New England Conservatorium of Music (NECOM) students are tickling the ivories for the first time in its 15-year history.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Talented pianist and experienced teacher Dr Brieley Cutting has joined NECOM to teach New England youth.
“This is the first time we’ve offered piano as an area of study,” NECOM head Russell Bauer said, “and, of course, with your first teacher, you want someone recognised in their field.
“Dr. Cutting certainly is. She’s an outstanding performer; she’s already got experience as a piano teacher, so she will add another dimension to what is already an outstanding conservatorium.”
READ ALSO:
- Violin lessons from NECOM for Northern Territory student
- NECOM students to appear in Opera Australia’s production of Madama Butterfly
- New England Conservatorium of Music receives funding for a two-day composition conference
- 34th Armidale Eisteddfod showcases young locals’ musical skill
- Richard Gill conducts workshops at NECOM
“I want my students to learn an appreciation for all the styles of music,” Dr Cutting said.
“I want to create a thriving piano department of students really interested in what they're doing; reaching where they would like to reach as far as playing the piano; and exploring repertoire all the way through from before Baroque to modern techniques.”
Dr Cutting grew up on a farm near Lismore, but her musical career has taken her from regional NSW to Britain and continental Europe.
She is a doctoral graduate in Musical Arts from Griffith University, Churchill Fellow; an alumnus of the Australian National Academy of Music (Melbourne); and a graduate with distinction from the Royal College of Music (London).
She won the keyboard section of the ABC Young Performers Award, and received a Creative Sparks Award for her concert series DeClassified Music.
As a concerto soloist, she has performed with the Melbourne, Adelaide and Queensland Symphony Orchestras, and is regularly broadcast by ABC Classic FM.
Most recently, she performed with the Australia Piano Quartet in Sydney, and toured with indie classical quintet Topology. She has also performed at the International Festival Musici Artis in Brussels, and at the Salzburg Festival.
She has released a few CDs, including a transcription of Mahler's Symphony No. 2 "Resurrection", arranged for four pianists.
She will be sharing her love of music – particularly Russian composers like Shostakovich and Prokofiev – with her students, and nurturing their talents.
“I like classical performance to melt into who they are as people, because it is a difficult art form,” she said. “It really helps you to understand who you are as a person, what you’re capable of, what you might excel at naturally, what you need to work on – and obviously play beautiful music!”