2020 MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL PIANO AND STRINGS FESTIVAL and COMPETITION
FACULTY BIOGRAPHIES
Kenji Fujimura (Piano)
The University of Melbourne;
International Academy of Musical Arts
Dr Kenji Fujimura is an internationally-acclaimed pianist, composer, and pedagogue, with over twenty-five years of teaching experience at the tertiary level. He is frequently invited to give concerts and masterclasses throughout Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia and has been broadcast on BBC Radio, ABC-FM and TV, MBS-FM, Bravo! Canada, and various USA networks.
His recordings and compositions have won numerous international awards, including 2013 Musicweb International Recording of the Year, 2014 Limelight Magazine Recording of the Year, the William Lincer Foundation Award in New York, the Singapore Asian Composers Festival Award, and Virual Artists International Competition Award etc..
In 2015, Dr Fujimura was invited to become an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music, London, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to music.
Dr Fujimura joined the International Academy of Musical Arts in 2017 as Honorary Artistic Director. He was also on staff at the School of Music, Monash University, since 2002, being Deputy Head of School from 2011 to 2018. In 2019, he left Monash University to join the Piano Department at The University of Melbourne.
He is also currently an examiner for the Australian Music Examinations Board, Patron of the Association of Eisteddfods Societies of Australia, and Founding Member of Trio Anima Mundi. He was appointed Director of the International Academy of Musical Arts in June 2020.
Elizabeth Sellars (Violin)
International Academy of
Musical Arts
Following performance studies at London’s Guildhall School of Music, Australian-born violinist Dr Elizabeth Sellars returned to Australia and began a performing career as guest Concertmaster and Principal Violin with the Tasmanian and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras, Orchestra Victoria, and Australian Chamber Orchestra.
A sought-after chamber musician, Dr Sellars has appeared for Musica Viva and has collaborated with numerous other ensembles, including Ensemble Liaison, Wilma and Friends, Libra and Elision Ensembles. Her performances have been published by Move, Naxos, ABC Classics, Toccata Classics and Tzadik. Her CD The Messiaen Nexus (with Kenji Fujimura) won the 2014 Limelight chamber music recording of the year. Her most recent recording contributes the first complete recording of Pinto’s sonatas.
Dr Sellars continues to perform on radio and in festivals worldwide. She is a founding member of the Sutherland Trio, and also serves on the panel for many competitions including the Australian Youth Classical Music Competition, Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition, Dorcas McClean Scholarship, New Zealand National Young Performer Awards, and the Melbourne International Piano and Strings Festival.
In 2019, Dr Elizabeth Sellars joined the International Academy of Musical Arts as Head of Strings after her previous role as Head of Strings at the School of Music, Monash University.
Miki Tsunoda (Violin)
Principal 2nd Violin
Antwerp Symphony Orchestra
Melbourne Violinist Miki Tsunoda is First Prize winner at the Trieste International Chamber Music Competition and finalist at the ARD International Music Competition in Munich and Vittorio di Gui Chamber Music Competition, Firenze, Italy with Duo Sol.
Founding member of Duo Sol and Binneas String Quartet.
As a soloist, Miki has appeared with Ensemble Kanazawa, Kyoto Symphony, Nagoya Philharmonic, Antwerp Symphony and the Melbourne and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras.
Many collaborations in both chamber music and orchestral setting have included
Philippe Herreweghe, Sir Simon Rattle, Eliahu Inbal, Riccardo Muti, Hiroyuki Iwaki, Tan Dun, Gordan Nikolić, Piers Lane, Brett Dean, Het Kollectief, Sydney Chamber Opera and Australian Romantic Classical Orchestra.
A former student of Victorian College of the Arts and its secondary School, Miki furthered her studies at the Liszt Academy in Budapest and the Conservatorium of Toronto with teachers including Lorand Fenyves, György Kurtág, András Mihály and Ferenc Rados.
Miki holds the position of Principal Second Violin with the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra in Belgium since 2008.
She is also a regular guest with the Amsterdam Sinfonietta, Guerzenich Orchester, Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg.
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Miranda Brockman (Cello)
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Miranda Brockman has been a permanent cellist with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra since 1999. She completed a Masters Degree in Music Performance at Melbourne University with Nelson Cooke. Her earlier teachers were Christian Wojtowicz, Marianne Hunt and Kate Finnis. She has performed as principal cellist and soloist with a number of Australian orchestras, including the Australian Pops Orchestra and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Miranda is a keen chamber musician. As a child she played in the Brockman String Quartet and in later life was a member of the prize-winning Lyric Trio at Melbourne University. She was a founding member of Trio Anima Mundi and regularly appears in the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Chamber Music Series of concerts. Her playing has been broadcast on both ABC FM and 3MBS FM. As a cello teacher Miranda has over two decades of experience both privately and through giving master classes. She regularly oversees young cellists in the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s Mentor programme and also acts as an examiner for Monash University and the audition panel for Melbourne Youth Music’s instrumental groups.
