Young Virtuoso Award contestants 2024

Photo of Jenny Su
Jenny Su, Piano

Jenny, an Adelaide local, began her piano journey at age six. A recent graduate of the Elder Conservatorium, holding a BMus (Advanced) and First Class Honours (I), she was mentored by Lucinda Collins. Jenny has received multiple scholarships, including the Maude Harriot and Patrick Cecil Greenland Scholarships for Piano, as well as the Daisy Burmeister Salotti and Jack De Vos Scholarships. She has enhanced her skills through masterclasses with renowned pianists such as Angela Hewitt, Paavali Jumpannen, Stephan Kovacevich, Phillip Moll, and Paloma Kouider. In 2021 and 2024, she was awarded the Wilf Mader Memorial Medallion, winning the Senior division in attending years 2021, 2023, and 2024. Her notable performances include the Art of Possible Festival and PianoLab, as well as collaborations with Stephen King and Helen Ayres for the AGSA Ruby Festival and the Lunch Hour Series. Jenny was also selected for the Top Class Concert of the Lunch Hour Series, receiving the Peter Brooker Prize, and represented South Australia at the Australian Showcase for the Sydney International Piano Competition in 2023.

Joshual Rosetto at the piano
Joshua Rosetto, Piano

Joshua started playing the piano at age 10 in 2017. Two years later, with the help of the school’s music director, Joshua successfully auditioned for a solo performance Debut at the Adelaide Festival centre for the Adelaide Festival of Music. Since then, Joshua has performed at numerous school events at Woodcroft College, and has performed at funerals, weddings, retirement villages and other venues. In 2023 he performed his first Solo Recital at Yankalilla as part of the Fleurieu Peninsula Music Festival.

Joshua has had masterclasses with artists such as Konstantin Shamray and Lucinda Collins at the University of Adelaide, as well as succeeding in various Adelaide Eisteddfod Piano Competitions (including 1st Place in the Junior Piano Concerto Competition), and a solo piano debut at the Hopgood theatre.

In December of 2023 Joshua embarked on a music tour to the USA with the Woodcroft college concert band visiting New York City, Where they saw the prestigious Juilliard School and the Lincoln Centre Concert hall and performed in Los Angeles at Walt Disney Theme Park and Madame Tussaud’s in Hollywood.

This year, Joshua Performed at the Opening Ceremony of the Australian Piano Warehouses new venue to the likes of Gil Sullivan and many other pedagogy from around South Australia.

Joshua studies under Simón Pazos Quintana at Woodcroft College. Joshua is in Year 11 and aspires to be a concert pianist in the future.

Natasha Paran with violin
Natasha Paran - violin

Natasha Paran is a Year 9 student at Pembroke School and currently studies violin with Dr Elizabeth Layton.

She obtained her Licentiate Diploma (LTCL) in 2019 at age 10. In 2023, Natasha performed as a soloist with the Adelaide Youth Orchestra at Elder Hall. She has also held solo recitals at the North Adelaide Baroque Hall in 2023 and 2024.

Natasha was awarded the Adele Anthony Violin Medallion at the 2022 Adelaide Eisteddfod, given to the most promising violinist 13 years and under, as well as the Jane Peters Violin Medallion in 2024, for the most promising violinist 16 years and under. She has also received the Unley Orchestra Prize from the Adelaide Eisteddfod Concerto Competition and won the Metropolitan Male Choir of South Australia Music Scholarship, both for which she will make solo appearances in 2025.

Natasha’s active involvement in the Australian Youth Orchestra started in 2022, when she toured nationally as part of the flagship orchestra’s Winter Season program. Her recent appearances include the Autumn Season in Hobart and Winter Season in Melbourne.

Photo of Tim Tran
Tim Tran - viola

Tim Tran is an Adelaide-based violist currently completing his Bachelor of Music in Classical Performance at the University of Adelaide.

Previously, Tim studied at the Yehudi Menuhin School in England up until the end of 2021 with Boris Kucharsky. Prior to this, he studied under Keith Crellin OAM and currently studies under Stephen King.

He is passionate about chamber music and has been affiliated with numerous ensembles.

