Music Studies Staff

Allison Harrigan, MMusQld BMus(Hons)Melb
Allison Harrigan comes to Melba from Caulfield Grammar School, where she was Director of Music. A graduate of the Universities of Queensland and Melbourne, Allison specialises in choral conducting, aural training and music pedagogy.

Miriam Morris
Recognised as one of Australia’s leading influences in the field of period instrument performance, cellist Miriam Morris studied the viola de gamba with Wieland Kuijken in Belgium and has received critical acclaim for her interpretations of the solo repertoire. A varied career as a soloist, chamber musician, continuo and orchestral player has led to many collaborations. Miriam currently juggles an eclectic performing schedule in addition to appearing with the Melbourne and Adelaide Symphony Orchestras, the State Orchestra of Victoria, the State Opera Orchestra of South Australia, the Adelaide Chamber Orchestra and the Australian Chamber Orchestra. As well as performing for Musica Viva, the ABC and a number of festivals across Australia Miriam teaches at the University of Melbourne and the Melba Conservatorium. Miriam has also recently recorded a CD of English renaissance composer Tobias Hume.

Danielle Rossi, Degree in Modern and Foreign Languages and LiteraturesUniversità Statale di Milano
Danielle Rossi, graduate of L’Universita degli studi di Milan, has had a long and varied career, both overseas and in Australia, teaching English and Italian as well as designing English language courses in Milan. Currently Danielle works at the Melba Conservatorium of Music and Swinburne University of Technology as a lecturer in Italian, at Genazzano as an Italian language assistant and teaches the Italian unit of the International Baccalaureate at Methodist Ladies College and Lauriston. Further to these qualifications Danielle has also conducted Italian oral examinations for the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Board and co-authored the teacher’s manual which accompanies ‘Forza!’ a series designed for use in teaching Italian throughout Australian secondary schools.

William Smith, MAMelb DipEdMelb LMusA
Music Studies lecturer William Smith (Bill) studied organ with Dr AEH Nickson, Harmony and Counterpoint with Bernard De Oliveira and obtained his Associate and Licentiate Diplomas in Theory of Music from the AMEB. He holds the degree of Master of Arts in philosophy from The University of Melbourne with first class honours. As well as a solid background in musical practice and theory Bill has been lecturing students at the Melba in Aesthetics and Professional Ethics since 1997 and ran the Basic Music Theory Summer School offered through the Melba in February 2000 and 2001. As well as teaching at the Melba Conservatorium and lecturing in philosophy at the University of Melbourne Bill performs as an organist for St James’ Anglican Church and is the editor of the Historical Radio Society of Australia’s quarterly publication Radio Waves.

Priscilla Taylor, BAMelb GradDipMusVCA AMusA TSTC
Following postgraduate studies in Harpsichord and Organ with John O’Donnell at the Victorian College of the Arts, Priscilla Taylor studied with Glenn Wilson in Holland. Priscilla has performed extensively in Melbourne and Victoria as a Continuo Harpsichordist including concerts in the Melbourne International festival of Organ and Harpsichord and the Port Fairy Spring Festival. Together with Vivienne Hamilton and Margaret Waugh, Priscilla is a member of the Orpheus Ensemble, launching their first CD in 1999. Priscilla has taught at the University of Melbourne and La Trobe University as well as the Victorian College of the Arts and is currently a tutor in figured bass and continuo playing at the Melba Conservatorium.

Gordon Troup, MScLond DScMelb
Doctor of Science Gordon Troup has lectured in Physics from the Instituto di Fisica Superiore dell’ Universita in Florence, Italy to the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada. After initiating Electron Spin Resonance work in the Physics Department at Monash University and the publication of many articles on Quantum Electronics, Gordon went on to initiate research into Musical Acoustics at Monash University and has had a number of papers on this topic published. Currently Gordon is Senior Honorary Research Fellow in the Physics Department at Monash University and lectures in Musical Acoustics at the Melba Conservatorium

Amanda Hodder, BMusTas
Amanda Hodder is a professional musician, specialising in accompanying and repetiteuring. Whilst studying for her Bachelor of Music Degree, she worked as accompanist for many choirs and music theatre companies including the Hobart Orpheus Choir, and the Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music. She is currently an ongoing repetiteur at the Ballarat Academy of Performing Arts attending vocal and choreography rehearsals and liasing between the orchestra and company.

David McNicol, B.Mus., L.Mus., FTCL
David McNicol is a B.Mus. graduate of the Melba Conservatorium. His interest in accompanying began as a young teenager. He studied piano accompaniment with two of Australia's finest accompanists; with Margaret Scholfield, while at the Melba Conservatorium and later was the inaugural recipient of the 'Essendon Anniversary Scholarship' which enabled David to study accompanying in London with the late Geoffrey Parsons. David has accompanied many of Australia's finest singers in recitals. Over the past 27 years he has performed regularly with the Lieder Society of Victoria, the Musical Society of Victoria and the British Music Society. In 1990 David joined 'Opera Australia' as a repetiteur. He has also worked with the Victorian College of the Arts "Opera Studio". David was the Official Accompanist for the Herald Sun Aria 'Final' for a number of years. He has performed in many of Victoria's music festivals including the Castlemaine, Lygon Street, Collins Street festivals and the Ballarat Opera Festival. He has toured internationally accompanying the National; Boys' Choir and the Australian Boys' Choir throughout Asia band Europe. He recorded piano on Baz Luhrman's CD, 'Something for Everybody' and has performed as a soloist and accompanist on ABC Classic FM 'Live Broadcast'. David is now a freelance accompanist, a piano examiner with the Australian Music Examinations Board and an accompanist and vocal coach at the Melba Conservatorium and Monash University.

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