Art Fund Past Scholars
Recipients 2024
Tess Overmyer
Arts Fund ScholarAUS to USA Manhattan School of MusicResearch Interest: Saxophone
Sophie Seyd
Arts Fund ScholarAUS to USA NYU TischResearch Interest: FilmSophie Seyd was raised in Melbourne, Australia and is of Iraqi and English heritage. She received her BA in English Literature and is a current candidate of NYU Tisch’s Graduate Film Programme as a BAFTA Pigott Scholar. Before starting graduate school she lived in London where she worked in post-production on high end drama television for Apple TV, Sister Pictures, Amazon Prime and AMC. She is fascinated by the fractures and eccentricities within people, their relationships, and the places they inhabit.
Sophie Smyth
Arts Fund ScholarAUS to USA CineStory Foundation Writers RetreatResearch Interest: ScreenwritingSophie Smyth (she/her) is a neurodivergent singer, actor, writer, and (sometimes) dancer. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Music Theatre) from Federation University’s Arts Academy. Career highlights/awards include: Australians in Film’s inaugural UNTAPPED Development Lab; Green Room Award for Best Writing (for The Aspie Hour); Australian Writer’s Guild’s Monte Miller Award runner-up (for Unloveable); Lesley Hall Scholarship. Sophie creates disarmingly vulnerable autobiographical work that balances precariously on the twisted knife-edge of comedy and tragedy. She is passionate about authentic representation, the Oxford comma, and making you laugh. Rep: Mollison Keightley Management. This award affords Sophie the opportunity to study the craft of television writing through panel discussions, workshops, and one-on-one mentoring with industry professionals at the CineStory Foundation Writers Retreat in Idyllwild, California. Post-retreat, she will take up residency at ‘Charlie’s’ in West Hollywood — home to Australians’ in Film — with a focus on her half-hour comedy drama “Unloveable”.
Ashly Zhang
Arts Fund ScholarAUS to USA New England ConservatoryResearch Interest: PianoAshly Zhang has quickly garnered a reputation as one of Australia's most exciting young pianists. Having just completed the Master of Music Studies degree in Collaborative Piano at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, under the tutelage of Dr Theresa Leung, Ashly will graduate in June this year and continue postgraduate studies at the New England Conservatory (NEC) in Boston, USA. She completed a Bachelor of Music in Solo Piano under the tutelage of Dr Bernadette Harvey. In 2023, Ashly attended the Aspen Music Festival as a full-scholarship Collaborative Piano Fellow. Additionally, she was the recipient of the Conservatorium's Henderson Travelling Scholarship for Collaborative Piano in 2023. Ashly has collaborated with Alexandra Osborne (Associate Concertmaster, Sydney Symphony), Rachel Siu (Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra), and was invited to perform with Prof. Jeanell Carrigan on her CD, 'Breaking of the Drought' published by Wirripang. Ashly has participated in many of the Australian Youth Orchestra's nationwide chamber music and orchestra programs from 2020-2023, and regularly performs with the Conservatorium's ensembles and fellow students in recitals and festivals.
Natasha Gesto
Arts Fund ScholarAUS to USA The Juilliard SchoolResearch Interest: Vocal ArtsUruguayan-Australian soprano Natasha Isabella Gesto is a second year Master of Music (Vocal Arts) student and Kovner Fellow at The Juilliard School, studying under Darrell Babidge. Natasha received her Bachelor of Music and a Graduate Diploma in Music (Opera Performance) at the Sydney Conservatorium, where she was a recipient of the Helen Myers Scholarship, Greenberg-Gurney-Jensen Scholarship and Henderson Travellers Scholarship. Natasha is currently performing at the Santa Fe Opera as a first-year apprentice artist where she will be debuting the role of Diedre from Gregory Spears’ The Righteous, in addition to performing as the Dressmaker in Der Rosenkavalier, Magda in La Rondine for the Opera Scenes, and first cover for Annina in La Traviata. Natasha’s recent roles include Nedda (Pagliacci, 2023), Ruth Baldwin (Later the Same Evening, John Musto, The Juilliard School, 2023), La Contessa (Le nozze di Figaro, Prague Summer Nights Festival, 2022), Pamina (Die Zauberflöte, cover performed, 2022), Dame Nellie Melba (Percy – The Opera, 2022). Some of Natasha’s concert soloist performances include Brahm’s German Requiem (2023), Haydn’s Nelson Mass (2022), Poulenc’s Gloria (2021), and Mozart’s Requiem in D minor (2020). Natasha was also selected as a Young Star of Australian Opera in 2022. Natasha is looking forward completing her studies at Juilliard and is excited to see where her craft will take her.
Jane Pankhurst
Arts Fund ScholarAUS to USA USC Thornton School of MusicResearch Interest: Clarinet PerformanceJane Pankhurst is a classically trained clarinettist from Perth, Western Australia. Jane graduated in 2022 with a Bachelor of Philosophy (First Class Honours) from the University of Western Australia. She is actively involved within the Australian music performance industry, performing regularly with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Perth Symphony Orchestra, Australian Youth Orchestra and West Australian Youth Orchestra. Jane is mentor for young West Australian clarinettists, and has worked as a clarinet tutor at schools across Perth. In August, Jane will commence a Master of Music (M.M) in Clarinet Performance at the University of Southern California (USC) Thornton School of Music in Los Angeles. She will be studying with world renowned clarinet pedagogue Yehuda Gilad. Gilad is considered one of the most innovative, dynamic and respected clarinet teachers within the international music community and has developed the one of the most prestigious and sought-after studios in the world.
Isobel Waters
Arts Fund ScholarAUS to USA Pilchuck Glass SchoolResearch Interest: Glass BlowingIsobel Waters is a South Australian emerging artist in her final year studying a Bachelor of Visual Arts at the Australian National University (ANU). She has received multiple awards including best young artist at the EGAG Wrap, the ANU/Pilchuck partnership scholarship, the Pilchuck outstanding student scholarship, the 2023 ArtsACT under $5k grant, and the American Australian Association 2024 Arts Fund Grant. Isobel’s work combines glass and ceramic materials with mixed media assemblages, creating visceral anthropomorphic pieces which centre around the human body as a means through which she can experience, analyse, and attempt to understand the world. Described as feminist artwork, Isobel’s pieces often discuss the female lived experience including physical objectification, reproductive oppression, and gender discrimination in healthcare. During her studies at the Pilchuck Glass School in Seattle, WA, Isobel will continue to refine her technical glass blowing skills whilst simultaneously exploring the emotive qualities of glass.
