Genevieve Lang

Harpist, Writer, Broadcaster

Genevieve Lang is well known to Australian audiences as a harpist and broadcaster. You might well have seen her on stage with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and she’s enjoyed a long association with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. She’s also a founding member of SHE (Seven Harp Ensemble) and has performed as soloist with several orchestras around the country and overseas.

A few years ago, Genevieve became interested in writing and speaking about music and the world of music administration. Since then, she’s taken on education projects for Musica Viva, given pre-concert talks to audiences in Sydney and Hobart, led tours for Hayllar Music Tours, and worked with Pinchgut Opera, Gondwana Choirs and the Australian Youth Orchestra.

These days you’re more likely to hear her voice than her harp, as a presenter on ABC Classic. And she occasionally pops up on your television screens for special classical music events on ABC TV and ABC iView. For Genevieve, broadcasting and media are the perfect way to share her passion for classical music with the biggest possible audience!

Paul Terracini

Dr Paul Terracini was born in Sydney and has enjoyed a career in Australia and internationally as an instrumentalist, composer, arranger, and conductor. He has held permanent positions as Principal Trumpet in the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra; Lecturer in Trumpet, Brass Ensemble and Big Band at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music; and Solo Trumpet in the Danish Chamber Players, Denmark.

As an instrumentalist, he performed as soloist in Australia, Europe, USA, and Asia. Within Australia, his solo performances included concertos with the Melbourne, Queensland, West Australian, and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras.

Paul Terracini has appeared as an opera conductor at the German Rossini Festival in Bad Wilbad, for the Danish Bel Canto Society in Copenhagen, and the Storstroms Symphony Orchestra, also in Denmark. Since assuming the role of artistic director of the Penrith Symphony Orchestra in 2010, he has, apart from programming and conducting the symphonic repertoire, pioneered the performance of chamber opera in western Sydney. For many years he has been invited as a guest conductor/composer to music schools and universities in Europe, USA, China, and Australia. He appears regularly as conductor for the Conservatorium High School, in Sydney. As a choral conductor, he has recorded for ABC Classics with Ars Nova Copenhagen, and the Sydney based choir, Cantillation.

As a composer and arranger, his music has been heard throughout the world in a variety of genres, performed by, amongst others, the Prague Symphony Orchestra, the Australian Chamber Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Brass, the Danish Chamber Players, the Australian Brass Quintet, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra Brass, and at festivals and conferences on every continent. His music for the two part ABC television series, Hymns of the Forefathers, in which he developed many of the traditional English hymns into symphonic poems, received international acclaim and was released on CD and DVD by ABC Classics. His title music for the television series, Classical Destinations, which was produced for three seasons, was featured on the ‘Number 1 Classical Album of the Year,’ released by Decca.

His CD, Paul Terracini: Music for Brass, was released on the Tall Poppies label in May 2015. On this recording, he conducted his own music with Sydney Brass, featuring members of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

Paul Terracini also holds a PhD from the University of Sydney, having earlier completed a Bachelor of Theology and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours). His book, John Stoward Moyes and the Social Gospel, was published in 2015.

Timothy Kantor

Violinist Timothy Kantor enjoys performing around the globe at some of the world’s greatest concert halls and chamber music series. As a member of the Afiara Quartet in Toronto, Mr. Kantor has performed hundreds of concerts and helped to develop several innovative projects. One of the quartet’s projects, Spin Cycle with DJ Skratch Bastid, culminated with a Juno Award-nominated album and a solo performance with the Toronto Symphony. Collaborations include those with such varied artists as scratch DJ Kid Koala, Academy Award-nominated producer KK Barrett, and jazz virtuoso Uri Caine. Mr. Kantor has performed chamber works with many of today’s leading musicians, including Joshua Bell, Jaime Laredo, Sharon Robinson, Atar Arad, William Preucil, Alexander Kerr, Mark Steinberg, the Dover Quartet, and the Pacifica Quartet. Mr. Kantor has been featured as an artist on American Public Media’s “Performance Today”, CBC Radio, and classical radio stations in Cleveland, Toronto, and Tucson.

A dedicated teacher and coach, Mr. Kantor was recently appointed Senior Lecturer of violin at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Previously Mr. Kantor served as the Associate Professor of Violin at the University of Arizona’s School of Music and was a founding professor of the Programa Gabriel del Orbe in Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic).

Deborah de Graaff

Dr Deborah de Graaff is a celebrated Australian clarinettist, educator, music psychologist, and adjudicator, known for her dynamic artistry and deep commitment to nurturing the next generation of musicians. A winner of the prestigious ABC Young Performers Awards, Deborah has performed as a soloist and chamber musician on major stages nationally and internationally, including numerous ABC broadcasts and 14 acclaimed CD recordings.

Deborah earned her PhD from UNSW with pioneering research in expert practice and motivational music psychology—work that continues to influence teaching studios and conservatoria alike. A passionate educator, she has taught clarinet and chamber music at the Sydney Conservatorium High School, the Open Academy, and the University of Sydney, where she also supervised postgraduate research. Many of her students have gone on to win national competitions, scholarships, and professional positions in major ensembles.

Former artistic director of the touring ensemble Ku-ring-gai Virtuosi, Deborah now leads SILO SOUNDS in Harden-Murrumburrah regional NSW, bringing elite-level classical music of excellence and youth and elders mentorship to her rural community. Known for her insightful musical judgment, warmth, and inspiring presence, Deborah is a highly respected adjudicator and mentor, uniquely bridging performance excellence with psychological insight and pedagogical rigour.