Woodwind

Woodwind Teachers

Suzanne Cowan (flute), Anthony Grimm (bassoon), Nigel Edwards (clarinet / saxophone), Ralph Wilkinson (saxophone), Danielle O'Keefe (saxophone / clarinet), Rhiannon Sharp (saxophone / clarinet), Lucie Benz (flute), also Athol Holdernesse and Jeremy Rose (jazz saxophone)

Nigel Edwards - Woodwind Co-ordinator (oboe, clarinet, saxophone & bassoon)

Nigel Edwards is a Graduate of the Royal Northern College of Music (Manchester) and Licentiate of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He has performed with the Manchester Camerata, B.B.C. Northern Symphony and Scottish Ballet Orchestras as a bassoonist.

Nigel has taught at Wollongong Conservatorium of Music for over 15 years and in addition to his responsibilities as Head of Woodwind, he is the conductor of the BlueScope Steel Youth Orchestra.

Athol Holdernesse - saxophone, flute, clarinet

B.A. (Music), Grad.Dip.Ed. (Music)

Athol studied arranging and composition with Eric Bryce AM, and saxophone performance with Hal Hall, Schmoe, Ted Nettlebeck and Barry Dugan at the Elder Conservatorium. As well as studying an Associate Diploma in Performance Art Jazz under the tutelage of the Elder conservatorium Jazz Fraternity, Athol holds an undergraduate Music Degree and a postgraduate teaching qualifications from the University of New England.

Athol has performed and recorded in the jazz orchestra’s of Tommy Tycho and Bobby Limb, The Sydney Sound Big Band, The Gaiety Reunion Big Band, The Ralph Pyle Big Band, The Shawnuff Big band , The Blue Parrot Orchestra and many more. He has toured and performed extensively in Europe, Nth America, the Caribbean and Oceania as a multi-woodwind instrumentalist.

Rhiannon Sharp - clarinet & saxophone

Rhiannon holds a Bachelor of Music/Bachelor of Education from UNSW. She has been teaching clarinet and saxophone since 1999, conducted the Loftus Primary School Band in 2004, and the Stage Band and Orchestra at St Mary Star of the Sea College from 2005-2007 where she was also teaching classroom music.

She is currently responsible for the Music department at Woonona High School where she teaches full time music from year 7-11. She also directs the band and vocal group. Past students of Rhiannon’s have gone on to study music and music education at university, as well as receiving Band 6 results in HSC music.

Rhiannon has toured interstate with the Southern Schools Performing Ensemble and BHP Youth Orchestra and played clarinet and bass clarinet with the UNSW Orchestra for four years.

Ralph Wilkinson -clarinet & saxophone

Ralph Wilkinson is an experienced teacher who holds a Diploma in Music Education from the New South Wales Conservatorium of Music. He has extensive experience as a high school music teacher and is a member of the NSW Teachers Federation.

Ralph has taught at the Conservatorium for over 25 years and is also employed as a senior teacher at a local high school.