Blake Sutherland
Australian Fashion Foundation ScholarAUS to USAResearch Interest: Creative Direction & Storytelling
Sean McCallum
Australian Fashion Foundation ScholarAUS to USAResearch Interest: Fashion Design
Alex Enticknap
Australian Fashion Foundation ScholarAUS to USAResearch Interest: Fashion & Textiles
Aruna D’Souza
The Beverley Art Writers Travel Grant AwardeeUSA to AUSResearch Interest: Art Journalism
Leon Zhan
American Australian Association – AFGNA AusArt ScholarAUS to USAPratt InstituteResearch Interest: Fine Art
John Harvey
American Australian Association – First Nations Australia Writers Network Writer in Residence USA FellowAUS to USABoston UniversityResearch Interest: Writer, Director, Producer
Recipients 2023
Ihab Balla
American Australian Association - AFNGA AusArt ScholarAUS to USA Bard College Research Interest: Film and Moving Image
Nathan Bryon
Arts Fund ScholarAUS to USAThe Aspen Music Festival Research Interest: Opera
Natalia Raspopova
Arts Fund ScholarAUS to USAUniversity of Illinois Research Interest: Orchestra Conducting
Julie Shaw
Indigenous Arts Fund Scholar JUJÚ Showroom, LL.C & Box C. Logistics Research Interest: Fashion Design
Laura Dortmans
Arts Fund ScholarAUS to USASUNY New Paltz Research Interest: Ceramics
Gemma Nha
Arts Fund ScholarAUS to USAThe Juilliard School Research Interest: Opera
Shondelle Pratt
Arts Fund ScholarAUS to USAEducation Advocate program Research Interest: Intimacy Coordination
Pavle Cajic
Arts Fund ScholarAUS to USASan Francisco Conservatory of Music Research Interest: Music Composition
Lewis Burns
Indigenous Arts Fund Scholar Northwest Didge FestResearch Interest: Didgeridoo
Jamie McLennan
Indigenous Arts Fund Scholar Northwest Didge FestResearch Interest: Dance
Jamal Wells
Indigenous Arts Fund Scholar Northwest Didge FestResearch Interest: Dance
Xavier Wells
Indigenous Arts Fund Scholar Northwest Didge FestResearch Interest: Dance
Lauren O’Neill-Butler
The Beverley Art Writers Travel Grant Scholar Research Interest: Art WritingRecipients 2022
Sophie Payten
Gordi
American Australian Association & APRA-AMCOS Global Professional Development Scholar JagjaguwarResearch Interest: Music Production 
Peter Clark
Arts Fund ScholarAUS to USAGlobal Leaders ProgramResearch Interest: MBA Arts Innovation
Yen Pham
Arts Fund ScholarAUS to USAUniversity of Iowa Research Interest: MFA Writing
Michaela Burger
Arts Fund ScholarAUS to USAThe Susan Baston Studio Research Interest: Performing Arts
Imogen McCluskey
Arts Fund ScholarAUS to USAAmerican Film Institute Conservatory Research Interest: Film/Television Directing
Alex Bateman
Arts Fund ScholarAUS to USAColumbia University Research Interest: Screenwriting and Directing
Charlotte Mars
American Australian Association - Australian International Screen Forum Scholar Research Interest: Filmmaking
Philippa Mott
American Australian Association - AFNGA AusArt Scholar New York University Research Interest: Curatorial Arts
Jessica Lynne
The Beverley Art Writers Travel Grant Research Interest: Writer and Art Critic
Sarah Bishop
Arts Fund ScholarAUS to USASecond City Film School Research Interest: Comedy
Ania Freer
Arts Fund ScholarAUS to USAArt Omi Residency Research Interest: Filmmaking / Photography
Talisha Elger
Arts Fund ScholarAUS to USAAmerican Film Institute Conservatory Research Interest: Screenwriting
Linda Sok
Arts Fund ScholarAUS to USATextile Arts CenterResearch Interest: Tapestry
Julia Corcoran
Screen Australia-American Australian Association-Onbass Fellowship American Film Institute Conservatory Research Interest: Film and Television Production
Benjamin Mason
Arts Fund ScholarAUS to USAUniversity of Iowa Research Interest: Creative Writing
Recipients 2021
Mikayla Hogg
American Australian Association – Australian Fashion Foundation (AUSFF) ScholarEyeswoonResearch Interest: Fashion - Creative Director, Photographer, Stylist
Michelle Li
American Australian Association – Australian Fashion Foundation (AUSFF) ScholarResearch Interest: Fashion
Xenia Puskarz Thomas
AAA Arts Fund ScholarAUS to USAThe Juilliard SchoolResearch Interest: Mezzo Soprano
Victoria Manganiello
AAA Arts Fund ScholarUSA to AUSAustralian Tapestry WorkshopResearch Interest: Weaving
Tania Khouri
AAA Arts Fund ScholarUSA to AUSWestern Sydney University Research Interest: Multi-disciplinary Visual Art
Miles Johnston
AAA Arts Fund ScholarAUS to USATuition with Sharon Isbin Research Interest: Classical Guitar
Victoria Lu
AAA Arts Fund ScholarAUS to USAAmerican Film InstituteResearch Interest: Screenwriting
Lloyd Van’t Hoff
AAA Arts Fund ScholarAUS to USAYale School of MusicResearch Interest: Clarinet Performance
Kate Rankine
AAA Arts Fund ScholarAUS to USANew York UniversityResearch Interest: Musical Theatre Writing
Jessie Hughes
AAA Arts Fund ScholarAUS to USAJosephmark LAResearch Interest: New Media Art
Jennifer Hou
AAA Arts Fund ScholarAUS to USASan Francisco Conservatory of Music Research Interest: Classical Piano
Camilla Caldwell
AAA Arts Fund ScholarAUS to USAMannes School of Music, The New SchoolResearch Interest: Violinist
Joseph Chan
AAA Arts Fund ScholarAUS to USAUniversity of KansasResearch Interest: Master of Music - Orchestral Conducting
Stephen de Filippo
AAA Arts Fund ScholarAUS to USAHarvard UniversityResearch Interest: Composition
Guy Grabowsky
AAA-AFNGA AusArt ScholarParsons School of Design, The New SchoolResearch Interest: Visual Art and Photography
Starr Horton
AAA Arts Fund ScholarUSA to AUSCharles Darwin University Research Interest: Animation
Mikel Moss
AAA Arts Fund ScholarUSA to AUSMonash UniversityResearch Interest: Doctor of Philosophy - Drama Therapy
Miranda Samuels
AAA Arts Fund ScholarAUS to USAThe New SchoolResearch Interest: Art theory, Aesthetics and Politics
Gregory Uzelac
AAA Arts Fund ScholarUSA to AUSUniversity of Sydney Research Interest: MFA - Multimedia and Painting
Recipients 2020
William Shi
AAA Arts Fund ScholarAUS to USAEastman School of Music, University of RochesterResearch Interest: DMA in Performance and Literature - Master of Music in Piano
Rebecca Lloyd-Jones
AAA Arts Fund ScholarAUS to USAUniversity of California, San DiegoResearch Interest: DMA program in Performance
Raeden Richardson
AAA Arts Fund ScholarAUS to USAIowa Writers' Workshop, The University of IowaResearch Interest: Writing
Nayib Felix
AAA Arts Fund ScholarUSA to AUSThe University of MelbourneResearch Interest: MFA in Drama
Andrew Strano
AAA Arts Fund ScholarAUS to USANew York UniversityResearch Interest: Musical Theatre Writing MFA
Alberto Di Troia
AAA Arts Fund ScholarAUS to USAUniversity of Southern CaliforniaResearch Interest: Writing for Screen and Television MFA
Leonard Weiss
AAA Arts Fund ScholarAUS to USAPeabody Institute, Johns Hopkins UniversityResearch Interest: Conducting
Ziggy Johnston
AAA Arts Fund ScholarAUS to USAThe Juilliard School, New YorkResearch Interest: Master of Music in Classical Guitar
Olivia Chindamo
AAA Arts Fund ScholarAUS to USAThe Juilliard School, New YorkResearch Interest: Jazz Voice Master of Music
Jessica Hitchcock
AAA Indigenous Arts Fund ScholarAUS to USAResearch Interest: Performance and songwriting
Kim Clark
American Australian Association – Australian Fashion Foundation (AUSFF) ScholarAUS to USA Research Interest: Fashion Design
Dominic Roylance
American Australian Association – Australian Fashion Foundation (AUSFF) ScholarAUS to USA Research Interest: Fashion Design
Kai Wasikowski
AAA-AFNGA AusArt ScholarColumbia University School of ArtsResearch Interest: Visual Art
Linda Michael
AAA Arts Fund ScholarAUS to USAParsons, The New School - New York, NYResearch Interest: Arts Publishing - AAS Graphic Design Degree
Yvette Keong
AAA Arts Fund ScholarAUS to USAThe Juilliard School - New York, NYResearch Interest: Master of Music (Voice - Soprano)
Rulan Tangen
AAA Indigenous Arts Fund ScholarUSA to AUSCollaboration (Indigenous Dance Techniques) with NAISDA Dance College in NSWResearch Interest: Native American Dance & Movement
Frank Buffallo Hyde
AAA Indigenous Arts Fund ScholarUSA to AUSCollaboration with Reko Rennie in MelbourneResearch Interest: Native American Visual Art & Literature
Recipients 2019
Mi-kaisha Masella
AAA-Nomad Two Worlds Foundation Indigenous Arts Scholar
Chenoa Deemal
AAA Indigenous Arts Scholar
Nicholas Smith
AAA-AFNGA AusArt Scholar
Jasmine Pilcher
AAA Arts Fund Scholar
Leticia Ropert
AAA Arts Fund Scholar
Jack Quirk
AAA Arts Fund Scholar
Lucy O’Brien-English
AAA Arts Fund Scholar
Meg White
AAA Arts Fund Scholar
Julian Day
AAA Arts Fund ScholarRecipients 2018
Graham Akhurst
AAA-Nomad Two Worlds Foundation Indigenous Arts Scholar
Darlene Johnson
AAA-AISF Scholar
Helena Dong
AAA-AUSFF Scholar
Amanda Nichols
AAA-AUSFF Scholar
Lucy Ashley (Wanapuygnu)
AAA Indigenous Arts Scholar
Thomas Kelly
AAA Indigenous Arts Scholar
William Gardiner
AAA Arts Fund ScholarWilliam Gardiner is an Australian composer currently studying at the Yale School of Music, where he is mentored by David Lang. In addition to formal studies, he has also worked in sound engineering and electronic production with Ben Frost at Bedroom Community/Greenhouse Studios Iceland, with the support of the Australia Council for the Arts. In 2017 he was commissioned by the composer John Adams and his partner Deborah O’Grady to write a cello concerto for the Berkeley Symphony and cellist Tessa Seymour, to celebrate Adams’ 70th birthday year. Also in 2017, the LA-based chamber ensemble wild Up premiered ALL IS FOR THE BEST—a video opera co-created with DRELLER, and still under development—as part of The Industry’s First Take 2017program.
