Friends of the APO Inc - Meet The Artist: CANCELLED

At 10.30am we will have a recital of Horn music from Anita Austin. Anita has recently returned from the Queensland Conservatorium in Brisbane receiving a Masters in Music Studies (French Horn) as well as The Griffith Award for Academic Excellence in both years of study. She previously completed a Bachelor of Music (Hons.) majoring in Classical Performance, French Horn in 2017 at the University of Auckland where she was also awarded an Auckland University Summer Research Scholarship that looked at teaching brass to 5-7 year olds via age-appropriate pedagogies.

Anita has undertaken professional development through the Queensland Symphony Orchestra Internship (2019), New Zealand Symphony Orchestra Fellowship (2017) and Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra Internship (2016). Anita has worked as a freelance horn player in both New Zealand and Australia including Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra as well as previously being principal horn of the Auckland Youth Orchestra and NZSO National Youth Orchestra. In 2020 she will be presenting a series of solo recitals with pianist Camila de Oliveira and performing Mozart’s Horn Concerto No. 4 with Northland Sinfonia.

Anita's piano accompanist this morning will be Sarah Watkins. Sarah is a founding member of NZTrio, a group widely recognized as one of New Zealand’s most dynamic and indispensable music ensembles, bringing bold and eclectic performances to audiences around the world.

Her lifelong passion for accompanying and chamber music has led to an impressive career in the US and New Zealand, where she is highly sought after as a collaborative pianist, recording artist, and ensemble musician. She has been an official pianist for the Michael Hill International Violin Competition since its inception in 2001, has performed as a freelance player in the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, and the Auckland Chamber Orchestra, and has appeared as concerto soloist with St. Matthew’s Chamber Orchestra, ACO, and the APO. In 2014 Sarah recorded Chris Watson’s “sing songs self” for solo piano and orchestra with the NZSO, a composition which was awarded the prestigious 2015 SOUNZ Contemporary Award.

This recital will be followed by an interview discussion with Judith Bishell and Susan Wall. Susan, who has been the APO's Director of Development since late 2018, is from New York and is a graduate of Vassar College and Columbia University. She was Director of Development for Montclair Art Museum from 2011 to 2017 and for the Bard Graduate Centre from1995 to 2011.

The Friends’ AGM will precede the meeting at 10am.