QYO Conductors
John Curro AM MBE
Director of Music
Conductor, Queensland Youth Symphony
John Curro AM MBE is both the founder and Director of Music for Queensland Youth Orchestras (QYO), conducting the Queensland Youth Symphony since its beginning in 1966. He is in demand as a conductor and tutor for professional and youth orchestras and festivals.
Last year, Mr Curro conducted Havergal Brian’s Symphony No. 1 The Gothic, for the first ever performance in 30 years and the first performance outside the UK. Writing in the Havergal Brian Society Newsletter of December 2010, Malcolm Mc Donald wrote: “… it was as vivid and powerful a reading as the Gothic has yet received and perhaps the most accurate to date…”. With QYS, Mr Curro conducted the Resurrection Symphony by Gustav Mahler in a remarkable performance with Judith Henley (Soprano), Anne Fulton (Mezzo Soprano), the Queensland Conservatorium Chamber Choir and the Brisbane Chorale.
In 2009, he was conductor of the Bishop Orchestra at the Victorian State Music Camp and guest conductor at the Tasmanian Conservatorium and Brisbane Philharmonic (also in 2010 and 2011) orchestras. In 2008, he conducted the Queensland Youth Symphony during its 11th international tour with critically acclaimed concerts in Germany, France and Italy.
Mr Curro has conducted many of Australia’s professional orchestras as well as many opera and ballet seasons in Australia. His guest conducting appearances include the London Virtuosi, the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra, the Australian and Bavarian Youth Orchestra, the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra, and Principal Guest Conductor with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra.
Throughout his distinguished career, Mr Curro has received many prestigious awards including Member of the Order of Australia and Member of the British Empire. He has received Honorary Doctorates from the University of Queensland and Griffith University, Rotary International’s Paul Harris Fellow award, the Australian Music Centre (Qld) Award, the Don Banks Music Award, the Sir Bernard Heinze Memorial Award, the Orchestras Australia Lifetime Achievement award and the Queensland Premier’s Millenium Award for Excellence in the Arts.
Sergei V Korschmin
Conductor, 2nd Queensland Youth Orchestra & QYO Chamber Orchestra
Sergei completed studies at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory with a Bachelor of Music degree in Performance. Sergei’s conducting debut came at age seventeen, conducting Tchaikovsky’s 4th Symphony, with the Moscow Composer’s House Orchestra. In the same year he was the Conductor and Production Director of Tchaikovsky’s opera Eugene Onegin. Sergei later conducted a cycle of works by Beethoven.
As the recipient of the Internal Travel Fellowship from the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, Sergei participated in music classes at the Conservatoire National de Musique de Paris (France); the Academy of Music, Weimar (Germany); the Southwest Texas University, (USA), and many master classes. Since moving to Australia, Sergei has lectured at several universities in Queensland. He has held the position of Artistic Director of the Mackay Youth Orchestra, and Artistic Director and Conductor of the Mackay Symphony Orchestra. Sergei is regularly invited both as a conductor and teacher, to tutor and direct vacation workshops and master classes.
Sergei has been guest conductor with the Queensland Youth Symphony and Western Australian Youth Orchestra and in 2003 he was appointed conductor of QYO2.
Bradley Voltz
Conductor, 3rd Queensland Youth Orchestra
Bradley has conducted the Third Queensland Youth Orchestra since 1998. He holds a Masters degree in Orchestral Conducting from the Queensland Conservatorium of Music. Other post-graduate studies include a Graduate Diploma of Music (Performance) (QCM), Graduate Diploma in Further Education and Training (USQ) and a Graduate Certificate in Music Technology (GU). In 1988 he was awarded the prestigious Hugh Neville Smith Scholarship for overseas study. The following year Bradley attended conducting master classes under Sergio Celibedache in Germany and studied with Ezra Rachlin in London.
Bradley has performed as a freelance pianist with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Queensland Philharmonic Orchestra, Queensland Youth Choir and for the Queensland Performing Arts Centre in productions of How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying, The Pirates of Penzance and The Sound of Music. He has appeared as both conductor and soloist for the University of Queensland Musical Society and the St Lucia Orchestra.
Bradley was Instrumental Coordinator at St Laurence’s College from 1991 to 1997. In 1998 he was appointed Director of Music at Cannon Hill Anglican College, and from 2004 until 2011 held the position of Head of Music at St Joseph’s Nudgee College.
Bradley is a sessional lecturer for the Central Queensland Conservatorium of Music and a member of the Board of Examiners of the Australian Music Examinations Board.
Warwick Potter
Conductor, QYO Wind Symphony
Warwick Potter is one of Australia’s leading conductors. In 2011, he has already conducted West Australian Symphony Orchestra (WASO) in two performances: a concert with Justine Clarke and an education concert in Perth featuring Stravinsky’s 1919 Firebird Suite. He holds debut engagements with both Canberra and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras this year as well as further return performances with Adelaide, Queensland and West Australian Symphony Orchestras.
