Dale Pointon is the Coordinator of Ensembles with the Education Department of WA. He also lectures in Music Education at Edith Cowan University. Dale earned his Masters of Music in Conducting from the University of Illinois (USA), a Bachelor of Music Performance (UWA) and a Graduate Diploma of Education (ECU). Dale is an active community ensemble director, clinician and adjudicator. He offers various conducting and ensemble related workshops and Professional Development opportunities. Dale adjudicates at various Australian festivals and eisteddfods; he also serves as an examiner for the Australian Music Examination Board WA. Dale is a permanent conductor with the West Australian Youth Orchestras Association (WAYO), is the past director of the Symphonic Wind Ensemble at WAAPA and has served as the Vice President of ABODA (WA). Dale has toured extensively with ensembles to China, USA, New Zealand and throughout Australia.

Rob Gladstones was born in Perth. He began learning Violin and Euphonium at age 7 before settling on the Horn at 13. He studied Horn at the Canberra School of Music with Hector MacDonald, graduating in 1985. During his student years he was a member of the West Australian Youth Orchestra, the Canberra Youth Orchestra and the Australian Youth Orchestra. He took up the position of 2nd Horn in the Sydney Elizabethan Orchestra (Now the Opera Australia Orchestra) in 1986 and was appointed Associate Principal in 1988. During his time in Sydney he played with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Australian Chamber Orchestra as well as Chamber Music, Musicals and many soundtrack and jingle recordings. He moved back to Perth in 1989 to take up the position of Associate Principal Horn with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra moving to his current position of Principal 3rd Horn in 1995. He has performed as soloist with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Fremantle Chamber Orchestra, South Side Symphony Orchestra, National Capital Orchestra (Canberra), Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra and in 2023 performed Wagner’s Ring Cycle with the Australian Opera and Queensland Symphony Orchestra in Brisbane. Rob also enjoys conducting and is the Musical Director of the Combined Districts Concert Band and from 2021-2023 he was Musical Director of the South Side Symphony Orchestra. When he is not playing, conducting or teaching horn he is busy repairing and servicing brass instruments!

Concert pianist, academic, and piano teacher, Vanessa O’Connor is a passionate musical artist and educator. As a soloist, Vanessa regularly performs the standard concert repertoire while also exploring works by Australian and Italian composers, and uncovering lesser known repertoire for the piano. Most recently, she has been performing in Italy, Germany and Eastern Europe while also lecturing as a Professor in Piano and English at Modena and Reggio Emilia Conservatories in Italy. Vanessa enjoys collaborating with other artists and has performed with both opera singers, and instrumentalists as well as in chamber music formations. During the past few years she has formed two duo partnerships with pianists Giuseppe Modugno and Mariangela Ciuffreda to perform the piano 4 hands repertoire and works for two pianos. Vanessa is a lecturer of both Piano and English (for musicians) at the Modena Conservatory and lecturer of English at the Reggio Emilia Conservatory and teaches piano privately at her studio in Perth, Western Australia. Vanessa holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Melba Conservatorium in Melbourne where she studied with Dr.Elyane Laussade, a Masters degree of piano from the Modena Conservatory where she studied with Prof. Giuseppe Modugno and a Master of Teaching from the University of Tasmania. Having studied and performed in both Australia and Italy has given Vanessa a unique and diverse cultural and professional experience that is valuable and rare. It has also given her access to Masterclasses from acclaimed artists in both countries such as Elyane Laussade, Katherine Day, Sonia Lifschitz, Giuseppe Modugno, Bruno Canino, Antonio Ballista, Alberto Miodini, Oleg Poliansky, Matteo Napoli, Jana Kovar, and Robert Curry. Vanessa currently divides her time between Australia and Italy, pursuing her passion for performing, adjudicating, and teaching while also indulging other interests such as learning languages, the Suzuki approach to piano teaching, arts and culture.

Teresa Tan, Music Director of WA Chung Wah Chinese Orchestra, is a conductor, event producer, stage director, guzheng musician and pharmacist. She is a disciple in the second generation of the renowned performer Xiang Sihua’s lineage. Since 2020, she has been dedicated to directing and organizing the annual WA Festival if Chinese Music - Wa Chinese Guzheng Festival.