Courtenay Cleary
AAA Arts Fund ScholarCourtenay is currently on scholarship at The Juilliard School in New York where she is completing her Master of Music degree with violin professor Naoko Tanaka. She recently received her Bachelor of Music degree with first-class honours from the Royal Academy of Music in London where she studied with professor Maureen Smith. In 2017 Courtenay performed as a soloist for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and other distinguished guests at Westminster Abbey for the Royal Commonwealth Service. This was broadcast live on BBC television. In 2018 Courtenay again performed for the HM the Queen at Buckingham Palace for the Opening Ceremony of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. She has also performed as a soloist at prestigious venues including the Wigmore Hall, St James’ Piccadilly, the Regent Hall, Colston Hall and the Lincoln Centre. She recently performed Beethoven’s Violin Concerto with the Willoughby Symphony Orchestra in Sydney and will be returning to Australia in 2019 to give the Australian premiere of David Lang’s Mystery Sonatas. She is a Tait Memorial Trust and ABRSM scholar, and was recently awarded second prize at the Australian Concerto and Vocal Competition as well as the the Dame Joan Sutherland Award from the American Australian Association and the Guy Parsons Award from the Portland House and Australian Music Foundations.
Benjamin Heim
AAA Arts Fund ScholarBen Heim is an Australian composer and creative technologist currently based in New York City. His work spans contemporary classical music, film scoring, live immersive experiences, audiovisual performance, and virtual reality. He has composed music for banking apps in the UK, virtual reality games in Australia, documentaries in New York, audiovisual mapping works in Iceland, and for contemporary classical ensembles across the world. In his audiovisual installations Heim creates dynamic systems in which strong two-way connections are forged between auditory and visual components. This produces synesthetic experiences as crosstalk between the senses multiplies. Heim's works have been performed across Europe, Australia and the USA in events such as Tallinn Music week (Estonia) and Splice Festival (UK). He has collaborated with many organisations to create immersive events, including the London Contemporary Orchestra, and at the Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavik.
Angela Little
AAA Arts Fund ScholarAngela Little is a screen composer from Sydney, Australia. Her first major credit was Baz Luhrmann’s film “Australia”, for which she composed Additional Music and co-wrote and sang the film’s love song, which was nominated for numerous national and international awards. Since then, Angela has lent her talents to a diverse range of projects, including collaborating with Oscar-nominated composer Marco Beltrami as a vocal soloist on 2016 blockbuster “Gods of Egypt” and composing the score for AACTA-nominated feature documentary “Zach’s Ceremony”, which also won the audience award for Best Documentary at both Sydney and Melbourne International Film Festivals in 2016.
Belle Bassin
AAA Arts Fund ScholarBelle Bassin is an experimental visual artist. In her practice, she pursues new formats and modes of presentation where she exhibits within urban and biological spaces, as well as within galleries and museums. Situated at the intersection of sculpture and performance, her work often fixates upon the sentient dimension of color and form. Her work is currently concerned with early female Abstraction, the psychic space of visions, and the occupation of bodies and space by invisible forces.
Belle Bassin has exhibited work at Heide Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne; TarraWarra Museum of Art, Melbourne; and University of Queensland Art Museum, Brisbane, among others.
Zoe Freisburg
AAA Arts Fund ScholarZoe commenced her violin studies at the age of four under the direction of her mother, Helena Munoz. After completing her Bachelor of Music at the Queensland Conservatorium with Michele Walsh, she studied at the Australian National Academy of Music under Dr. Robin Wilson. A passionate solo performer, Zoe has appeared as a soloist in Sibelius’s Concerto with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and Mozart’s A Major Concerto with Orchestra Victoria. In addition to her concerto performances, Zoe is a devoted recitalist touring to China in 2016 with renowned UK pianist Alexander Ullman. A recipient of numerous awards, Zoe has won the prestigious Kendall National Violin Competition and the Australian Classical Music Competition. She was also selected as a finalist in the Freedman Fellowships and in Symphony Australia’s Young Performer’s Awards. In 2018, Zoe commenced a Performer Diploma at Indiana University. This course will allow Zoe to study with one of the world’s best violin pedagogues, Mauricio Fuks as well as experiencing IU’s ability of creating excellent and well-rounded artists.
Svetlana Bailey
AAA Arts Fund ScholarTouched by occasions that are silently dissonant, that with a different context seem surreal, Svetlana Bailey builds installations and photographs what she terms in-camera collage. Born in St Petersburg in 1984, Svetlana is represented by Artereal Gallery Sydney and has been an artist in residence at the ISCP in New York, the Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture and the Mountain School in Los Angeles. Her work is held in the Australian Government’s Artbank collection and the Library of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, and for the last two years running was awarded the Magenta Foundation’s Flash Forward prize. Svetlana received her BFA from UNSW and MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design. The AAA grant will support Svetlana in a four week residency at the Vermont Studio Center where she will experiment with mediums in large scale drawings as part of a new body of work.
Celeste Cebra Kotevich
AAA Arts Fund ScholarCéleste Cebra is an emerging lens-based artist from Sydney, Australia who resides in Chicago, USA. In 2015, Cebra graduated with a BFA in Photomedia and the Joel Corrigan Memorial Photography Award from the National Art School, Sydney. In 2016 she undertook a residency at La Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris. In 2017 Cebra unveiled a series created during her residency for her inaugural solo exhibition Quotidian Metropolis. She's a 2018 Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert Photography Award finalist and a Fisher’s Ghost Award finalist. Cebra is a MFA candidate in Photography at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Daniel Le
AAA Arts Fund ScholarAustralian pianist and American Australian Association 2018 Arts Fund Scholar, Daniel Tang Le, has enjoyed an international career spanning four continents. Beginning his piano studies at the age of three, Daniel received a music scholarship to the Melbourne Grammar School at the age of eleven. By fourteen, he attended the Australian National Academy of Music Young Academy Program and gave his first live radio performances on the Australian Broadcasting Company and 3MBS. After Daniel’s debut with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra in 2015, he was immediately re-engaged for two consecutive seasons. Other performances have brought Daniel to venues including Lincoln Center in New York, Melbourne Recital Center, Queensland Performing Arts Theatre, and Lyric Theatre in Australia, Waseda University in Japan, and Engadin Summer Piano Academy in Switzerland. Currently based in New York City, Daniel is pursuing his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the Manhattan School of Music
Ashleigh McArthur
AAA Arts Fund ScholarAshleigh McArthur is a filmmaker currently pursuing an M.F.A in Documentary Film at Stanford University. She is a graduate of the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS) and the recipient of an Ian Potter Cultural Trust Grant. Her first student film, Pat’s Studio, premiered at the Sydney Museum of Contemporary Art with the Antenna Documentary Festival and screened at festivals in Australia and the US. Prior to her filmmaking career Ashleigh spent eight years in the Australian foreign service, where she contributed to public policy on security, human rights and climate change and represented Australia in Solomon Islands, Mexico and the US.
Alice Heyward
AAA Arts Fund ScholarAlice Heyward is an Australian dancer and choreographer. Her choreographic work has been presented at Dancehouse, Melbourne (Keir Choreographic Award), Murray White Room (Melbourne), Sophiensaele (Tanztage festival, Berlin), Kunsthaus KuLe (Performing Arts Festival, Berlin), adastudio at Uferstudios (Berlin), Next Wave festival (Melbourne), Bus Projects (Melbourne), The Watermill Center (USA), RMIT Design Hub (Melbourne), MPavilion (Melbourne) and PSAS (Perth). This year, Alice is performing Xavier Le Roy’s Still Untitled and Temporary Title (2015) at the Centre National de la Danse - Pantin (Paris)and Haus der Kulturen der Welt (Berlin) and is collaborating with Jacqui Shelton for an exhibition at Gertrude Contemporary (Melbourne). She will soon commence a new creation process with New York-based Cypriot choreographer Maria Hassabi. Alice is about to commence a Klein Technique ™ Teacher Certification program with Susan Klein in NYC with the support of the American Australian Association.
Alberta Khoury
AAA Arts Fund ScholarCurrently residing in NYC, Khoury began her undergraduate studies at the Juilliard School with 2-time Grammy award winner Sharon Isbin, awarded a full scholarship by the Augustine Foundation. Now completing her Master of Music degree in Juilliard’s Accelerated Program, she serves as a Student Ambassador for Juilliard. Khoury enjoys pursuing her project Music in Every Corner, playing music in the offices as well as various parts of the building to bring music to the staff and community. Other community engagement experiences include her collaboration with MacArthur Fellow Vijay Gupta, performing music at a homeless shelter. Khoury was invited to present a talk on community engagement as well as share a performance at the Lincoln Center all-staff meeting, Kaplan Penthouse. She has been heard at an event honoring Placido Domingo graced by Her Majesty Queen Sofia of Spain at the Metropolitan Club. Khoury is a proud recipient of a Kovner Fellowship.
