Artists – Page 3 – Maroondah Symphony Orchestra

Larissa Ng – Violin

LarissaNg It was at five years of age that Larissa Ng began her musical journey through piano; leading her into a world full of music that she would never leave.

The following year, Larissa began learning the violin under the tutelage of Virginia Weekes through a string program initiative of her primary school. Throughout the past twelve years , she has learnt violin, piano, guitar and percussion.
In 2010, Larissa completed her Associate in Music (AMusA) and has also accomplished her grade eight exam on piano. Larissa is currently undertaking her first year at The University of Melbourne, studying the Bachelor of Science with a Diploma of Music and is under the tuition of Wilma Smith.

An avid orchestral violinist, Larissa has been a member of the Melbourne Youth Orchestra, Australian Conservatoire of Ballet Orchestra and Camberwell Chorale’s Camerata Orchestra. She was the Concertmaster and soloist of Balwyn High School’s multi-award-winning Senior String Orchestra as well as their Symphony Orchestra.
In 2003, Larissa was a member of the winning ensemble, the Balwyn High School Clarinet Quintet in the Boroondara Eisteddfod’s ADMIS Senior Chamber Ensemble section.

Leon Wang – Cello

Born in Shanghai in 1990 and raised in Melbourne, Leon began playing the cello at the age of 8, studying with Henry Wenig.

After completing his AMusA at the age of 16, Leon entered the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music to study a Bachelor of Music with scholarships for performance. He began his primary cello studies with Kalina Krusteva and has since performed with the Conservatorium of Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Youth Orchestra, Chamber Strings of Melbourne and the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Orchestra under many established and renowned conductors, such as Fabian Russell and Benjamin Northey.

In 2013 and early 2014, Leon was part of the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic and Chamber Strings of Melbourne tour to China and Europe.

The Chamber Strings of Melbourne performed in a multitude of European cities including Frankfurt, Cologne, Paris, Innsbruck and Venice.

Throughout the years he has also participated in numerous masterclasses, including those with renowned cellists, Howard Penny and Li Wei Qin.

He lists Mstislav Rostropovich and Janos Starker as his favourite and most influential cellists.

Leon currently plays on a 18th century German cello by an unknown maker, which was restored in 2010.

Matt Withers – Guitar

Matt Withers is an ambassador for Australian music, a well-established pedagogue, performer and mentor for musicians globally.

His career has seen him perform with esteemed artists including William Barton, the Carl Pini Quartet and national orchestras whilst maintaining strong commitments in the leading Australian chamber music groups Guitar Trek alongside Timothy Kain, AM and The Brew Guitar Duo.

Matt has a strong history of performing, recording and commissioning Australian works from distinguished composers and his generational peers. With commercial studio albums released on ABC Classics (Australia) and Soundset Recordings (USA), he thrives on reaching wider audiences, broadening and expanding their musical horizons.

His innovative activities include the creation of the Matt Withers Australian Music Composition Competition which gives an avenue of support for composers to have their music reach the ears and hearts of their audience. Matt has presented lectures in Europe on his passion The Entrepreneurial Guitarist to blossoming artists, eager to also find their niche in the musical world.

Matt has performed across the globe including being featured as a Rising Star at the World Expo in Shanghai (China). He has given showcase performances across Australia, New Zealand and Europe with highlights at embassies, universities, festivals and more. He has been invited as an adjudicator for major competitions including the Melbourne International Guitar Festival (Australia) the Uppsala Guitar Festival (Sweden), the Riverina Conservatorium of Music (Wagga-Wagga) and the Australian National University School of Music (Canberra).

Withers is a mentor for young, emerging musicians as shown through his role as Patron for the Senior Ensemble of SAYGE – the South Australian Youth Guitar Ensemble. He regularly gives Skype lessons and presents masterclasses for tertiary students having mentored around Australia and internationally including New Zealand and Europe.

Performed with MaSO September 10th & 17th 2017

Michael Olsen – Trumpet

Michael Olsen completed his third and final year at the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) in 2018 studying with David Elton and Tristram Williams. Michael grew up in rural Western Australia, where he first started learning piano and violin, before picking up the trumpet at the age of ten. He began his Bachelor of Music at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) studying with Peter Miller, before transferring to a Bachelor of Music in Advanced Performance at Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University, where he studied with Sarah Butler and Richard Madden. In 2016, Michael’s ensemble performing Stravinsky’s Octet was awarded First Prize in the ANAM Chamber Competition.

Michael has had orchestral engagements with the Melbourne, Sydney, and West Australian Symphony Orchestras, and in 2014 completed a six-month internship with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra. He has performed as a soloist for Josh Groban’s Melbourne Stages tour, and has also been a regular member of Australia’s leading youth orchestras, including the Australian Youth Orchestra, Queensland Youth Orchestra, and the Australian International Symphony Orchestra Institute (AISOI).

Internationally, Michael has performed in the International Trumpet Guild Conference in Columbus, Ohio where he was awarded the Anatoly Selianin Memorial Scholarship. He also attended the Internationale Trompetentage Kürnbach (2015) with Reinhold Friedrich and the Norddeutsche Trompetentage (2014).

Performed with MaSO 24th March 2019

Samuel Payne – Cello

Samuel Payne – Cello Soloist September 2016

Samuel Payne was born in Sydney and began learning the cello at the age of eight. He attended Sydney Grammar School on a music scholarship and in
2008, he received a Licentiate Diploma in Music with Distinction. In 2013, Samuel completed a Bachelor of Music, studying with Susan Blake and Julian Smiles at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. In the same year he spent a semester on exchange in Germany, studying at the Hochschule für Künste Bremen with Alexander Baillie. Samuel is currently in his second year at the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM), studying with Howard Penny.

Samuel has participated in masterclasses with Gautier Capuçon, Torleif Thedéen, Peter Bruns, Tim Hugh, Louise Hopkins, and Marko Ylönen as well as chamber music classes with the Borodin String Quartet, Australian String Quartet, Goldner String Quartet and the ATOS Trio.

A keen orchestral musician, Samuel has performed with the Australian Youth Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Sinfonia and the SBS Radio and Television Youth Orchestra. He has been a regular participant at the Australian Youth Orchestra’s National Music Camp, and has toured internationally with the Sydney Conservatorium Chamber Orchestra to Germany, the United States, and New Caledonia.