Connor Whyte
As 2022’s Adelaide International Guitar Festival Classical Guitar Competition champion, Connor Whyte is quickly establishing himself as a sublime concert-guitarist. And having completed Secondary education and attaining the Australian Licentiate in Music at just sixteen years of age, this ascent to virtuosity has been sharp.
Progressing with Oliver Fartach-Naini, Connor was afforded valuable experience as a Concerto Soloist with the Elder Conservatorium Chamber Orchestra, alongside masterclasses with Slava Grigoryan, Tim Kain, José Maria Gallardo Del Rey, Martha Masters, Andras Csaki, and the Beijing Guitar Duo (Su Meng & Wang Yameng); all-the-while accruing extracurricular acclamation as repeat First-Prize winner in the Adelaide Eisteddfod Society’s open-aged division, and as a 5MBS Radio Young Virtuoso Award finalist in 2021 and 2022. A lauded soloist in the AIGF’s Backstage Sessions Live, he was also the Festival’s youngest Finalist in each year en-route to the aforementioned prestigious title.
Ensuingly, Connor graduated with an Advanced Bachelor of Music from The University of Adelaide, prizing first in the Elder Conservatorium’s Top Class award concert, and has since gained acceptance into the Honours program at the Australian National University to study further with Minh Le Hoang. Connor Whyte performs with the fine traditional luthiery of Domenic Roscioli, as well as his coveted, prize-won Jim Redgate double-top.
Lucas Allerton
Lucus Allerton graduated from the ANU School of Music with Honours in Piano in mid-2013. In 2012 he won the overall Margaret Smiles Accompaniment Prize and in 2010 the prize for Best Vocal Accompanist. He was a finalist in the 2013 Sydney Eisteddfod’s Victoria Jennifer Warren Piano Accompaniment Award. Lucus has accompanied and conducted a variety of choirs, including Strange Weather Choir, Canberra Community Chorale, choirs of Canberra Grammar and St Edmunds, and Canberra Choral Society choirs. He is employed as an associate artist at the Australian National University’s School of Music, and conducts the recently formed Centauri Voices of the Woden Valley Youth Choir.
Leo Forner
I study a bachelor of music majoring in classical piano performance at ANU under Dr Edward Neeman. I also study International relations. Coming from a regional background I call Griffith NSW my home. Outside of University I play and perform jazz on clarinet and saxophone, with experience teaching clarinet and tutoring band programs at Griffith primary schools. My achievements include the ANU Crompton undergraduate scholarship for Classical piano, first prize in Griffiths Nancy Blumer memorial quest competition in 2018 and 2022 for piano. I have participated in the 2018 state wind band performing at Sydney opera house and 2019 west of the divide Italy and Croatia tour on Bass clarinet. Recently, I have directed Fenner hall residential colleges Big Night Out band and performed with classical, jazz and pop ensembles on piano. With mult-instrumental experience I value the teaching of music as a whole – focusing on theory, harmony, improvisation, rhythm, and musicality. At Aranda I aim to encourage passion and creativity for music and piano playing.
Karen Telese
From a very young age I was fascinated with the visual world around me. In a gallery I would gaze at an artwork and be transported to a magical place. I couldn’t comprehend the art at the time but eventually with years of practice and study I began to also share in the understanding and the celebration of creating art. My artwork was mainly in drawing and printmaking during the 1980’s. Through the next two decades I studied fine arts and started a family. My greatest creation to date!
I have three lovely children along with a very supportive partner and super-dad to our children.
Living locally and seeing our children go through Aranda Primary School, I have had a very special opportunity to be involved with the visual Arts at Aranda Primary in so many ways and over so many years. Some of these projects can still be viewed around the school.
These days my most recent commissions have been mosaics for schools and for individual clients.