2001 Finalists

VIVIEN JEFFERY (winner)

Vivien has performed regularly as soloist with the Melbourne, Tasmanian and Sydney Symphony orchestras in recent years. In the past two years Vivien was an ANAM Academy Musician in Melbourne where her teachers included Alice Waten, Caroline Henbest and Charmian Gadd. From April 2008 Vivien will be studying in Germany for a Masters Degree.In 2007 she participated in a summer course with Antje Weithaas in Austria, and had lessons from teachers in UK and Germany.
Updated November 2007

SARITA KWOK

As a founding member and first violinist of the Alianza String Quartet, Sarita has given performances in the 2006 and 2007 seasons at the Pacific Music Festival in Japan; Aldeburgh Festival, UK; Aix-en-Provence Festival, France, and the French Academy in Rome. The Alianza Quartet is the Grand Prize winner of the 2007 Plowman Chamber Music Competition, USA. They currently occupy the position of quartet-in-residence at Yale University's School of Music where they are mentored by the Tokyo String Quartet. As part of this position they perform extensively, work with Yale composers and coach undergraduate ensembles. In October 2007 the Alianza Quartet made their Carnegie Hall debut to critical acclaim. They are represented in North America by Lisa Sapinkopf Artists. Upcoming engagements include concerts throughout the US east coast and a recording of the last three quartets by Ezra Laderman for Albany Records.

Sarita holds a Masters of Musical Arts degree and Artist Diploma from Yale School of Music. Since 2006 she has been on faculty at the Yale University Department of Music, where she lectures and directs the musicianship course. In March 2007 she represented Yale as a part of an artistic delegation to the United Arab Emirates. From 2007-08 she will be a Yale University artist-in- residence.
December 2007

VICTORIA JACONO

Victoria has spent two years in the Sydney Symphony Fellowship program which has allowed her to work with the SS, receive masterclasses from visiting artists and play a lot of chamber music. She also participated in the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s (ACO) Emerging Artists’ Program, a partnership with the Australian Youth Orchestra which provides graduate level students with a mentoring program in association with ACO players.

Victoria performs for many musical organisations including The Australian Institute of Music, Australian Musician's Academy, Mostly Mozart Festival, Manly Music Club, the Ryde & Hills District Music Club, The Art Gallery of NSW Concert Series and the St Andrew’s Young Concert Artists Series. She is also a member of “3 LIN3S”, one of Australia’s newest and most exciting chamber ensembles. “3 LIN3S” is resident ensemble at the Australian Institute of Music, where Victoria is a member of the teaching faculty.

Victoia has been working with the Sydney Symphony for the last two and a half years.
July 2008

ALISON HEIKE

Alison Heike completed her Bachelor of Music degree with First Class Honours from the Australian Institute of Music in 2002 studying with Alice Waten. During this time she was 1st violinist of the Foveaux String Quartet, a finalist in the 2001 National Chamber Music Competition, and she participated in the Prussia Cove International Musicians' Seminar in Cornwall UK. In 2002 Alison travelled to London on a Big Brother Scholarship and undertook lessons with Felix Andrievsky at the Royal College of Music. In 2003 Alison participated in the Fellowship Program with the Sydney Symphony and has subsequently been working regularly with the SSO on a casual basis. Alison has also performed with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra and in 2007 she joined the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra where she holds a full time contract. She also teaches violin at Prince Alfred College and plays in a string quartet which last year travelled to Singapore on board the Saga Rose cruise ship.
January 2008