Julia Lu (Piano)
International Academy of
Musical Arts
Dr Julia Lu is a sought-after speaker, examiner, and competition adjudicator. Prior to becoming the Director of the International Academy of Musical Arts, Dr Lu taught for ten years at The University of Melbourne and at Monash University. Her significant contribution to teaching was recognised when she received the Dean’s Teaching Award at Monash University in 2013.
Dr Lu began piano lessons at the age of five and obtained her L.Mus.A. while still at school. During 1998-2000, she was one of few pianists selected for the Australian National Academy of Music Piano Program. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Dux of Wesley College, the Victorian Premier’s Award, the Australian Students Prize, Winnifred Nerious Scholarship, Welsford Smithers Travelling Scholarship, the University of London Institute in Paris Studentship etc..
An internationally-renowned expert on French music, Dr Lu’s publications have been reviewed by French critics as the “literary event of 2011” and a “comprehensive and erudite masterpiece”. Her forthcoming publications include a book chapter on Claude Debussy for Cambridge University Press.
Dr Lu holds a PhD from the University of London, a Master of Music and an MBA from The University of Melbourne, and a Bachelor of Music (Honours) degree from The Sydney Conservatorium of Music – where she graduated with first prize in piano performance. Dr Lu recent stepped down from the Directorship to become Special Advisor to the International Academy of Musical Arts.
Noella Yan (Cello)
Trio Anima Mundi
“A very promising young musician with a good sense of performance”. Margaret Moncrieff
Melbourne-based Singapore cellist, Noella’s playing has been recognised for her ‘expressive sound’ (The Straits Times) and of ‘exceptional talent and innate musicality, one with superb technique and interpretation.’ (Sina.com.cn) An avid musician of artistic, improvisational collaborations and new music, Noella has premiered numerous works with composers, dancers and visual artists including a world premiere of Bernard Tan’s Cello Concerto, written for her receiving wide critical acclaim. Noella has appeared with numerous orchestras and given many concerts both as a soloist and chamber musician globally across many prestigious concert venues including Buckingham Palace, the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Kennedy Centre of Performing Arts, Southbank and Beethoven Haus. Noella is a member of Trio Anima Mundi and Ad Hoc Collective.
A multifaceted instrumentalist, highlights from 2017 include co-releasing an album of original music ‘Musical Chairs’, visual and new music projects with Ad Hoc Collective and Maya Dance Theatre amongst many other projects and performances. Formerly artistic co-director of a cross-cultural project celebrating Singapore’s 50th, Noella curated a series of concerts across Australasia. Deeply passionate about using music to effect change, Noella founded ARTIF - Art It Forward (www.artit4ward.org) , a global art education initiative that seeks to bring creativity through the arts to underserved communities. She is currently building this program in Myanmar. Noella is an adjunct lecturer in chamber music at Melbourne Polytechnic and she also conducts the Fusion Ensemble (a cross cultural ensemble) at Lauriston Girls’ School.
Noella began learning piano at age 3 and the cello at 12. Accepted into Purcell School at 13, Noella has been the recipient of multiple scholarships and awards namely NAC Gifted Young Musician’s Award, Audi Young Musician, Lesley Alexander Prize, Gustavé Rosseels Chamber Award. She completed her undergraduate studies at the Royal College of Music, and subsequently a Double Masters in Performance and Chamber Music as the John P. Miller fellow at the University of Michigan.
Rochelle Ughetti (Violin)
Trio Anima Mundi
Rochelle Ughetti graduated with an honours degree from the Victorian College of the Arts studying with William Hennessy and Miwako Abe in 2003. She continued her violin studies as a scholarship holder with Professor Maurice Hasson at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Rochelle graduated with distinction and qualifications including Postgraduate Diploma, Diploma and Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Music, and was awarded the outstanding final recital.
Rochelle has performed as soloist with several ensembles, including the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, the Ragadolls Salon Orchestra and Speak Percussion. She has worked with the London Chamber Players, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria and as a core member with the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra. She also participated in the intensive program ‘Encuentro De Musica y Academia De Santander’ in Spain in 2004.
Rochelle is a passionate chamber musician and has been a member of the piano trio ‘Trio Anima Mundi’ since 2009. With ‘Trio Anima Mundi’ she has performed many rare masterworks for the genre and released a CD recording of international acclaim.
Rochelle has been the recipient of numerous awards including the Harold Craxton chamber music prize and the Marjorie Hayward prize at the Royal Academy of Music, the Victorian College of the Arts Mensa Award for outstanding performance, CD Hume violin scholarship, Classical Concerto Competition prize and Performance Related Studies Award. She was also the winner of the String section of the Hepzhibah Menuhin award. Rochelle works as a pediatric and vestibular Audiologist at The University of Melbourne and is a mother of two young children. Rochelle plays on a 17th Century violin by Giofreddo Cappa.