Caroline Garcia
AAA-AFNGA AusArt ScholarRecipients 2017
Jonathan Homsey
AAA Arts Fund ScholarFootscray Community Arts Centre (FCAC)Research Interest: Street Dance, Visual Art and Social EngagementJonathan Homsey is an arts maker and manager interested in the intersection of street dance, visual art and social engagement; he has a passion for community outreach using the moving body as a source of empowerment. Born in Hong Kong and raised in the United States of America, he immigrated to Australia in 2010 where his award-winning choreographic practice has evolved from a theatrical context to interdisciplinary installations across Australasia and Japan. Working with mediums from ceramics to augmented reality, Jonathan’s choreographic and curatorial practice uses street and queer dance movement to inform his works that explore utopian worlds and emotional connection. From choreographing for Australian pop star George Maple to Australia's flagship circus company Circus Oz, Jonathan has shared dance as a curator and maker across commercial avenues and iconic Australian institutions including the Melbourne Museum.
Alexandra Rigby
AAA Arts Fund ScholarAtlantic Acting SchoolResearch Interest: Acting
Victor Avila
AAA Arts Fund ScholarCarnegie Mellon UniversityResearch Interest: Master of MusicVictor began his tertiary violin studies with Goetz Richter and Ole Bohn at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 2012 and graduated with First Class Honours. In July 2015 Victor participated in a tour to Italy with the Sydney Conservatorium where he performed in a piano trio which gave recitals in Verona and Mantua. Victor was selected as part of an internship with the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra of Australia to perform Puccini's La Boheme at the Hanoi Opera House in Hanoi, Vietnam. Victor is now a casual violinist with the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra. Victor has given solo recitals at international venues including the Sala Cecília Meireles in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and the Vigeland Museum in Oslo, Norway. The American-Australian Arts Fund will assist Victor in his study towards a Master of Music degree at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, USA.
Philippa Kane
AAA Arts Fund ScholarQUTResearch Interest: DramaPhilippa studied Drama at QUT, Brisbane, and has been working as a theatrical producer in London, since 2013. She has worked with both new and established companies producing theatre in London, throughout the UK and internationally. Philippa is a 2015 Stage One alumna.
For BeFrank Theatre Company she produced a tour for the British Forces in Germany. This was the first ever theatrical tour of it’s kind. She has also worked with The Reversed Shakespeare Company, producing a sell-out run of a gender-reversed “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. Her other experience includes working with Half Moon Children’s Theatre, Icarus Theatre Collective and DumbWise Theatre Company.
Justin Sterling
AAA Arts Fund ScholarParsons School of DesignResearch Interest: Visual Artist MFAI am a visual artist from Texas currently based in Brooklyn. I attended the Parsons School of Design in NYC for an MFA in Fine Arts and graduated in May 2017. I make art out of found objects from cities. I explore how everyday objects shape our social behavior through history and politics. My aim is to unravel the way we view power, authority, and control by revealing various truths about urban ecosystems and American poverty. Many of my artistic propositions include interventions in public as well as the mediums of painting, drawing, sculpture, video, installation, and performance. Much of the work has an underlying tone of violence that I use to create tension inside of the status quo and challenge my audience to think critically. It has always come naturally to me to collect neglected objects and attempt to recycle them. I choose to recycle an object based on its metaphorical or institutional significance, attempting to give them new life and reclaim them from their socio-political censor. In my process, I embrace, provoke, and appropriate to explore the ways violence and risk have a stake in what it means to be a responsible citizen.
Cat Commander
AAA Arts Fund ScholarMount St. Mary's UniversityResearch Interest: Film and Television MFACat is a writer and film maker from Perth, Western Australia. She has a Master of Writing for Performance at the Victorian College of the Arts (2013) and is currently a student in the Film and Television MFA program at Mount Saint Mary’s University in Los Angeles. Cat’s play, The Last Time I Saw Richard, premiered at The Bakehouse Theatre in Adelaide in 2016. Previous work, You Took The Stars was performed in Perth and Melbourne (2014/2015), following Red Stitch Theatre featuring her short play, Melting, in Play List (2014). Cat holds a Bachelor of Arts from The University of Western Australia (2004). Cat is thrilled to have the opportunity to adapt her stage works for the big screen.Recipients 2016
Evan Atwell-Harris
Dame Joan Sutherland FundJuilliard SchoolResearch Interest: Master of Music - Jazz Studies
Paul Hodge
Dame Joan Sutherland FundNew YorkResearch Interest: Writer-composer Mentorship with Alain BoublilPaul Hodge is a writer-composer from Brisbane. His recent work, CLINTON THE MUSICAL, was performed Off-Broadway, at the New York Musical Theatre Festival, in London and Edinburgh and will have its Australian Premiere in 2016 at Black Swan State Theatre Company. CLINTON received a New York Times Critics Pick and nominations for Best New Musical and Best Book of a Musical in New York and Edinburgh. His other large-scale work, TERRA AUSTRALIS, was shortlisted for the QLD Premier’s Drama Award 2012-13. He is about to complete a PhD in Music Composition at the University of Queensland. Awards include the Brisbane Lord Mayor’s Young and Emerging Artist Fellowship, Margaret Nickson Prize and 4MBS Musica Viva Chamber Music Prize.
Liesl Pfeffer
Dame Joan Sutherland FundVermont Studio Center, VermontResearch Interest: Visual ArtistLiesl Pfeffer is a visual artist from Brisbane, Australia, living in Brooklyn, NY. In her art practice she constructs imagined and real places and objects through photo-media collage. She holds a Bachelor of Photography from the Queensland College of Art (2005). Pfeffer was resident at The Banff Centre, Banff, Canada (2015), The Wassaic Project, Wassaic, NY (2014) and in August 2016 will be resident at Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, VT, supported by the Australian American Association’s Dame Joan Sutherland Fund. Recently she exhibited at Ortega y Gasset, Wassaic Project, Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art, Trestle Projects and Chashama (all New York, USA). Pfeffer was a mentor in the New York Foundation for the Arts’ Immigrant Artist Program in 2015.
Lani Asuncion
Dame Joan Sutherland FundBilpin International Ground for Creative Initiatives, New South WhalesResearch Interest: Visual ArtistLani Asuncion is an interdisciplinary artist working with transmedia storytelling to explore her identity as an Asian American woman. She is an artist-in-residence alumna of Caldera Arts Center, I-Park, CAC Woodside, Elsewhere Living Museum, Santa Fe Art Institute, and Bilpin International Grounds for Creative Initiatives (BigCi). Asuncion’s work has been screened in Currents New Media Festival in Santa Fe, NM. As well as Nights of Festivals: Moving Image at Nottingham Contemporary, UK; and was included in Aspect EZ: Vol. 4, Déjà Vu a DVD printing by ASPECT: The Chronicle for New Media in Boston, MA. Her work was included in Another Athens Film Programme at SUPERMARKET Independent Art Fair in Stockholm, Sweden hosted by Interviewroom11 (Edinburgh) & SNEHTA (Athens).
James Stuart
Dame Joan Sutherland FundSchool of Visual Arts, New YorkResearch Interest: Documentary Film MakerJames Stuart is a multi-disciplinary documentary filmmaker coming from a strong background in graphic design and musical performance. Having grown up abroad, between Australia, the United States, Indonesia and Europe, James Possesses a unique perspective. More than anything, this immersion in different cultures informs his practice. James is currently developing his abilities as a nonfiction-storyteller at the School of Visual Arts MFA in Social Documentary in New York City. He is currently working to explore the possibilities at the intersection of different disciplines, where design and motion graphics can meet documentary filmmaking and enable new possibilities for non-fiction storytelling. James hold a bachelor of Visual Communications with first class honours from the University of Technology Sydney.
Kieran Swann
Dame Joan Sutherland FundWesleyan University, ConnecticutResearch Interest: CuratorKieran Swann is an artist, curator, producer, and facilitator; with a background in both performance and visual art. His work for gallery spaces manifests as spare, minimalist gestures or tasks; always site-responsive and often to reframe or bring into focus the history of sites or bodies, and create a space for meditation on these. In experimental theatre and contemporary performance, Kieran collaborates with The Good Room, creators of I Should Have Drunk More Champagne (Metro Arts 2013), I Want To Know What Love Is (Brisbane Festival/QTC 2014, Brisbane Powerhouse 2015), and the forthcoming The Forgiveness Project (working title) – a body of contemporary work acclaimed for accessibility, innovative process, striking imagery, and meaningful community engagement. He has created work with Brisbane Festival, Queensland Theatre Company, Brisbane Powerhouse, Next Wave, La Boite Theatre, Conical Inc, Schoolhouse Studios. His body of work has received national acclaim; ABC Radio has described his work as “nothing short of brilliant”, and RealTime has noted him a “fabulous liar in a mundane world”. In 2016, Kieran has received a fellowship for postgraduate study at Wesleyan University’s Institute for Curatorial Practice in Performance, in Connecticut USA.
