Welcome to the first 2012 Issue of Conversation, the student magazine that’s run by Con students for Con students. While many of you probably have start-of-year resolution of your own to keep (practise more, sleep more, party more - delete where applicable) Conversation’s 2012 mantra is to involve as many Con students as possible, both internally and externally. We want to create a domain for young, fresh, creative ideas and to raise the quality of Con student life as much as we can.
We’re delighted to introduce a number of new and old contributors, information about whom you can find on pages 4 and 5. The Con Students Association (CSA) already has plenty of exciting social stuff lined up for you this year. We also have interviews, reviews and more ready for you to peruse. There are loads of interesting things happening musically this year, so make sure you check out each fortnightly issue of Conversation to stay up-to-date. As always, each issue is both printed and uploaded onto www.conconversation.wordpress.com.
Enjoy!
Editor
Conversation
Cameron Barnett - editor
Cameron is at the tail end of his Musicology undergraduate degree. When not fielding confused questions and pained expressions regarding his chosen major, Cameron teaches an abominable number of clarinet/saxophone students and writes for a number of Sydney-based publications. Cameron is passionate about the effective communication of ideas through music, teaching and writing. He is also a rabid fan of B-movies, with the favourites including The Room, Tokyo Gore Police and Black Dynamite. He looks forward to an exciting year as editor of Conversation.
Emma Storey - contributor
Emma is studying classical sax performance here at the Con. Having been here for three-and-a-bit years she has finally completed second year for the second time round. When not with a saxophone in her face she can be found singing really badly, talking in the cafe, or grazing in the botanical gardens. Her main aims for the immediate future involve staying at uni for ever and ever and being involved in as many ensembles as is physically possible. Feel free to say hi or give me an opinion on the content of Conversation - I am way too small to be scary!
Meggie Morris - contributor
Hello… I’m Meggie, hailing from a town called Salamander Bay where 70 percent of the residents are retirees and the remaining 30 percent are avid rat-tail and mullet enthusiasts. It’s very exciting. Just in case employment opportunities in the field of music are limited, I added a Bachelor of Arts to my Bachelor of Music Studies. I can always fall back on an arts degree… right? Aaaand my principal study is voice.
Charlotte Fetherston - contributor
Charlotte grew up in Auckland where she learnt the violin from childhood, progressing (upgrading, perhaps?) to the viola at age fourteen. Charlotte completed a Bachelor of Music (Honours) in performance at the New Zealand School of Music, and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts at the Conservatorium. Charlotte likes performing in orchestral and chamber music ensembles and writing about music. She enjoys practising (yes, that is the correct spelling: it’s a verb) and drinking coffee, and hopes to have some good topics for this year’s Conversation.
Rachel White - contributor
Rachel is currently doing a Master of Music (Mus.Ed.) with an interest in studying the aural training techniques of senior secondary teachers. She has two lorikeets and an absurd cat called Hugo who will often be found in inappropriate places around the house. Rachel has an obsession with all things avian and will sporadically be seen in various green places around Sydney searching for birds. She also writes a blog on narcolepsy - www.narcolepticgirl.weebly.org - and enjoys pondering the minutiae of a sleepy life.
Daniel Butler - contributor
Born in San Cristóbal, Mexico, Daniel has lived in Australia for the past 15 years, writing for various musical publications to improve his English. His love for music was nurtured by his parents, both members of the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional. Currently serving his third year at the Conservatorium, Daniel enjoys travelling, cooking, bullfighting and crosswords. He also runs a part-time hair-salon (enquire for appointments).
Matthew Gambrill - contributor
Matthew is in the midst of a Bachelor of Music Studies Degree, majoring in Composition. Last semester he contributed a short series of articles to ‘Conversation’ which attempted to explore the extraordinary musical expressivity of Poetry. This semester’s contributions will focus on some of the more experimental poetries being created NOW, and an extended consideration on the issue of ‘Style’ - see Charles Bukowski’s poem “Style” for an excellent introduction to the topic.
Milo C. St Clare-Holmes - crossword wizard
Milo St. Clare-Holmes is a ‘pataphorist, riverboating enthusiast and occasional composer. An amateur falconer, he writes crosswords for the Conversation in between Antarctic expeditions. On an evening, he enjoys attempting to memorise “Finnegan’s Wake”, snifter of brandy close at hand, in the smoky ambience of his study. Recently, he has taught himself Phoenician. To contact Milo about crosswords or to declare a blood feud, simply email the Conversation, or turn on your searchlight and shine the Milo-Signal into the night-sky.
Sarah Wielgosz - graphic designer
Sarah is a graphic design student, amateur photographer and Nintendo junkie who runs on large amounts of caffeine and very small amounts of sleep. When she’s not glued to her computer doing design work, Sarah can generally be found immersed in a book, practicing piano, cooking up a storm in the kitchen, or wasting time on the internet. Currently she attends Billy Blue College of Design and is studying a Bachelor of Communication Design.
This magazine was originally published in Conversation Issue 1, of 30 April 2012, published by the Conservatorium Students' Association. The print edition can be found on Issuu; it has been digitised by Alexander Poirier.