Internationally renowned Australian violinist and Bach Akademie Australia artistic director Madeleine Easton will take WollCon students through a masterclass ahead of The Art of Violin concert. Photo: Keith Saunders.
When Madeleine Easton steps into the hallowed halls of Wollongong Conservatorium of Music later this month, she won’t just be preparing for a concert — she’ll be sparking the imaginations of the region’s next generation of musical virtuosos.
The internationally renowned Australian violinist and Bach Akademie Australia artistic director will lead a special masterclass for WollCon’s gifted students ahead of the ensemble’s performance of The Art of Violin at the conservatorium.
For Easton, the opportunity to work with young musicians is more than a warmup to the concert — it’s a calling.
“I adore educational work,” she said. “I love working with young students, seeing the excitement in their eyes as they discover the music. If I can bring them some joy through music, I’ll be the happiest woman on the planet.”
WollCon CEO Annette Brown said the masterclasses had the potential to have a profound impact on WollCon students.
“It allows them to dream bigger, and gives them an opportunity that’s not normally available unless they travel at great expense to metro areas,” she said.
“I often say I don’t care if you perform, but I do care if you haven’t had the opportunity.
“This is such a gift.”
The Wollongong workshop will be interactive, with students exploring technique and musicality across a wide range of solo violin repertoire. Easton also plans to open a window into history, introducing them to the Baroque period and the instruments of the era.
“I’m really looking forward to highlighting the real difference not only between styles of music but also instruments used at that time as opposed to the ones they’ll bring to the masterclass,” she said.
“Hopefully by showing them what old instruments looked and sounded like, it will give enormous insight into how to transfer that sound onto modern instruments.”
Her passion for regional education runs deep. Having previously run masterclasses in Orange, Gosford and the Central Coast, she believes it is vital that students outside metropolitan centres have the same opportunities as their city peers.
“Our big metro centres benefit most from international artists and these kinds of enriching experiences, and it’s important that quality music and education reach every corner of this state of ours,” she said. “If we don’t do that — who are we missing out on? Which incredible undiscovered musician might not have that ‘eureka’ moment?”.
Recent research by Southern Cross University found that students in regional areas were less likely to access quality music education than their urban counterparts. Further research by the university noted that youth orchestra participation in rural areas, particularly when led by professional orchestras, can inspire musical ambitions and help address regional music inequalities.
The Wollongong appearance is significant on another front: it will be the first time Bach Akademie Australia performs in the Illawarra, and it marks the beginning of what Easton hopes will be a long-term partnership with the conservatorium.
The concert itself will be a sweeping tribute to the violin, a retrospective of the Baroque era, when the instrument rose to prominence in Europe. Alongside Easton, the program will feature fellow violinists Simone Slattery — lauded as “infinitely expressive” by The Advertiser — and Rafael Font, a renowned Baroque performer who has graced some of the world’s greatest concert halls.
Together, the trio will journey through five works by the masters who elevated the violin: Vivaldi, Leclair, Handel, Telemann and Bach.
Easton conceived the program as both a celebration and a showcase of the instrument’s versatility.
“The word ‘violin’ has become synonymous with classical music,” she said.
“Its rise was fueled by the masterful craftsmanship of makers like Stradivarius, which elevated it above other instruments and led to more concertos being written for it than for any other.
“In this program, we present five works written for the violin by five titans of the Baroque period from three different countries … It’s significant but also super fun, and anyone who comes will get a serious dose of virtuosity.”
Observers are invited to view Easton with the WollCon students during the masterclass on Saturday 13 September — book via Humanitix.
The Art of Violin takes place at Wollongong Conservatorium on Saturday 27 September — book via Humanitix.
