The Maroondah Symphony Orchestra has been privileged to work with the following artists.
Brock Imison – Contraforte
Brock Imison has held the position of Principal Contrabassoon with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra since 2004. Born in Brisbane, Brock began playing the Bassoon at age 13 and completed his studies at the QLD Conservatorium Music School. During his studies he was a member of the Queensland Youth Orchestra and has also appeared with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonic, Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, Melbourne Chamber Orchestra and Australian Chamber Orchestra.
Recently he has been a guest principal bassoonist for the Maribor festival in Slovenia and in August 2011 he was a member of the Australian World Orchestra for its inalgural season in Sydney. Brock strives to improve the profile of the Contrabassoon, premiering new music in solo recitals, arranging chamber music and hosting workshops for composers to learn more about the instrument. In 2008 he toured as soloist with the MSO performing his own transcription of Weber’s Bassoon Concerto for the Contrabassoon.
Caleb Wong – cello
Caleb Wong grew up in a small town in rural NSW. He began studying the cello at the age of six under Takao Mitzushima and continued under Uzi Wiesel for seven years. He was awarded both the AMusA and LMusA in cello, and AMusA in piano, all with distinction by the age of 15 and was invited to perform a trio at the AMEB graduation with two of his sisters in 2014. This year will be Caleb’s second at the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) learning under Howard Penny.
In 2014, Caleb was granted the AYO Ernest Llewellyn Memorial Scholarship to participate at the Keshet Eilon Strings Mastercourse in Israel. That year, he was also a finalist for Sydney Eisteddfod’s NSW Drs Orchestra Instrumental Scholarship. Caleb was a Young Artist Festival Fellow at the 2015 Canberra International Music Festival. In 2016, he was a finalist in the ANAM Concerto Competition and performed the Elgar Cello Concerto with the Tasmania Symphony Orchestra. He was also awarded tied first for an Outstanding Performance in a Solo Recital at ANAM. He has been involved with many Australian Youth Orchestra programs and toured with the AYO in Europe and China. Caleb has participated in cello master classes with Alban Gerhardt and Kyril Zlotnikov, and as a pianist with Lang Lang. He has also broadcast on ABC FM, Fine Music 102.5, and ArtSound FM Canberra.
Performed with MaSO September 9th & 16th 2018
Charlotte Miles – Cello
Born in 2002, Melbourne-based cellist Charlotte Miles is currently completing her third year of training with Howard Penny at the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM), in addition to her second-year Bachelor of Music (BMus) studies at the University of Melbourne.
In recent years, Charlotte has performed in Los Angeles, New York, London and Zurich, and throughout Germany, China, France, the Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand (including extensive performances with the Australian Youth Orchestra). Charlotte has benefitted from masterclasses with cellists including Wolfgang Emmanuel Schmidt, Maria Kliegel, David Geringas and Alban Gerhardt, in addition to performing alongside world-leading cellists such as Mischa Maisky, Truls Mørk, Sol Gabetta and Giovanni Sollima in a 100-cello ensemble at the 2016 Piatigorsky International Cello Festival in Los Angeles.
Awarded over 100 competition prizes, Charlotte has performed at Carnegie Hall (New York) and Opera Bastille (Paris) in prize-winner concerts for international competitions, and has been a major prize-winner at the 2018 Gisborne (NZ) International Music Competition, and the 2020 “Anna Kull” International Cello Competition in Graz (Austria). In 2019, Charlotte was the 3MBS Young Performer of the Year and winner of the National Young Virtuoso Award. Charlotte has performed on 3MBS, 4MBS, 5MBS and ABC Classic radio stations, and has been featured on The Violin Channel.
Performed with MaSO March 19 & 26th 2017, March 28th 2021
Edward Walton – Violin
Edward began the violin at the age of 3 and currently studies with Dr Robin Wilson at the Australian National Academy of Music in Melbourne. Already an experienced performer, Edward has appeared as a soloist with orchestras across the globe including performances of the Khachaturian Violin Concerto with the Western Bohemian Symphony Orchestra in the Czech Republic, Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with the Bendigo Symphony Orchestra and was a soloist in Vivaldi’s Concerto for 4 violins with the Whitehorse Orchestra in Melbourne.
Edward has recently returned from the 9th International Young Musicians Competition in Legnago Italy, where he was awarded the Premio Magnani Young prize, the Premio Virtuosite prize and was the joint winner of the Premio Salieri Young prize. Since 2016 he has been invited regularly to attend Professor Zakhar Bron’s masterclasses in Interlaken and has also performed in masterclasses with Professor Maurizio Sciarretta.
Before commencing studies at the Australian National Academy of Music, he was the recipient of the Victor Cromack and Melba Alma Harris Cromack Memorial Scholarship in the pre-college program at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Edward is a keen chamber musician and has participated in the Sound Thinking Chamber Strings program and has been selected for the 2017 and 2018 Australian Chamber Orchestra Academy.
Performed with MaSO 17th June 2018
Glenn Riddle – Piano
Glenn Riddle – Piano Soloist – March 2016
Melbourne-born pianist/conductor, Glenn Riddle studied at the Royal College of Music in London and at the Vienna Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst, before returning to Australia, to complete a Master of Music degree in Performance at the Faculty of Music, University of Melbourne. His numerous awards and prizes include the prestigious Horlock and Clarke scholarships, two Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Trust scholarships, an Ian Potter Foundation Award, as well as First Prize in the 1982 inaugural John Allison Scholarship and the 1986 National Yamaha Piano Competition. Currently Glenn is Lecturer in Music at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, University of Melbourne, teaching piano at both post-graduate and undergraduate level. Glenn Riddle’s performances as both soloist and chamber musician have taken him to the USA, Europe, South-East Asia, and throughout Australia.