Edwin Diefes – tuba
Ed arrived in Australia with his family in 2010 to join what is now the Opera Australia Orchestra, a position he still holds. He is in demand as a musician and has performed with some of Australia’s leading musical institutions including the Sydney Symphony, The West Australian Symphony, the Australian Chamber Orchestra and the NSW Police Band.
Prior to moving to Australia, he was Principal Tuba with the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra in Syracuse, NY. Ed has also performed and toured both nationally and internationally with many notable American orchestras, including the New World Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, The Baltimore Symphony, The Pittsburgh Symphony, and the Detroit Symphony.
In 2003 he premiered and recorded the Tuba Concerto of Meyer Kupferman with the Czech National Symphony. He can be heard on recordings with the Sydney Symphony, Syracuse Symphony, New World Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra and on major motion picture soundtracks. He attended The Juilliard School, is a graduate of The Curtis Institute of Music and is a former fellow of The New World Symphony.
Gregory Kinda – piano
Gregory Andrew Kinda was born in Katowice, Poland. In 1983, his family immigrated to Australia. In 1984, at the age of 6, he became the youngest scholar to enter the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in the preparatory department. In 1986 he moved to Papua-New Guinea, and in 1990 he returned to Poland. He studied at the Katowice Secondary Music School. In 1999, at the Academy of Music in Katowice, Gregory completed his Master of Arts degree in an accelerated three years instead of the usual five. He also studied post-graduate courses in Oslo, Norway and Gdansk, Poland. He returned back to Sydney in 2000. In 2003, he completed his Bachelor of Teaching degree at the University of Western Sydney. From 2001 to 2006 Gregory was a piano lecturer at the Australian International Conservatorium of Music in Sydney. From 2008 till 2010 he worked as a teacher at the Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Conservatorium of Music. Since 2010, he works as an Associate Artist at Trinity Grammar School in Summer Hill, NSW.
Gregory has performed in Australia, China, Poland, Norway, Germany, Russia, France, Czech Republic and Japan. He was the star performer in March 2010 at the City Recital Hall, Angel Place in Sydney, during the official NSW state celebrations for the 200th anniversary of Frédéric Chopin, where he played in the presence of the Polish Ambassador and the Governor of NSW Professor Marie Bashir AC.
His prizes at international competitions have included:
3rd Prize in the F. Chopin Competition in Szafarnia, Poland 1993.
Artistic Scholarship from the F. Chopin Foundation in Warsaw, 1994.
3rd Prize in the M. Magin Competition in Paris, 1995.
2nd Prize in the National Competition in Zagan, Poland 1996.
Edward Walton – violin
Edward, born in 2006, began the violin at the age of 3 and studies with Dr Robin Wilson, Head of Violin at the Australian National Academy of Music in Melbourne. Already a seasoned performer, Edward has appeared as a soloist with numerous orchestras in Australia and overseas including performances of the Khachaturian Violin Concerto with the Western Bohemian Symphony Orchestra in the Czech Republic, Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with Corpus Medicorum and Bendigo Symphony Orchestras, Bruch Violin Concerto with the Eastern Sydney Chamber Orchestra and Maroondah Symphony Orchestra, Saint-Saens Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso with the Percy Grainger Youth Orchestra and Vivaldi’s Concerto for Four Violins with the Whitehorse Orchestra in Melbourne. In 2019 performances include the Tchaikovsky violin concerto with the Bendigo Symphony in Australia and invitations to perform as soloist with orchestra in the Czech Republic, Italy, USA and a recital as the featured Young Artist at the Music in The Round Festival in Melbourne.
In 2019 Edward won 1st Grand Prix at the Jeunes Artistes musicals du centre under 19 competition in France and First Prize in the International London Grand Prize Virtuoso Competition culminating in an invitation to perform at the Royal Albert Hall. At the 2019 Medallion International Concerto Competition in Atlanta, USA, he was awarded first prize. In 2018 he was awarded the top prizes at the 9th International Young Musicians Competition in Legnago, Italy, including the Premio Magnani Young Prize, the Premio Virtuosite prize and was the joint winner of the Premio Salieri Young prize. He was also awarded the Hans Reiner Storz Memorial Award at the 2018 Melbourne International Violin Competition, where the other finalists were more than twice his age. He has performed in recitals and as a soloist in Italy, Switzerland, Czech Republic and Germany and regularly attends the Zakhar Bron Academy at Interlaken in Switzerland.
Previously, he was the recipient of the Victor Cromack and Melba Alma Harris Cromack Memorial Scholarship in the pre-college program at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. He is also a keen chamber musician, performing regularly as a member of the Eureka String Quartet, and was selected for the 2017 and 2018 Australian Chamber Orchestra Academy.
Bridget Bolliger – flute
Australian-Swiss flautist Bridget Bolliger was born in Sydney, where she distinguished herself early, studying under Jenny Andrews, Jane Rutter and Vernon Hill and performing the Ibert Flute Concerto with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra at the age of 15.
