Our Team
Dr Lauren Davis
PhD (ANU), MMus (LSU), BMus (Oberlin),
Violin Viola
Lauren Davis received her Bachelor of Music from the Oberlin College Conservatory, her Master of Music from Louisiana State University, and her PhD in Violin Pedagogy from The Australian National University. She has played with numerous orchestras in the United States including the Canton Symphony, Baton Rouge Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic, Louisiana Sinfonietta, Acadiana Symphony, the Greater Newburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Woodstock Chamber Orchestra and the Woodstock Symphony Orchestra.
She is currently the leader of the Limestone Consort, a member of the Canberra Symphony Orchestra and a member of the Canberra Bach Ensemble. She is a co-founder of StringProject which holds string orchestra weekends for adult amateur string players. An avid chamber musician, she has played in a number of ensembles including the Riverina Chamber Orchestra, the Riverina Trio, the Valcour String Quartet, the Aurora Trio and the Brioso String Quartet. She has been teaching violin for a number of years both privately and at such institutions as Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, Music for Everyone, Orana School, and at the Australian University in their Pre-Tertiary and Colourstrings programs. Lauren currently teaches at the Riverina Conservatorium in Wagga Wagga, Australia.
Gillian Pereira
B.Mus L.MusA YTA1
Cello
Gillian Pereira is graduate of the ANU School of Music who has been performing and teaching in the Canberra region for over 20 years.
In addition to playing with such diverse groups as the Canberra Symphony Orchestra, the Canberra Bach Ensemble and Earthly Delights, she has served as ‘cellist with Camerata Australia, the Young Australian Concert Artists program and also as a principal cellist with the Australian Youth Orchestra. Recent collaborations have included performances with the Riverina Chamber Orchestra with artists such as Katie Noonan and Lior, a recording project with the award-winning Australian composer and pianist Sally Greenaway - 'Aubade & Nocturne', and performances in the Riverina Conservatorium Chamber Music Series. In Canberra and surrounds Gillian performs for the Music Agencies Sweethearts Music and String Musicians Australia. Gillian is a member of the indie-piano-trio 'Lady Luck', and along with singer-songwriter Marianne Scholem and violinist Vanessa Driver had their debut performance at Smiths in 2017.
Gillian has enjoyed teaching at a number of schools including Canberra Girls Grammar, the Young Regional School of Music, and the Orana Steiner School. She is currently teaching at the Wesley Music Centre, Forrest; Radford College, Bruce; and St Clare's College, Narrabundah. Gillian and has a particular interest in teaching adults the cello, and enjoys creating a supportive network and performance opportunities for adult cellists. At the annual event for adult string players in Bathurst - 'Let's Play String Workshop'- Gillian tutors cello and also offers yoga classes tailored to musicians.
Gillian is also a registered yoga teacher since 2014, and and as the owner/teacher of Murrumbateman Yoga Studio teaches Hatha yoga, Vinyasa Flow and Gentle Yoga classes in her local community.
Damien Jones
BA (Hons) University of Western Sydney, A.Mus.A
Violin Viola
Damien has had a violin on his shoulder since he was four years old. During this time he’s studied with John Speer, Stephen Chin and Rotraud Schneider, gained an Honours degree with a double major in Performance and Music Technology and completed his A.Mus.A.(Violin).
Performing everything from classical to jazz, pop to avant garde, Damien has performed alongside Katie Noonan, Michael Atherton, Lior and many others in venues from Melbourne, Jenolan Caves, to the Sydney Opera House.
An enthusiastic supporter of regional music, Damien maintains a busy teaching studio and performs regularly with the Riverina Chamber Orchestra, is concertmaster of the Murray Conservatorium Orchestra and often joins other local ensembles as a guest artist.
Dr Georgia Pike
Dr. Georgia Pike is a practitioner and researcher focussed on the uses of the arts to improve and enhance the potential of individuals and society. She is currently a Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Research in Ageing, Health and Wellbeing at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra, Australia. She is also co-Director of the Music Outreach and Engagement Program (previously ANU Music Engagement Program) with her mentor and colleague Dr Susan West.
At the age of 17 Georgia spent a year in New York training in voice with Susan Burghardt Diamond and Claire Alexander, and studying outreach arts methods at the Institute of Music and Health with founder Dr. John Diamond (2002). Georgia subsequently took to the stage, receiving a Best Actress Award at the Canberra Area Theatre Awards and a Canberra Critics Circle Award. She now writes and directs stage musicals for children, and provides specialised workshops to help students and teachers overcome and prevent stagefright.
Georgia completed a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Law and Classics at the ANU (2006), and a Graduate Diploma in Secondary Education through Monash University (2009). She completed her doctoral thesis in September 2016, where she developed a trans- disciplinary framework for application to the everyday practice of music in classrooms and communities. In 2016 Georgia was presented with a Children’s Week Award by the Governor General of Australia for her work with Cranleigh School, a specialist school for children living with significant disabilities. She is currently working internationally with the University of Aberdeen (Scotland), and the Southern Institute of Technology (New Zealand).
Dr Susan West
Susan West is an Adjunct Professor at Charles Sturt University. She studied music performance at the Melbourne University Conservatorium of Music and the Victorian College of the Arts, and obtained a post-graduate degree in music education from the Kodaly Institute of Hungary. She played Principal Piccolo with the Western Australian Symphony Orchestra in 1980 and then Associate Principal and Principal Flute with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra from 1981-1985. During this time she was also a member of the Australian Wind Virtuosi, touring nationally and inter- nationally.
In 1984 Susan was invited to Canberra to established the Music Education Program (now the Music Outreach and Engagement Program) at the Canberra School of Music. Recognising a need for different and more successful forms of music education, she completed a Master of Education at Charles Sturt University and studied with Dr. John Diamond at the Institute for Music and Health, New York. Her work with Dr. Diamond led to the transformation of the program by embedding altruistic sharing at the centre of community and professional music making. This transformation formed the basis of her Ph.D at the Australian National University in 2007. The program has since affected the musical lives of tens of thousands of teachers, children, and community members. She also composes and arranges for children, singing groups, instrumental groups, and for film.
Susan has been recognized with a National Children’s Week Award, a National Women’s Day Award, a citation for Teaching Excellence from the Carrick Institute, an ANU Vice Chancellor’s Award for Community Engagement, and in 2016 was recognised as one of Australia’s 100 Women of Influence by the Australian Financial Review. Susan is also currently collaborating with researchers and practitioners in New Zealand, trialling the application of outreach approaches in the South Island.