Clare and Matt
Dame Joan Sutherland FundWatermill Center, New YorkResearch Interest: Visual ArtistsMatt Prest and Clare Britton have individual arts practices that traverse performance and visual art. They have a history of working together on a number of significant collaborative projects. These works include the award winning productions Whelping Box (with Branch Nebula), Hole in the Wall and The Tent. As a partnership, Clare and Matt aim to make work that puts the 'experience' on an equal footing with the 'object' of the artwork. Clare and Matt work within an interdisciplinary, experimental process, reinforced by strategies of design and collaboration. The Dame Joan Sutherland Fund will support their upcoming residency at The Watermill Centre.
Bridget Mackey
Dame Joan Sutherland FundUniversity of Southern California, CaliforniaResearch Interest: ScreenwritingBridget Mackey is a Melbourne playwright and dramaturg. Bridget’s play The Exact Dimensions of Hell was read at the Melbourne Theatre Company as part of Cybec Electric 2016. Other plays by Bridget include: Exit Everything (with Georgie McAuley, Little Sister Projects 2015), Kindness (Flight Festival 2015) and Hose (MKA 2012). Bridget is a founding member of Lonely Company and is Literary Manager for five.point.one. She has worked as a dramaturg on a number of projects including Blessed by Fleur Kilpatrick and The Lake by Ben Brooker. In 2014 Bridget undertook a dramaturgy internship with Playwriting Australia at the Melbourne Theatre Company. Bridget holds a Master of Writing for Performance from the VCA (2013) and a Bachelor of Creative Arts (Acting) from Flinders University (2007).
Amelia Wallin
Dame Joan Sutherland FundCenter for Curatorial Studies, Bard College, New YorkResearch Interest: CuratorAmelia Wallin is an Australian curator and current MA candidate at The Centre for Curatorial Studies, Bard College, New York. In 2015 she was the Curatorial Fellow at Performa working on the inaugural Australian ‘Pavilion Without Walls’ and was in-residence at Wassaic Projects (NY) researching alternative curatorial models and writing practices. Amelia has held positions at numerous Sydney organisations including Biennale of Sydney, Campbelltown Arts Centre, Performance Space, Vivid Ideas, and Performing Lines. She was co-curator of Tiny Stadiums Live Art Festival (2012-14) and has been involved in the set up and directing of several artist-run-spaces; Firstdraft (2012-13), Sydney Guild (2012-14) and The Paper Mill (2009-11). She holds a Bachelor of Art & Art Theory from the University of New South Wales.
Liang Luscombe
Dame Joan Sutherland FundVirginia Commonwealth UniversityResearch Interest: Master of Fine Art Liang was the recipient of an Australia Council JUMP Mentorship in 2013 and was mentored by Angela Brennan. She has also held residencies at the Australia Council Studio, British School at Rome in 2013 and PICA Studio Residency in 2011. She is currently undertaking her Masters of Fine Art at Virginia Commonwealth University, USA. Recent solo exhibitions include: Table Talk, Box Copy, Brisbane, 2016; A Tall Painter, Yarra Flats, Melbourne, 2016; Three Sailors, Sutton Project Space, Melbourne, 2014; Non in Casa, 157 Blyth St, Melbourne, 2013; Bauhaus Fisher Price, TCB art inc., Melbourne, 2012. Selected group exhibitions include: Footnotes, The 3rd Ural Industrial Biennial of Contemporary Art, Yekaterinburg, 2015; No fond return of love, I.C.A.N., Sydney, 2014; Dear Masato, all at once, Margaret Lawrence Gallery, Melbourne, 2014; brimming dissolution, buoyant expenditure, RM, Auckland, 2014; Synonyms for Sincerity, Alaska Projects, Sydney, 2013; Please be quiet, The British School at Rome, Rome, 2013; Navel Gazing, Utopian Slumps, Melbourne, 2013; Fresh Paint, Sutton Projects, Melbourne, 2012; Ménage a Trois, XYZ Gallery Tokyo, 2012.
Samantha McCulloch
Dame Joan Sutherland FundNew York Art Residency and Studios Foundation, New YorkResearch Interest: Visual ArtistSamantha McCulloch is currently undertaking a three-month residency at the NARS Foundation in New York City. She is trained as an artist and curator and has exhibited in Australia and abroad. She was selected as one of Next Wave Festival’s emerging curators and curated a multi-site exhibition at the Centre for Contemporary Photography in Melbourne. Recent exhibitions include: Ground(s), c3, 2016; Concerted Efforts, Westspace, 2015 and From where I was, The Substation Gallery, 2015. Practice traces interactions between matter and site. Her photographs and sculptures explore the world as a series of becomings, a mesh of human, animal and plant interactions.
Lucy Turnbull
Dame Joan Sutherland FundNew York Studio School of Drawing, Painting & SculptureResearch Interest: Master of Fine ArtsLucy has a background in drawing and painting, she studied at Adelaide Central School of Art and graduated with a Bachelor of Visual Art, Honours in 2010. She has exhibited in galleries and public spaces around Australia and locally, including Victoria Square, Adelaide Festival Centre, Praxis Artspace and Adelaide Central Gallery. Lucy is also passionate about teaching and has worked for a number of organisations, most recently as Artist Assistant at Carclew's Pom Pom Children's Contemporary Art Space in Davoren Park and a Drawing lecturer at Adelaide Central School of Art in Glenside. Lucy will be undertaking a Masters of Fine Art at the New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture.
Christy Gast
Dame Joan Sutherland FundPerformance Studies International Conference, VictoriaResearch Interest: Visual ArtistChristy Gast (New York) is an artist whose work across media reflects an interest in issues of economics and the environment, and the role of content in giving meaning to the experience and form of the work. She has exhibited at MoMA/P.S.1, Performa, Artists Space and Regina Rex in New York; PAMM, Bass Museum of Art, de la Cruz Collection, Locust Projects, and Gallery Diet in Miami; Mass MoCA; High Desert Test Sites; and the Kadist Art Foundation in Paris. She has received awards from the Art Matters Foundation and the South Florida Cultural Consortium, and is faculty at Hartford Art School’s new Nomad9 MFA program.
Nicholas Vardanega
Dame Joan Sutherland FundNYUResearch Interest: Masters in MusicNominated for "Young Australian Jazz Artist of the Year" in the 2015 Bell Awards, guitarist/composer Nic Vardanega is an emerging voice on the Australian jazz scene. A graduate of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Nic has been a sought after musician, performing with Australian Jazz icon Mike Nock as well as being a regular member of rising star pianist Francesca Prihasti’s Quartet. Nic has recorded alongside first call New York City musicians including drummers Ulysses Owens Jr and Rodney Green as well as bassists Orlando le Fleming and Marco Panascia. His debut album ‘Invenro’ was released in late 2014 to critical acclaim. The album featured all original compositions by Vardanega and explored music influenced by his Italian heritage.
Persia Blue Toll
Dame Joan Sutherland FundSITI Conservatory, NYCResearch Interest: ActressPersia Blue is an Australian actress of both screen and stage. She has studied with the Atlantic Acting School- New York, SITI company- Saratoga and Ensemble Studios- Australia. Theatre work includes: Charitable Intent- The Jack Manning Trilogy (Ensemble Theatre) Grace Land and Asleep on the Wind (Operating Theatre) Stairwell (Old Fitzroy Theatre), Telling Tales (HGR) Hayes Gordon Repertory Theatre Company’s Theatre in Education Shakespeare Program: Love, Death and a Little Madness NSW tour: 2009 and 2010. Australian television credits: Home and Away (Network Seven), Dance Academy (ABC), Housos Series 2 (SBS). Australian feature films: Housos Vs Authority and Fat Pizza Vs Housos. Persia’s short films including: Circe (Dungog Film Festival 2010), A Broadband God, Report (Pop Films Australia), 2012 (NAFA)
Emma Cillekens
Dame Joan Sutherland FundStudio 20: Digital FirstResearch Interest: Masters in Arts (Journalism)When Emma Cillekens found out talking too much could become a career she was sold! Emma is a radio presenter from Queensland, Australia, who has had a rich career across many facets of the media including radio, television, print and online. Most recently she’s worked for national public radio broadcaster, the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) as breakfast radio host. She’s presented breakfast, morning, drive and weekend programs to a local and state audience and has provided content to a national and international audience. She has freelanced for the BBC and several other media organisations. Emma has always had a nose for adventure, so when NYU (New York University) offered her a scholarship to be part of the prestigious Studio 20: Digital First master’s degree she jumped at it.