Diane started her specialist music studies on the flute when she entered the Victorian College of the Arts High School in Year 11. She went on to complete her Bachelor of Arts (Music Performance) at the Victorian College of the Arts. After a year of Post Graduate studies she auditioned and won the position of Principal Flute with the WA Arts Orchestra – making her the youngest principal flute in Australia at the age of 21. During her time with the Arts Orchestra she was granted leave to play Principal Flute with the Australian Youth Orchestra when it toured Europe in 1988. Diane has since gone on to play regularly with the WA Symphony Orchestra both as a contract and casual player in all positions – Principal Flute, Principal Piccolo and as a rank and file section player. She has also played as guest Principal Flute with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra. Diane currently plays Principal Flute with the Perth Symphony Orchestra. Diane has lectured in flute at both the UWA Conservatorium of Music and WAAPA for over 25 years and taught at both special music high schools in Perth for 30 years. Many of Diane’s past students are working nationally and internationally as performers and teachers. Diane has played for international artists including Sir James Galway, Trevor Wye, Michel Debost, Walfrid Kujala and William Bennett and she has studied with many of Australia’s leading teachers including Margaret Crawford, Prue Davis, Vernon Hill and David Cubbin. Diane has also organised master classes and concerts for international flute players including Paul Edmund-Davies, Emily Beynon, Trevor Wye and Katherine Kemler.

Associate Professor Jonathan Paget has led the classical guitar program at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (Edith Cowan University) since 2005 and has produced many outstanding graduates with successful music careers. Winner of multiple international guitar competitions, Jonathan has performed throughout Australia, the USA, and Asia, and at organisations such as Musica Viva, Perth Festival, Port Fairy Spring Music Festival, and Strings Attached (Margaret River). His two solo recordings are regularly played on radio (particularly “Midsummer’s Night” for Move Records). Reviews describe his “formidable virtuosity” [Limelight], “subtle, intimate artistry” [The West Australian], “up there with some of the best” [Classical Guitar, UK]. A Fulbright and Hackett scholar, Paget completed doctoral studies at the Eastman School of Music in upstate New York. Having held multiple senior roles at WAAPA, he is the current Associate Dean of Music. Paget is an active music researcher in guitar studies and historically informed performance practice and has been President of the Classical Guitar Society of WA, Inc. since 2006.

Adam Pinto is Chair of Keyboard Studies in the Conservatorium of Music at the University of Western Australia. He performs with the Western Australian Symphony Orchestra, and is recorded regularly for broadcast by the A.B.C. Recent creative projects include "Eight Nocturnes" for Viola and Piano recorded with Katherine Potter and available through ABC Classics and involve collaboration with Australia’s leading composers. "In Memoriam" was released in 2023 through Tall Poppies was reviewed as “a testament to the power of collaboration between highly inventive composers and virtuosic free-improvising performers. Adam Pinto’s pianism is exceptional in all the traditionally notated music scores, but in Rebecca Erin Smith’s piece he also demonstrates a brilliant flare for improvised musical invention.” Adam is a sought-after soloist and collaborative artist, working with local and international soloists at instrumental festivals worldwide. He collaborates with Paul Tanner and Matt Styles in "Mix’t", exploring the boundaries of cross-genre compositions. Their first disc "Home by 11" is available through Tall Poppies. His interest in the development of innovative new music and collaborative improvisational and compositional practices has seen him collaborate and premiere works by many Australian composers and perform in New Music Festivals internationally. In Rompduo with saxophonist Barry Cockcroft, this included the commissioning, premiere and recording of many significant works for the combination, both in Australia and internationally. This was a partnership which transformed the Australian musical landscape for both instruments. This passion includes post-doctoral research at the University of Western Australia exploring and performing the works of Roger Smalley OAM. Performances reviewed as “stunningly virtuoso” by Neville Cohn. A CD featuring the works of Smalley entitled "Transformation" is available through Tall Poppies and has been reviewed as “a beautifully recorded collection of works, consummately performed and of considerable historical significance” in Limelight.

