Louise began her musical studies on the piano at the age of 5, the fifth of five siblings to do so. It was only when her family returned from a year in China in 1991 that she discovered the school music teacher had signed her up for the violin. At the age of 10 she began studying privately under Jane Rogers, until 1998 when she attained her AMusA under Deanne Silver. In 1999 she moved to Hong Kong with her family, and there became a member of the Hong Kong Youth Symphony, attained her ATCL on the violin and her CMusA on the piano.

After a year at the Conservatorium, Louise moved to UQ to undertake a Music/Arts dual bachelor degree. During her degree Louise was the recipient of the 2003 Sleath Performance Prize and in her fourth year was the Concertmaster of the UQ Symphony Orchestra when she performed the Bach Double Violin Concerto with her teacher Spiros Rantos in the Queensland Performing Arts Centre with the UQSO.
Her quartet, toured twice to Kuala Lumpur, in 2004 and 2005, to give fundraising concerts for Malaysian charities on behalf of the University of Queensland through their association with the HELP Institute. The year of their second tour they were awarded the 4MBS Sid Page Memorial Prize for Chamber Group at UQ.

Louise gained her Licentiate of Music in violin performance in November 2004, receiving an Award with Distinction. Completing her degree in 2005 with First Class Honours in music, Louise received a Dean’s commendation each semester for academic excellence in her combined degree. Louise completed the Chinese Language component of her arts degree in Shanghai in 2005-6, whilst continuing her violin studies at the Shanghai Conservatory under Prof. Burkhard Godhoff. In 2008 Louise was the Co-Concertmaster of the Queensland Youth Symphony which toured Europe this year to great acclaim. Louise also toured with the QYS in 2001 to Tasmania and 2004 to Europe, as well as with the Australian Youth Orchestra last year on their 7th International Tour. Louise plays casually in the Queensland Orchestra, and hopes to form her own chamber orchestra one day.

Alex Jamieson Bmus(HonsIIa), Lmus, Amus(Dist)

Cello

Jonathan Ng Violin

Jonathan Ng began violin at the age of eight and piano at the age of twelve. He was awarded an AMusA with distinction, violin in 2000 studying with Spiros Rantos and an LMusA, piano in 2001 with Kevin Power. Since graduating from the University of Queensland in 2004 with a Bachelor of Pharmacy and registering in 2005, he has been working full-time as a pharmacist whilst continuing to develop his passion for music.

Jonathan has toured extensively across Australia and internationally to Europe and South Korea as a member of the Queensland Youth Symphony (QYS) and the Australian Youth Orchestra (AYO). He was concertmaster of QYS in 2006 and appeared as violin soloist with the orchestra in 2003. Jonathan was concertmaster of the QYO Chamber Orchestra in 2004 and in 2006 was concertmaster and piano/violin soloist performing Graeme Koehne’s Capriccio for Piano and Strings and Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending. Jonathan has also performed with the Bangalow Festival Chamber Orchestra, BONYI Southern Cross Soloists Chamber Orchestra, Aurora Chamber Orchestra (concertmaster), University of Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Gold Coast Symphony Orchestra and in session orchestras for film score recordings.

Jonathan has a love for chamber music and has been a member of numerous chamber ensembles over the years. As a member of Corda Vuota string quartet, he was awarded the Sid Paige Memorial Prize in chamber music in 2001. He was Artistic Co-ordinator of the Chamber Music in the Old Museum series in 2004-2006 and was Director and first violinist of the Energy Quartet who featured in this series. Jonathan also has a passion for new music and in 2002-2005, he was the pianist and violinist of the new music ensemble MERCURY collaborating with numerous Australian composers such as Paul Stanhope, Gerard Brophy, Peter Rankine and Andrew Ford. Jonathan is also in demand as an accompanist playing with instrumental and vocal musicians for Symphony Australia’s Young Performer Awards, University of Queensland and Queensland Conservatorium recitals, eisteddfods and AMEB examinations.

Since cutting back to a part time position at the pharmacy in 2008, Jonathan has focussed on furthering a career in music. After appearing as violin soloist with The Cat Empire in September 2007, Jonathan was chosen to tour nationally with the band in 2008 as first violinist in their string quartet. He also performed with the band at the East Coast Blues and Roots Festival in Byron Bay appearing on Channel Ten’s Video Hits in an acoustic recording of Fishies as part of the festival. In March 2008, Jonathan performed a recital in the Restrung Festival at the Brisbane Powerhouse playing violin, piano and violin with his own pre-recorded piano accompaniment works by John Adams, Frederic Rzewski, Philip Glass and Arvo Pärt.

This year Jonathan will be performing as a member of Camerata of St John’s (violin) and Collusion (piano). He will be touring with Camerata of St John’s to perform at the Australian Festival of Chamber Music in Townsville and with Collusion to the Bangalow Music Festival and Musica Viva’s In Schools program to North Queensland, Darling Downs and North Brisbane. Collusion will also be premiering a song cycle written for them by Paul Stanhope. Jonathan currently holds a piano teaching position at St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School, piano/violin/viola teaching position at St Joseph’s Nudgee College and runs his own private studio teaching violin and piano at home.

Matthew Hesse

Violin