Chelsea Giles
Dame Joan Sutherland FundUniversity of California, Los AngelesResearch Interest: Masters in Fine ArtsBorn and raised in Sydney, Australia, Chelsea Giles is a self-professed storyteller and rising Australian talent. A string of roles on some of Australia's most loved programs in combination with a drive to continually improve her skills saw Chelsea win a lead role in her first feature film at 16. While still in High School, she achieved associate diplomas in both Performance, and Speech and Drama teaching from the Trinity College of London. After working with acting coaches Ivana Chubbuck, Howard Fine, and Elizabeth Kemp, Chelsea commenced a Masters of Fine Arts (Theatre) at UCLA’s School of Film, Theatre, and Television with the support of the DJSF in 2016.
Ashley Carter
Dame Joan Sutherland FundNorthwestern UniversityResearch Interest: Masters in MusicAshley Carter was born in Mt Isa in central Queensland, Australia, and began playing the Trombone at age 12. Learning from his Grandfather, after only playing for 3 years, Ashley was awarded his Associate Diploma in Music (A.mus.A) at the age of 15 from the Australian Music Examination Board (AMEB). After graduating from Shalom Catholic College in Bundaberg he moved to Brisbane to study a Bachelor of Music Performance and Graduate Diploma of Music Studies with Benjamin Marks (ELISION) and Jason Redman (Principal Trombone, Queensland Symphony Orchestra) at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, Griffith University. In 2012 Ashley moved to Melbourne, Australia, to commence his first year at The Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) under the instruction of Michael Bertoncello, Trombone player of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Ashley has been involved in a number of youth ensembles including the Queensland Youth Orchestra, Australian International Symphony Orchestra Institute, Tasmania Discovery Orchestra and the Australian Youth Orchestras. Ashley has performed with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Singapore Symphony Orchestra and the New South Wales Police Band.
Carly Grace
Dame Joan Sutherland FundSeattle, WAResearch Interest: Visual Thinking Strategies Advanced PracticumCarly Grace is an artist and visual arts educator based in Melbourne, Australia. She specialises in interpretation education and has an extensive experience in designing and delivering diverse education and public programs within museums, community arts and diverse educational settings. She is currently the Education Manager at Heide Museum of Modern Art where she specialises in training educators in Visual Thinking Strategies. Carly’s formal qualifications include a Master in Cultural Heritage Deakin University, Diploma of Education (Secondary, Visual Art) and a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Hons) from Monash University. Her philosophy for visual arts’ education is connecting people with the opportunities that art making and engagement in art culture can have in enriching their lives.
Ann Carew
Dame Joan Sutherland FundNew York International Music FestivalResearch Interest: MusicianAnn Carew is a young musician from Brisbane, Australia. She is currently studying a Bachelor of Music (Honours)/Bachelor of Science, at the University of Queensland. She is majoring in violin performance, and has recently travelled with them to New York to take part in the New York University Winter Strings Conference. On violin, she is a member of the Brisbane Regional Youth Orchestra, the Queensland Youth Symphony and the UQ Symphony Orchestra as well as playing in many chamber ensembles around Brisbane. The Dame Joan Sutherland Fund will support her upcoming tour to America with the Brisbane Regional Youth Orchestra, to take part in the 2017 New York International Music Festival held at Carnegie Hall.
Michael Grebla
Dame Joan Sutherland FundNew England ConservatoryResearch Interest: Masters in Music CompositionMichael is a composer from Perth Western Australia and has recently commence a Masters of Music at the New England Conservatory, Boston. Michael was awarded the 2016 General Sir John Monash Scholarship and received a merit based entry scholarship to NEC, which in addition to the DJSF grant support his studies in Boston. He studied a bachelor of Mechanical Engineering and Bachelor of Music Composition with First Class Honours at the University of Western Australia. During his time at UWA, Michael received the JM Wolff, Knight and WA Wagner Society’s Bayreuth music scholarships and was awarded the Bryant Stokes Matilda Award for Cultural Excellence by the University. Before leaving for Boston, Michael was the founder and director of “Music at St George’s College”, an extremely successful chamber music initiative based in Perth.Recipients 2015
Jason Wing
Dame Joan Sutherland FundResidency at International Studio & Curatorial Program, New YorkResearch Interest: Visual ArtistJason is a Sydney-based artist who strongly identifies with his Chinese and Aboriginal heritage. Calling into question our understanding of history and of our current socio-political reality, Wing repurposes everyday objects and imagery, creating works that are both visually confronting and deceptively simple. Jason holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Sydney College of the Arts, University of Sydney and a Bachelor of Graphic Design, Sydney Graphics College. He has exhibited nationally and internationally.
Isabelle Freeman
Dame Joan Sutherland FundMannes College, The New School for Music, New YorkResearch Interest: SopranoIsabelle is a soprano from Perth, currently studying at Mannes College in New York City. Isabelle completed a Bachelor of Music at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. During her first year at Mannes, Isabelle was accepted into the Young Artist opera program, performing scenes from Verdi’s Falstaff (Alice), and the roles of Ciesca and Alms Collector in a double bill of Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi & Suor Angelica. In 2014 Isabelle was an Emerging Young Artist with the West Australian Opera, and was the recipient of the Bendat Scholarship.
Bridget Balodis
Dame Joan Sutherland FundElevator Repair Service Theater, New YorkResearch Interest: DirectorBridget trained as a director at the Victorian College of the Arts, Australia. She is interested in new Australian writing and is co-director of experimental theatre company NO SHOW. In 2014 she was part of the MTC’s Women Directors Program. She has presented work with Next Wave Festival, La Mama and NORPA and been assistant director on work at the Malthouse, STC and with Bell Shakespeare.
Morgan Balfour
Dame Joan Sutherland FundElevator Repair Service Theater, New YorkResearch Interest: SingerMorgan graduated from the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, with a Bachelor of Music in Advanced Performance, Classical Voice. Roles performed include Pamina in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Frasquita in Bizet’s Carmen, Susanna in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, Nella in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, and Sandrina from selections of Mozart’s La finta giardiniera. Her concert experience comprises of the soprano soloist in Handel’s Messiah, Soprano I in Bach’s Magnificat, and Britten’s War Requiem.
Elizabeth Nowell
Dame Joan Sutherland FundBrooklyn Museum, New YorkResearch Interest: Curator & WriterLiz is an independent curator, writer and project manager. She has worked for a diverse range of arts organizations including Country Arts SA, College of Fine Arts and Hazelhurst Regional Gallery. Currently she lectures in Contemporary Curatorial Practice at Sydney College of the Arts and manages a number of artist studios. Last year she co-presented SafARI, a major fringe exhibition of the Biennale of Sydney.
Shanie Klas
Dame Joan Sutherland FundNorthwestern University, IllinoisResearch Interest: PercussionistEven before walking, Shanie would use kitchen utensils as sticks, and her brother's head as a drum. Shanie was destined to be a percussionist. Since then she has completed a Bachelor of Music on full scholarship from Monash University where she won the concerto competition in consecutive years. Other prizes include first place in the Australian Marimba Competition (2015), National semi-finalist in both the ABC Young Performer Award (2012) and the Australian Youth Classical Music Competition (2015, 2012). She has performed as soloist with the Adelaide Symphony and the Monash Academy Orchestras. Shanie has toured Europe as a member of the Australian Youth Orchestra, and regularly performs with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. She is currently studying a Masters of Music Performance at Northwestern University.
Petrina Hicks
Dame Joan Sutherland FundArtist Residency at Kala Art Institute, CaliforniaResearch Interest: Visual ArtistPetrina Hicks utilises the seductive and glossy language of commercial photography to create artworks that probe at the false promise of perfection, exploring photography's ability to both create and corrupt the process of seduction and consumption. Petrina has exhibited widely though solo and groups shows in Australia, Europe, USA and Asia. Her work was recently selected to be shown at; Volta NY 2015, 17th International Videobrasil, Brazil, Pingyao International Photography Festival, China and Art Platform, Los Angeles. Petrina's works belong to various national and international collections including: National Gallery of Australia, AGNSW, Queensland Art Gallery, Tweed River City Art Gallery, National Gallery of Victoria.
Soda_Jerk
Dame Joan Sutherland Fund Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Process, New YorkResearch Interest: Visual Artist|
Formed in Sydney, Australia in 2002, Soda_Jerk is a two-person art collective comprised of Dan and Dominique Angeloro. Working exclusively with sampled material, they create rogue histories and counter-mythologies in the form of video installations, cut-up texts, and live video essays. Recent exhibitions and performances have been held at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C.; Pioneer Works, NYC, Haus der Berliner Festspiele, Berlin; The Substation, Melbourne; Walter Phillips Gallery, Banff and the Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester. They have undertaken residencies at Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin (2010-11), Flux Factory, NYC (2012-13), International Studio and Curatorial Program, NYC (2013-14), the Foundation for Art and Creative Technology, Liverpool (2015) and are currently artists in residence at the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s Process Space on Governors Island.