Tommy Seah is a Singapore-born pianist based in Perth. As a soloist and chamber musician, he has performed across Australia, Asia, North America, and Europe. Tommy holds a Graduate Diploma in piano performance and a Master of Arts in music from WAAPA where he has been a lecturer since 2017. Aside from performance and teaching activities, Tommy is also an active researcher. He has presented for Musicology Society Australia, Historical Performance Institute at the University of Indiana, and WAAPA. His work has also been published in the Liszt Society Journal. Tommy is also the artistic director and founder of Perth Recital Series.

Pianist Ryan Davies has performed extensively in both solo and collaborative settings throughout Perth, as well as regional venues and internationally. A graduate of the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), Ryan holds a bachelor’s degree and post-graduate diploma in music as well as a Master of Arts degree. Presently, Ryan is based at Hale School where he works as both a piano teacher and accompanist. Additionally, he fulfills the role of a piano examiner for the Australian Music Examinations Board (AMEB) and has served as an adjudicator at various eisteddfods throughout Perth.

Penny Shaw is a singer, opera director, performer, writer, and broadcaster with over 30 years of professional singing experience. Originally from the UK, she holds a BA in Human Sciences from the University of Oxford and broadcasting qualifications from Edith Cowan University. Since moving to Western Australia in 1999, Penny has sung with the West Australian Opera as both a chorister and principal artist, with recent appearances including Ruth in The Pirates of Penzance (2025), Despina in Cosi Fan Tutte (2020) and MC for Opera in the Park (2021). She has also been actively involved in community and education programs, adapting classic operas such as The Magic Flute, The Barber of Seville, and The Marriage of Figaro for primary school audiences, touring over 40 schools across the Perth metropolitan area. As a director, Penny is celebrated for her clarity, emotional impact, and accessible storytelling. Her productions for Freeze Frame Opera include adaptations of Adriana Lecouvreur and Don Giovanni, reimagined for contemporary audiences, earning consecutive Best Director and Best Production nominations at the Performing Arts WA Awards (2024–2025). She has also directed critically acclaimed productions of La Bohème and other classic works, bringing her extensive performance experience to bear in creating immersive and engaging productions. Penny is also the brunette half of the comic opera duo DivaLicious, blending opera, musical theatre, popular crossover songs, and humour. DivaLicious reached the finals of Australia’s Got Talent in 2011, has performed at the Sydney Opera House, toured the Asia Pacific as guest artists on luxury cruise ships, and opened Perth Festival’s Highway to Hell in 2020. Beyond performance and direction, Penny presents the long-running Arts Collage show on Radio Fremantle and hosts the comedy podcast Diary of a (teenage!) Diva, sharing her diaries from the mid-1980s with a wide audience. Her multifaceted career bridges performance, direction, and broadcasting, always with a focus on making music compelling, accessible, and fun for contemporary audiences.

Kevin Gillam is a cellist and AMEB examiner. He has worked as a music teacher in many schools including Director of Music at Christ Church Grammar School from 2006 until 2022. He has also had4 books of poetry published.

Caitlin Cassidy (Director) Caitlin is an established principal mezzo soprano who has performed with New York Lyric Opera, Opera Australia, West Australian Opera and Freeze Frame Opera. Caitlin completed a Master of Creative Arts at WAAPA and a post graduate Professional Studies Diploma at Mannes College in New York. As a “crossover” artist, Caitlin has sung cabaret and jazz at Edinburgh Fringe, Fringe World, the Ellington Jazz Club and Lyric’s Underground in Maylands. Caitlin is a passionate voice teacher who has taught in the Music Theatre and Classical courses at WAAPA and currently teaches singing at Perth College.

Graeme Gilling has been an active performer, teacher, examiner and adjudicator in WA for 35 years. He was Chair of Performance and Keyboard Studies at the University of Western Australia from 1998 to 2025, and has served the AMEB in a number of roles: as the Chair of AMEB(WA), as WA Director on the AMEB Federal Board, and as a continuing Federal examiner for the Board. As a performer, he works regularly with the WA Symphony Orchestra and the Darlington Ensemble, and maintains a busy piano teaching studio, also adjudicating when possible.

Bio and Photo coming soon!