Head of Instrumental Studies

Sylvie Leprohon, BMus HochschulabschlussprüfungFreiburg

Sylvie Leprohon grew up in Quebec, Canada, and graduated from the Conservatoire de Musique de Montreal. Scholarships from the Canada Council enabled her to study in Europe; first in Zurich with Andre Jaunet and then with Aurele Nicolet in Freiburg, Germany, where she completed a post-graduate degree. Through her extensive participation in masterclasses, Sylvie has had substantial contact with other major flautists such as William Bennet, James Galway, Maxence Larrieu and Raymond Guiot. In 1983 after spending some years performing and teaching in Europe Sylvie came to Australia and has led an active musical life first in Brisbane and since 1984 here in melbourne. She has played flute and piccolo with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, the Queensland Philharmonic Orchestra, the Australian Pops Orchestra and the State Orchestra of Victoria. In 1992 Sylvie founded the versatile chamber group Ensemble Variant and in 2002 she formed "Duo Image" with guitarist Ken Murray. Sylvie teaches flute at the Victorian College of the Arts and the University of Melbourne, and since 1999 has been the head of Instrumental Studies at the Melba Conservatorium of Music.

Ivana Tomášková-Nebeský, PhDPrague BMusMoscow

Ivana Tomášková-Nebeský began her musical studies at the Experimental School for Talented Young Artists, and continued her education at the Conservatorium in Brno, Czech Republic. She then studied violin under the renowned pedagogue, Professor Glezarova, completing her PhD at the Academy of Music and Arts in Prague. Ivana has won a number of prizes for outstanding artistic performance in a number of international competitions, and has been a member and soloist with the Czech Chamber Soloist Orchestra, performing in Germany, Austria, Spain and England. With two other musicians, the Trio Belle Epoque was formed in 1993, with the core of the repertoire being baroque music and music of the 20th Century. A CD was recorded with her piano partner performing live and studio works, and was released in 1996. Ivana teaches violin in the Diploma of Music at the Melba Conservatorium

Dennis Vaughan, BScVU-Wellington BACanterbury DipEd LTCLLondon
Dennis Vaughan is Associate Principal Double Bass Player with Orchestra Victoria. He has been a leading light in music education, and the composition and performance of new music and music policy, at a State level, throughout his successful and distinguished career.

Mary Clements, BMusMelb BAMonash DipEdMonash AMusA
Mary Clement's sings with various choirs and is the Director/ Organist at her Parish Church. Besides teaching privately, she lectures Students in Music Styles and Theoretical skills as well as teaching Second Study Piano and supervising Third year research projects. Mary also tutors single studies students undertaking AMEB Theory and Musicianship exams.

Blair Edgar OAM, BEdMelb TPTCMelb
Lecturer in Drama and Artistic Director Blair Edgar, OAM, has a distinguished history in the dramatic arts. As co-founder of The Green Room Awards Association, founder of "Theatre Day" and participant in a number of International Arts Conferences in London, Paris and New York Blair was awarded the OAM in 1992 for "Services to Education and the Performing Arts". Blair currently works as Artistic Advisor at Chapel off Chapel, works as a radio journalist for 3AK and lectures in drama and production at the Melba Conservatorium and the Victorian College of the Arts Opera School.

Gabriel Federow, BacPhilLetStrasbourg DipMusEdKodaly Institute
Gabriel Federow was born in France, and studied music at a number of institutions in Europe including Colmar Conservatorium, France; Basel Academy of Music, Switzerland and the Kodaly Pedagogical Institute of Music, Hungary. These studies have enabled him to specialise in instrumental tuition in classical and jazz guitar; aural training, harmony and improvisation; choral and instrumental ensemble conducting and composing and arranging. Gabriel has many years’ experience teaching music in France, the West Indies and Australia. He is currently Director of a number of choirs at Ashburton Primary School and Caulfield Junior College, as well as being a lecturer in Aural Training at the Melba Conservatorium.

Kay Gilmour, BMusEdMelb BAMelb MEdRMIT
Kay Gilmour studied her Bachelor of Music Education and Bachelor of Arts at the University of Melbourne, and continued at RMIT, where she completed her Master of Education, writing her dissertation An historical perspective of the development of the Melba Memorial Conservatorium of Music. Kay has been a classroom music teacher at a number of Melbourne schools, including Redden College, Preston; Kildara College, Malvern and Marcellin College, Bulleen. She teaches Music History in the Diploma course, and a number of subjects in the Certificate course at the Melba Conservatorium.

Paul Williams, BMusVicMelbaCon LTCL
Paul Williams has the unusual distinction of holding the Licentiate Diplomas of Trinity College, London, on flute, clarinet, saxophone and bassoon. In 2001, he also completed his BMus in Performance at the Melba Conservatorium of Music. Paul was associate Principal Bassoonist of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and the Sydney Opera House Orchestra. Proir to his orchestral career he had worked in rock and jazz groups in Sydney. He has taught for a variety of Universities and Colleges, and runs a private tecahing practice, as well as examining and adjudacating.

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