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Sebastian Dunn
Dame Joan Sutherland FundNorthwestern University, IllinoisResearch Interest: MusicianGrowing up within a musical family in rural New South Wales, Sebastian was encouraged to pursue and perform on many instruments from a young age, including percussion, piano, guitar and French Horn. After school, Sebastian moved to Sydney to commence a Bachelor of Music degree in Performance on French horn at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, studying with Andrew Bain, now the current principal horn of the LA Philharmonic, and Ben Jacks, the current principal horn of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. In 2012 Sebastian received a full tuition scholarship to pursue a Professional Performance Program at the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) in Melbourne, which after completion saw him return to Sydney to work as a freelance musician. Sebastian enjoyed success as a young freelance horn player, performing in a variety of different orchestral contexts including a three-month season of the musical South Pacific, pop concerts with Michael Bolton, Roberta Flack, the Wiggles and the Cinematic Orchestra, as well as symphonic concerts with the Melbourne, Sydney, and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras and Opera Australia. Sebastian also performed in a season of the Ballet Manon at the Sydney Opera House and a successful national tour with the Australian Opera in The Magic Flute, before moving to Chicago in 2014 to pursue his Masters of Music Performance with Gail Williams at Northwestern University. Along with performing, teaching is one of Seb’s great passions and it is a long-term goal of his to move back home to share his international learning experience with the next generation of young Australian musicians.
Andrea Lim
Dame Joan Sutherland FundSeattle University, WashingtonResearch Interest: MusicianAndrea is currently pursuing a Masters of Fine Art in Arts Leadership at Seattle University, Washington. In 2014, she founded “The Chamber Project,” an arts organization with the mission to change the way classical music is presented in today’s society, to support emerging musicians, as well as to include a wider audience. That same year, Andrea was appointed Co-Artistic Director of “Chronology Arts” - a not-for-profit contemporary classical new music company which commissions new Australian works by emerging composers. She is a recent graduate from The Sydney Conservatorium of Music majoring in the violin under the tutelage of the Head of Strings Prof Goetz Richter and later Dr Marina Robinson. Andrea is an active performer and has been involved in Opera and Ballet orchestras as well as contemporary music. Besides performing, Andrea is also passionate about music teaching, street and portrait photography as well as having discussions about privilege, oppression and race.
Elise Routledge
Dame Joan Sutherland FundISCP, New YorkResearch Interest: Visual ArtistElise Routledge is a curator and writer based in Melbourne, Australia. She graduated from the University of New South Wales with a Bachelor of Art Theory and Master of Art Administration and has worked in curatorial, research and management roles with the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Shepparton Art Museum (SAM), Experimenta Media Arts, and the British Council Australia. Elise has independently curated exhibitions at Gertrude Contemporary and Firstdraft Gallery and contributed to Un Magazine, Runway, and numerous exhibition catalogues. She has received numerous awards and grants, including an Australia Council Skills and Arts Development grant, and support from the Ian Potter Cultural Fund, Gordon Darling Foundation and Dame Joan Sutherland Fund, American Australian Association to complete a curatorial residency at the International Studio and Curatorial Program, New York in 2016.
Mark Hilton
Dame Joan Sutherland FundISCP, New YorkResearch Interest: Visual ArtistMark Hilton has exhibited widely, including Darren Knight Gallery, Sydney; National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne; Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney; Australian Centre of Contemporary Art, Melbourne; Canberra Contemporary Art Spaces, Canberra; Galerie Petronas, Kuala Lumpur; The Ian Potter Museum of Art, Melbourne and Careof, Milano. He has undertaken several residencies, including at Viafarini Galerie, Milano, Gertrude Contemporary, Melbourne and CoLab Projects, Texas. In 2014 the Michael Buxton Collection published Dontworry, examining Hilton’s practice with a key focus on his sculptural work with essays by Dr Chris McAuliffe, Maria Tumarkin and Jarrod Rawlins.Recipients 2014
Paige Gardiner
Dame Joan Sutherland FundAtlantic Acting SchoolResearch Interest: ActorPaige studied Classical Piano at the Queensland Conservatorium, Music Theatre at VCA, and Acting at NIDA. She has performed in productions for STC, QTC, Griffin Theatre Company, Darlinghurst Theatre Company and Pantsguys Theatre Company. Paige has appeared in various television programs and is co-founder of sketch comedy collective I’m With Stupid.Therese Milanovic
Dame Joan Sutherland FundTaubman Approach to Strings and Piano, United StatesResearch Interest: Pianist
Jemila MacEwan
Dame Joan Sutherland FundResidency at Flux Factory, New YorkResearch Interest: Visual ArtistJemila MacEwan is a New York and Melbourne based interdisciplinary artist working with sculpture, performance, painting, photography, video and installation. She received her Masters Degree at the Victorian College of the Arts in Australia in 2012. Her work has been exhibited In Australia and the US, including the Governor's Island Art Fair in NYC and the Melbourne International Arts Festival.
Elise Bonato
Dame Joan Sutherland FundNew York Art Residency & Studios Foundation, New YorkResearch Interest: Multidisciplinary ArtistA multidisciplinary emerging artist, Elise is a maiden of the visual‐aural arcane. Her predominantly experimental and performance‐based practice aims to create an oeuvre of elegiac beauty through moving image, painting and drawing. Elise completed her Bachelor of Visual Arts in 2012 with First Class Honours from the University of South Australia. Recent exhibitions include Arcane Beckoning and covet.Jaden Hastings
Dame Joan Sutherland FundArtist‐in‐Residence at SymbioticA, University of Western AustraliaResearch Interest: Visual ArtistAn alumna of New York University, Harvard University, and the University of Oxford (New College) with advanced degrees in Biology and Bioinformatics, respectively, Jaden has recently completed her postgraduate studies in Fine Art (Art & Science) at Central Saint Martins in London. Her studio work combines scientific and artistic research into a single practice.
Zoe White
Dame Joan Sutherland FundThe Joffrey Academy of Dance Chicago, ChicagoResearch Interest: Ballet DancerZoe White is from Brisbane, Australia. She has been dancing since the age of three and at 16 was accepted into the ‘Professional Training Program’ with The Washington School of Ballet. Over the years Zoe has been accepted into and participated in numerous Ballet ‘Summer Schools’ including The School of American Ballet (NYC), American Ballet Theatre (NYC), and most recently The Joffrey Ballet Chicago (Chicago).
Alec Knight
Dame Joan Sutherland FundSchool of American Ballet, New YorkResearch Interest: Ballet dancerAlec, originally from Bundaberg, Queensland, started dancing at seven years of age, and went on to study Tap, Jazz, Ballet and Musical Theater. Following almost four years in residency at The Australian Ballet School’s Interstate/International Junior Program, Alec was accepted into The School of American Ballet in New York where is part of their full time program.
Devon Ward
Dame Joan Sutherland FundThe University of Western AustraliaResearch Interest: Visual ArtistDevon is an interdisciplinary artist investigating how information and biotechnologies intervene on living materials and processes. His work takes the form of multimedia installations, sculptures and printed books. Devon earned a Master of Biological Art from the University of Western Australia.Devon has exhibited in Japan, the US and Australia, most recently in Perth for the opening of his master’s exhibition “Nerves in Patterns on a Screen.”
Tarryn Gill
Dame Joan Sutherland FundInternational Studio and Curatorial Program, New YorkResearch Interest: Multidisciplinary artistTarryn Gill is a multidisciplinary Australian artist whose practice spans photography, film, performance, sculpture, drawing and theatre design. She has exhibited at museums such as Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, Akademie der Kunste, Berlin; 17th Biennale of Sydney; Centre Pompidou, Paris, Art Basel Miami and Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney.
Susan Gibb
Dame Joan Sutherland FundInternational Studio & Curatorial Program, New YorkResearch Interest: Arts CuratorSusan is an arts curator and writer based in Sydney, Australia. She recently ran the independent curatorial initiative Society, and has held curatorial positions at If I Can’t Dance, I Don’t Want To Be Part Of Your Revolution, Carriageworks and Campbelltown Arts Centre. She writes regularly for art publications including ArtAsiaPacific.
Natalie Dietz
Dame Joan Sutherland FundNew England Conservatory, BostonResearch Interest: Jazz VocalistSince graduating from the elite jazz vocal program at Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 2012 at age 25, Natalie has toured Australia and New Zealand performing at renowned jazz venues. In 2013 she recorded a debut EP with highly esteemed New York musicians Aaron Parks, Mike Moreno, Joshua Crumbly and Justin Brown to international critical acclaim. In 2014 she was one of 3 vocalists selected internationally into New England Conservatory’s prestigious jazz vocal master's program.
Natasha Fearnside
Dame Joan Sutherland FundPrivate Coaching with Mark Nuccio, New JerseyResearch Interest: ClarinetistBorn in Sydney, Natasha Fearnside completed her Bachelor of Music in Brisbane and her Graduate Diploma of Professional Music Practice in Hobart. Natasha has worked as a freelance clarinetist in Melbourne and taught and tutored at various schools and programs. After arriving in New York in 2014, Natasha quickly found a place in a number of small groups, chamber and orchestral ensembles. In 2014 she was an artist participant in the California Hidden Valley Music Seminar of Mark Nuccio (Associate Principal New York Philharmonic).