At 18 Ms Bolliger travelled to Switzerland to study with Peter-Lukas Graf at the Basel Music Academy. For four consecutive years she was awarded the coveted Study Grant of the Migros/Ernst-Göhner Stiftung, while also winning the UBS Flute Competition in Zürich, the Kiefer Hablitzel Award in Bern and a prize at the Swiss Woodwind Competition in St Gallen. She attended masterclasses with Alain Marion, Jean-Pierre Rampal and William Bennett, and played Principal Flute with the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra under Claudio Abbado and Vaclav Neumann, the Schleswig Holstein Festival Orchestra under Christoph Eschenbach and the European Community Youth Chamber Orchestra under James Judd.
After graduating with the prestigious Soloistʼs Diploma, Ms Bolliger was appointed Principal Flute with the St Gallen Symphony Orchestra. She also appeared as Guest Principal Flute with the Basel Symphony Orchestra, Zürich Opera Orchestra and Zürich Chamber Orchestra, under conductors such as Nello Santi, Horst Stein, Franz Welser-Möst and Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos.
Ms Bolliger spent three years in Brazil as Principal Flute of the Sinfonica de São Paulo, before returning to Australia where she has played with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, The Queensland Orchestra, Australian Chamber Orchestra and the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, under conductors including Vladimir Ashkenazy and Patrick Summers.
Bridget Bolliger has appeared as concerto soloist with the St Gallen Symphony Orchestra, Basel Symphony Orchestra, Basel Radio Orchestra, Collegium Musicum Basel, Gruppo Concertistico della Svizzera Italiana (Lugano), Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar al Teatro Massimo (Palermo), Orquestra Sinfonica do Norte (Porto, Portugal) and the Sinfonica de São Paulo. She has performed the Mozart Flute and Harp Concerto with harpists Elena Zaniboni, Marielle Nordmann and Sarah O’Brien.
As a chamber musician, Ms Bolliger has appeared at the Ainey International Music Festival in Burgundy, the Curitiba International Music Festival in Brazil, the Huntington Estate Music Festival in New South Wales and the Australian Festival of Chamber Music in Queensland. She has collaborated with many distinguished Australian and British musicians, and with members of the Chicago and Montreal Symphony Orchestras.
Ms Bolliger is founder of the New Sydney Wind Quintet, which has become one of Australia’s leading chamber ensembles, releasing two CDs, commissioning a work from Ross Edwards and giving numerous world premieres. Ms Bolliger is also founder and Artistic Director of the annual Sydney Chamber Music Festival.
As a flute teacher and chamber music coach, Bridget Bolliger has tutored and given masterclasses in Switzerland, Brazil and Australia. She has taught at the Jugend Musik Schule (Rorschach) and was assistant to Michel Debost at the Oficina de Música de Curitiba. She has taught at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, the University of New South Wales and the Sydney Conservatorium High School, and given masterclasses for the New England Conservatorium of Music, the Sydney Flute Society and the Australian Flute Festival.
Bridget Bolliger is a Powell Artist, playing on a handmade, 14-carat gold Verne Q. Powell flute.
“Once again flautist Bridget Bolliger played her way into the hearts of music-lovers.”
Zürcher Zeitung
“Bridget Bolliger enchanted the public at the Cathedral of San Lorenzo, distinguishing herself with interpretative grace and delicious virtuosity.”
Rivista di Lugano
“Flautist Bridget Bolliger’s graceful, virtuosic and beautifully-sounding playing was especially admirable.”
Berner Zeitung
“Bridget Bolliger’s playing is rich with light and colour. She delivered the challenging music with warmth and fresh originality.”
Corriere del Ticino
“Bridget Bolliger made a lasting impression with her delicate power. The Andante’s endless melody hovered over the strings like priceless crystal.”
Zürcher Zeitung
“This is a beautiful performance, where flautist Bridget Bolliger especially gets to show off her impressionistic styling.”
Music Web International
Rachel Tolmie – cor anglais
Rachel started playing the oboe at ten years of age and the cor anglais at twelve. In primary school she played in the Sydney North Youth Orchestra and on entering the Conservatorium High School, she became a member of the Conservatorium High School Orchestra and the Sydney Youth Orchestra. During her undergraduate years at the Sydney Conservatorium and for many years afterwards, Rachel was the Principal Oboist of the East-West Philharmonic Orchestra.
On successful completion of her Fellowship in Music Diploma, awarded by the AMEB, Rachel travelled to England and completed with Distinction, a Post-Graduate Diploma at the Royal College of Music, London, specializing in Solo and Chamber Music Performance.
On her return to Sydney, Rachel started recording her first CD with the brilliant pianist John Martin. John and Rachel continue to perform regularly together and have released four CD’s.
In 2006, Rachel wrote a book titled An Introduction to the Cor anglais and Oboe which is published by Wirripang Publications.
In 2008, Rachel recorded a solo album with the Bourbaki Ensemble, conducted by David Angell. This album featured Andrew del Riccio on trumpet in Quiet City by Aaron Copland. Rachel’s latest CD “Bushfire” with the Concertante Ensemble was released In 2011 .
Rachel has appeared as soloist with the East-West Philharmonic Orchestra, Central Coast Symphony Orchestra, Concertante Ensemble, Con Spirito, Bourbaki Ensemble and Balmain Sinfonia.
In December 2011 Rachel graduated with a Master of Music degree from Sydney University.
Mosman Symphony Orchestra 