His career highlights have included conducting WASO in its annual Symphony in the City concert in front of 22,000 people last year, conducting the same orchestra in its collaboration with The Panics in 2010 as well as conducting the Australian premieres of both Takemitsu’s How Slow the Wind and Hindson’s Dangerous Creatures. 2010 also saw his debut both with Queensland Youth Symphony and at the prestigious Stradbroke Chamber Music Festival where he conducted Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf with many of Australia’s leading players. In addition to his QYO duties, he is also Conductor - University of Queensland Symphony Orchestra (where he holds the position of Director of Ensembles) and Conductor - Queensland Young Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra.
In 2011, he will adjudicate for Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition in the United Kingdom, ABC/Symphony International Young Performer of the Year and Redlands Eisteddfod. Furthermore, he has been engaged to conduct the 2011 Great Public Schools Music Day Symphony Orchestra as well as Carmina Burana for Queensland Music Festival later this year. He continues to be contracted to Australian Music Examinations Board to help re-write its bassoon syllabus for its mainstream launch in 2012.
As a bassoonist, Warwick trained at Royal College of Music, London winning every prize available to him including an Exhibition Scholarship. He enjoyed a successful freelance career until moving to Australia in 2002. He has toured nationally with Australian Chamber Orchestra on multiple occasions and played Guest Principal Bassoon for both Queensland Symphony Orchestra and WASO.
A committed music educationalist, Warwick is delighted to be conducting QYO Wind Symphony in 2011. It remains a musical genre that is very close to his heart.
David Law
Conductor, QYO Wind Ensemble
2011 is David Law’s third year as the conductor of the Wind Ensemble. David began his journey with Queensland Youth Orchestras in 1997 as a member of the Wind Ensemble, and from 1999 to 2003, held the principal euphonium chair in the Wind Symphony. This began his passion and enthusiasm for community music. David studied Euphonium at the Queensland University of Technology.
With Ignatians Musical Theatre Society, David worked as Conductor for CATS, as well as repetiteur for Les Misérables, West Side Story, CATS and Songbirds. He was also Musical Director and Conductor for Into the Woods and the ShowStoppers concert series. With Harvest Rain Theatre Company, David conducted their 25th Anniversary Concert. More recently, David has worked with Oscar Theatre Company as Musical Director for Queensland premieres of [title of show] and Spring Awakening.
In addition to conducting the Queensland Wind Orchestra, Brisbane Philharmonic Orchestra and Brisbane’s Westside Orchestra, David is currently Performance Music Coordinator and Conductor at Redeemer Lutheran College.
Chen Yang
Conductor, QYO Junior String Ensemble
Chen Yang has had a long association with Queensland Youth Orchestras. He first joined as a violinist in 1975 and was concertmaster of QYS from 1978 to 1980, touring with the orchestra in 1980 to Europe, including the International Festival of Youth Orchestras in Aberdeen, Scotland. Attributing these positive QYO musical experiences as a major influence in choosing music as a career, Chen studied at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music and graduated with distinction in violin performance.
As his first professional musical undertaking, Chen was the Concertmaster of the Queensland Theatre Orchestra (later renamed the Queensland Philharmonic Orchestra), working under the distinguished Maestro, Georg Tintner. In 1981 Chen joined the Queensland Symphony Orchestra where he played in the first violin section until 1989.
Deciding on a change, Chen spent the next spent two years as musician-in-residence on Dunk Island Holiday Resort in North Queensland where he led a string quartet and performed as a cabaret violinis. He continued as a freelance musician throughout the early 1990s, performing in show orchestras for many major musical productions at QPAC.
Chen is the leader and conductor of The Sinfonia of St Andrew’s orchestra and is the string teacher and conductor at St Hilda’s School, Southport. He adjudicates regularly for eisteddfods and competitions and is also a prolific arranger of string music for the Junior String Ensemble. Chen was the conductor of QYO3 from 1983 to 1988 and since 1991 has been the conductor of the Junior String Ensemble.
Michael Connors
Conductor, QYO Big Band
A regular on the Brisbane music scene as both a commercial/ Jazz trumpet professional and music educator, Michael Connors is now taking the reigns of the QYO Big Band.
After two years studying a Bachelors of Music in jazz trumpet under the Masterful John Hoffman at the Conservatorium of Music, Michael spent a year touring the U.S.A, Canada, South America and the Caribbean. As a lead trumpet player in the Orchestras aboard Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Michael had the opportunity to work with a number of stellar musicians, and world-renowned guest performers.
After his time away Michael returned to Brisbane and completed his Bachelors of Music at the Conservatorium, as well as a Diploma of Secondary Education at Griffith University.
Upon completing his studies Michael has been a prominent member of the Brisbane music scene performing in a number of professional ensembles and groups including The Enthusiastic Musician’s Orchestra (Big Band), Chukale (Cuban Salsa Ensemble) and Odyssey (Covers Band). Some other acts Michael has performed with include Tom Burlinson, Pete Murray, Rhonda Burchmore, and Mickey Dolenz from The Monkeys.
As well as performing, Michael has been involved in music education at numerous private and public schools teaching instrumental music, tutoring private trumpet students and directing concert and big bands. Recently, Michael has been appointed as the Director of Music at Saint Edmund’s College.
“I approach ensemble directing from a performance perspective, utilizing my own professional experiences as guidance for young musicians. Every ensemble has the ability to make significant improvements when presented with enthusiasm and inspiration. My goal is to show that going to the next level is a mindset not a matter of time.”