Gabriel Andrews
Dame Joan Sutherland FundUniversity of Wisconsin, MilwaukeeResearch Interest: Acoustic guitaristGabriel Andrews is an emerging Australian acoustic guitarist. In 2014 he won the Wilson Centre International Guitar Competition, opening for Canadian guitarist Jesse Cook in the evening showcase. He released his EP Pathways at the Blue Mountains Music Festival in 2013. After receiving a Chancellor’s Scholarship in 2013, he joined the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee and currently works as a tutor in The Bachelor of Music program while completing his Masters.Zachary Bradford
Dame Joan Sutherland FundNew York University, New YorkResearch Interest: VocalistZachary maintains a busy career as a vocal teacher and coach. As a professional vocalist, Zachary has a wealth of experience performing at festivals, clubs, corporate events and over 50 musical theater productions. He has performed on stage with finalists from Tv's ''The Voice", "Idol" & 'The X Factor".
Sarah Guilmartin
Dame Joan Sutherland FundThe New School for Music, New YorkResearch Interest: Opera SingerSarah completed a Postgraduate Diploma of Music Performance at West Australian Academy of Performing Arts CNAAPA) under the tutelage of Patricia Price. Her studies continued through the West Australian Opera Young Artist Program where she made her debut role as First Lady in The Magic Flute. She has performed a number of roles in Opera, Operetta and has appeared in concert throughout Australia and Ireland.Jesse Rasmussen
Dame Joan Sutherland FundYale School of Drama, ConnecticutResearch Interest: DirectorJesse is a founding member of 'junkyard opera' company 4Larks. Works include: Orpheus, (Getty Villa Theater Lab, LA, 2014), The Plague Dances (Company in Residence, Malthouse, 2012), Undine (2011 ), Peer Gynt (2010), and Alice (2009). Jesse devises theatre with tertiary and high school students (Artists in Schools grant, 2014).Lara Baker Finch
Dame Joan Sutherland FundSan Francisco Academy Orchestra, San FranciscoResearch Interest: ViolinistLara studied at the Queensland Conservatorium under Michele Walsh and Graeme Jennings. She received her Bachelor of Music with first class Honours in 2012 and Master of Music studies in 2014. Her passion is for orchestral music, and she has performed with the Sydney Symphony Sinfonia, Queensland Syrrphony Orchestra, and the Australian Youth Orchestra.
Emma Lindsay
Dame Joan Sutherland FundResidency at Point B Worklodge, New YorkResearch Interest: Visual ArtistEmma Lindsay is a Brisbane based emerging artist interested in the depiction of species endangerment and extinction. Lindsay's work to date has focused on the representation of Australian ornithological specimens held exclusively in museum collections across the world. Her work is represented in national and international private and institutional collections. Lindsay graduated from the Queensland College with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with First Class Honours.
Cassandra Tytler
Dame Joan Sutherland FundNew York Art Residency and Studios Foundation, New YorkResearch Interest: Visual Installation ArtistCassandra Tytler is an artist working within single-channel video, performance, and installation. She is particularly fascinated by the symbolism of popular clichés, and within her work pastiches isolated and fragmented cultural conventions, and shapes them into revealing stories or situations. Tytler has exhibited and screened work nationally and internationally, and has done live performance around Europe and in Melbourne.
Bonnie Lane
Dame Joan Sutherland FundNew York University, New YorkResearch Interest: Video Installation ArtistBonnie is a video installation artist born in Melbourne. Her works have been exhibited internationally including solo exhibitions at Anna Pappas Gallery, Linden Centre for Contemporary Arts, and BUS Projects in Melbourne and Art Currents Institute in New York City. She has participated in artist-in-residence programs in Norway, Portugal, South Korea and the USA.
Caitlin Cassidy
Dame Joan Sutherland FundMannes College of Music, New YorkResearch Interest: Opera SingerCaitlin Cassidy is a mezzo-soprano in the Young Artist Program at the West Australian Opera (WAO) and an exciting newcomer to the operatic stage. Caitlin made her principal debut with WAO last year as Countess Ceprano in Rigoletto and was delighted to re-join the company for the 2014 production of the Magic Flute as the Third Lady. She is a graduate from the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) where she completed a Bachelor of Music, a Graduate Diploma and a Master of Creative Arts.
Adam Markowitz
Dame Joan Sutherland FundCenter for Furniture Craftsmanship, MaineResearch Interest: Furniture DesignerHolding graduate degrees in both Architecture and Furniture Design, from schools of design and craft in Melbourne, Hobart, The Netherlands and Denmark, Adam brings a multifaceted, interdisciplinary approach to furniture design and craft. His work values the intimate connection between design and fabrication, and the intersection of modern digital processes and traditional methods of craftsmanship.
Sarah Jackson
Dame Joan Sutherland FundThe Second City Training Centre, ChicagoResearch Interest: Actor & ComedianSarah is an actor and comedian from Melbourne. Stage credits include original Musical Comedy 'Suitcases, Baggage & other Synonyms' (2013 Melbourne International Comedy Festival sell-out season) and 'Tell Me About Yourself' (2013 Melbourne Fringe Festival, 2014 Adelaide Fringe Festival). Sarah is a finalist in Australia's largest open-mic competition, RAW Comedy.Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts
Dame Joan Sutherland FundInaugural International Art Song Festival with master teachers Graham Johnson and Deborah BirnbaumResearch Interest: Visual ArtistFrom 13-20 July 2014 the WAAPA hosted the first event of its kind in Australia, a dedicated art song festival that brings together world-class international performers and teachers with Australian/Asia-Pacific singers and pianists. Master teachers Deborah Birnbaum and Dr Graham Johnson led a week of master classes on the songs of Franz Schubert.
Madison Bycroft
Dame Joan Sutherland FundInternational Studio and Curatorial Program, New YorkResearch Interest: Visual ArtistMadison completed a Bachelor of Visual Arts with first class honours at the University of South Australia. She has exhibited in group and solo shows throughout Australia and recently in Canada, in public, commercial and artist run galleries, as well experimenting with non-traditional sites. She has a multi media practice, including video, sculpture and performance.
Laura Sheedy
Dame Joan Sutherland FundAnne Bogart and SITI Company on their new project Steel Hammer, New YorkResearch Interest: Performer & DirectorLaura Sheedy is a performer and director. She has directed work for Edinburgh Fringe, Melbourne Fringe, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Adelaide Fringe, The World Theatre Festival and La Trobe and Princeton Universities. Most recently, Laura directed Charles Mee Jr’s Big Love and created a new work, By The Time You Get This, for The Princeton University Sound Kitchen with her company, Nothing To See Here.Kristin McIver
Dame Joan Sutherland FundResidency in New York City at Residency Unlimited, New YorkResearch Interest: Visual ArtistKristin is an Australian visual artist whose practice includes sculpture, painting and installation. Utilizing devices such as text and neon, her works explore the themes of desire and aspiration prevalent in our hyper-consumer culture.
Kathryn Radcliffe
Dame Joan Sutherland FundHawaii Performing Arts Festival Opera Summer School, HawaiiResearch Interest: Opera SingerKathryn completed an Honors year of her Bachelor of Music Performance in 2009 at the Victorian College of the Arts and Music with first class Honors. She has since performed as a solo artist and chorus member for Opera Australia and in various productions as a freelance artist.
Chuck Hudson
Dame Joan Sutherland FundMelbourne Conservatorium of Music, MelbourneResearch Interest: Director (Opera, Theater & Musical)Based in New York City, Chuck has directed opera productions at major international companies and has directed award winning theater productions in New York and regionally, including The Pearl Theatre,, The Children’s Theatre Festival of Houston, New City Theatre, and Chicago’s Fox Valley Shakespeare Festival.
Aristea Mellos
Dame Joan Sutherland FundEastman School of Music, The University of Rochester, New YorkResearch Interest: ComposerAristea Mellos is an Australian composer and doctoral candidate at the Eastman School of Music. Her compositions are regularly performed throughout Australia, Canada, the United States, and Europe in venues such as Spectrum New Music (Manhattan), The Orpheum (Vancouver), Kilbourn Hall (Rochester), and the Megaron Performing Arts Centre (Athens).
Amber Boardman
Dame Joan Sutherland FundWilliam Street Live/Work Residency, SydneyResearch Interest: Visual ArtistAmber has worked with composers and performers on a series of "Visual Concerts" and immersive public art installations. Her work was included in Brooklyn Academy of Music's Next Wave Art Festival, Flux Projects public art festival and "The Wagner Experience" in Germany and the Netherlands.