In A League Of Their Own

In the last 12 months, the “Con” has welcomed not only incredible teachers, but internationally acclaimed ones.

Most students will agree that the teaching staff here at Griffith Uni are second-to-none, but as a student of the Queensland Conservatorium, I can assure you the we rarely stop talking about how lucky we are to have the teachers that we do.

After 5 years as the Artistic Director at the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM), Paul Dean joined the Con earlier this year as the Head of Winds and Senior Lecturer in Clarinet.

After graduating from the very same institution that he now teaches in, Paul went on to become Principal Clarinet with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, as well as becoming a renowned soloist and chamber musician across Australia and overseas. His experience in the music industry is a huge asset to the Conservatorium and its students.

Paul’s own clarinet students are usually the first in line to see him perform, and the first to testify to his skills both as a remarkable performer and educator.

Meta Weiss was welcomed into the fold at the Con in late 2015 as Senior Lecturer in Cello.

From an early age, the San Francisco native quickly established herself as one of the leading cellists of her generation, completing Music degrees at both Rice University and The Juilliard School.

Over the course of her career she has won various awards and prizes, and is well-known for her work with DuoW the Weiss-Requiro Duo, and cello-rock group Break of Reality.

As well as teaching, Meta performs in various concerts with other members of staff in small (chamber) groups, and brings her experiences into the classroom as she educates students in the study and practice of chamber music.

The new Head of Opera, Nicholas Cleobury, was welcomed to the Con in 2016. The English conductor has been active all over the globe, conducting major orchestras in Europe, the USA, Hong Kong, Scandinavia, Singapore, as well as major opera companies in Chicago, Zurich, Stockholm, and the UK. He has also been active in promoting contemporary music and working with various university music departments and youth music groups.

Needless to say, the opera department is glad to have him here in Brisbane. Students are particularly excited to work with Nicholas in the Con’s upcoming productions of Mozart’s The Magic Flute and Britten’s Albert Herring. Knowing Nicholas’ track record, there’s no doubt that audiences will be blown away.

When looking for people to educate their students, the Queensland Conservatorium excels at finding people who are not only great teachers, but great performers and musicians of the highest international standards. However, great teachers like these are not limited to the Con.

Griffith University employs some of the world’s best and brightest to educate its students and with people like Paul, Meta and Nicholas out there at our campuses, students should know that we have, in my opinion, got it pretty good!

Please visit www.conevents.com.au for information about upcoming concerts

By Phillip Soalheira, is  a student, musician and student blogger for the Griffith Social Media team from the Queensland Conservatorium in Brisbane.