Arts (Hons) from Monash University.
He has extensive experience as a conductor: he was the Principal Conductor of the John Antill Youth Band from 1991 to 1995 and 2000 to 2003 and was the founding Musical Director of the Monash University Wind Symphony from 1994-2000.
In 2007 Stephen established the Heidelberg Wind Ensemble, one of the performance ensembles of the Heidelberg Orchestras Inc., where he remains as the Principal Conductor and during 2019 was invited Guest-Conductor of the Heidelberg Symphony Orchestra. The HWE celebrate their 18th season in 2024. Stephen has been the principal or guest conductor of wind band performances internationally in America, New Zealand, Singapore, China and The Netherlands.
His professional activities include adjudication of Band competitions for the Melbourne School Bands Festival, ABODA Level Festivals, the Victorian Bands League, and the VSMA.
He retired from the position as Head of Music: The Ridgeway Campus, Ivanhoe Grammar School, at the end of 2018, where he managed the School’s Music Performance & Classroom Program and was the conductor of the Senior School – Golden Symphony Orchestra.
Joanne Heaton
Joanne has worked as a music educator in many varied environments in Australia and in the USA. She completed a Bachelor of Education – Music and a Postgraduate Diploma in Education Studies at the University of Melbourne. Joanne then received a scholarship to complete a Masters of Music majoring in Conducting Performance at the University of Utah, USA. Before returning to Australia, Joanne undertook the position of Band Director at Eastmont Middle School at Sandy, Utah.
Joanne is in demand as an adjudicator, conductor, guest lecturer and educative consultant in the USA and Australia and was recently appointed Head of Bands at Haileybury College in Melbourne. In 2001 Joanne served as the music education representative for the curriculum writing project; Schools to Careers for the Utah State Office of Education. Joanne has been a guest lecturer and conductor at Monash University and The University of Melbourne. In 2000 she was awarded the Jordan Education Foundation’s Outstanding Educator of the Year for her work in Utah schools, and in February 2017 she was honoured with an ABODA Victoria Excellence in Music Education award. Joanne was invited to be a guest conductor of the Southern Mississippi University Honor Band in February 2007, clinician at the 2012 Mid-West Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, guest conductor of the Interscholastic Association of Southeast Asian Schools Honour Band in Kuala Lumpur in 2014 and guest conductor for the Colorado State University, Pueblo, Festival of Winds in 2018. Appearances in 2019 include presentations for the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles in Spain, Oxford University International Conducting Studies Conference in Sydney and the Australian Society for Music Education conference in Perth.
Joanne completed her Doctor of Musical Arts degree specialising in Wind Band Conducting at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Joanne was the first recipient to achieve this degree with a wind band focus at an Australian institution. She holds the position of Director of Bands at Haileybury College, a whole school role.
Shane Walterfang
Shane as been invited by the GWS Committee to return to the role of Associate Conductor 2023 and 2024 from 2016.
Shane Walterfang is a Melbourne born conductor, trumpeter, and teacher. He received his Master of Education and Grad Cert (TESOL) from Deakin University, Diploma of Education from the University of Melbourne and Bachelor of Arts from the Victorian College of Arts.
As a conductor, Shane has been involved with community music for over 25 years. He believes that performances are unique occasions where audiences and musicians live in, and for the present moment. His aim is to provide innovative performances, which are engaging for both audiences and musicians. His conducting credits outside of Australia include performances in New Zealand, China, India and the USA.
As a trumpeter, Shane has played with 5 of Australia’s professional orchestras including 10 years with the Australian Pops Orchestra. He was introduced to styles ranging from Paul Whiteman to Frank Zappa while playing with the Anne and John Hawker Big Band.
Shane is also a committed educator who aims to provide a range of engaging and stimulating experiences to encourage people to pursue music as a lifelong activity. He has held the positions of Head of Brass, Director of Music and VCE Coordinator. He is also a past Chair of the Australian Society for Music Education (ASME) – Victorian Chapter. Shane is also a qualified Meditation/Mindfulness teacher. He is Head of Music at Balcombe Grammar School.
Roland Yeung
For Roland’s biography click here.