Tim has won numerous awards including The Australian String Association Award in 2022 for most outstanding string competitor and was a finalist in the national Young Virtuoso Award Competition

James Skelton - clarinet

James is a Year 12 student at Trinity College and is the College Captain. He studies the clarinet with his father, ASO clarinettist Darren Skelton.
In 2023, James achieved his L.Mus.A (Clarinet) & A.Mus.A (Piano – studying with Monika Laczofy OAM), both with Distinction and was awarded the AMEB’s Licentiate Prize. In 2022, 2023 and again in 2024 James won the Music Teachers Association of SA “Grace Barbara Turner Award for Excellence in Performance” and has been a finalist in the 5MBS Young Virtuoso Awards in 2022, 2023 & 2024.
James has performed concertos with several local orchestras and has performed solo recitals for Recitals Australia, winning the “Berenice Harrison Award” in the Autumn Series Final in 2023 and again in 2024. James was a prize winner in the 2024 Australian Concerto & Vocal Competition in Townsville, where he also won the “Most Promising Wind Player” award. James is a National finalist in the Performing and Visual Arts category for this year’s Edstart Achievement Awards and participated in the 2024 AYO National Music Camp as a member of the Bishop Orchestra.
James achieved SACE Merit Awards for Solo & Ensemble Performance in 2022 (whilst in Year 10) and hopes to continue his Music Studies in London in 2025.

Alex Byrne – flute

Alex Byrne is currently a third-year flute student at the Elder Conservatorium of Music, University of Adelaide, studying the Bachelor of Music (Advanced) – Classical Performance course under the tutelage of Dr Julia Grenfell, and previously Elizabeth Koch AM. Alex recently made his concerto debut with the Adelaide Youth Orchestra (of which he was previously a member), performing Mozart’s Flute Concerto in D major.

Alex is a casual musician with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, and has played in the Elder Conservatorium Wind Orchestra and Symphony Orchestra as well as being selected as a member of the Australian Youth Orchestra Camp 2024. Alex was recently selected as a fellow for the Recitals Australia program, and has experienced successes in the Adelaide Eisteddfods. 

He has received numerous awards and scholarships including the Victor Edgeloe Scholarship for Woodwind, the Cowan Family Grant, Robert Brown Grant, and the David Cubbin Medallion. Along with his passion for orchestral music, Alex is also a keen chamber musician, having established a trio for Flute, Viola, and Harp with fellow Conservatorium students.

Photo of Jessica Mills

Jessica Mills – Soprano

Soprano Jessica Mills holds a Bachelor of Musical Theatre from the Queensland Conservatorium. Performing in Australia and overseas, she was recently seen at the Sydney Opera House in Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and in the national broadcast of the 2023 Carols by Candlelight. This year, Jessica starred in State Opera South Australia’s Opera In The Pub series, and was the only Australian performer in the Semi-Finals of the prestigious Lotte Lenya Competition in New York.

Some credits include: First Bridesmaid – The Marriage of Figaro (SOSA), Isabel – Pirates of Penzance (SOSA), Swing/Angela alternate – Love Burns (SOSA), Nella – Gianni Schicchi (CoOpera), Soprano Soloist – Handel’s Messiah (Clayton-Wesley Church), Soprano 2 Soloist – Handel’s L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato (The Big Sing), U/S Mary Maguire – The Beautiful Game (Manilla Street Productions), TweedleDee – Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland (ACOCo.), Kay Anderson – Songs From Stage And Screen (The 7 Sopranos), actor/dancer – Don Giovanni (Opera Australia).

Macintyre Howie-Reeves photo
Macintyre Howie-Reeves - voice

Macintyre Howie Reeves is a performer and director.

He has been a soloist in Mozart’s Requiem, Bach’s Matthäus-Passion, Handel’s Messiah, Danny Elfman’s Music from the Films of Tim Burton for the Adelaide Festival and guest soloist for Adelaide Carols by Candlelight 70th anniversary.

Stage credits include: Lieutenant Barri in Passion, The Major General in The Pirates of Penzance, The Father in Hansel and Gretel, The Page in Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors, Mr. Lindquist in A Little Night Music, Pish-Tush in The Mikado, Publio in Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito and Betto in Gianni Schicchi for Co-Opera, Apparition in Verdi’s Macbeth for State Opera of South Australia.

Chorus credits include: Carmen, La Bohème, La Traviata, Boojum!, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Macbeth, Candide, Le nozze di Figaro, The Pirates of Penzance for State Opera of South Australia, Hamlet, Mozart’s Requiem, The Golden Cockerel, Messa da Requiem and The Nightingale and Other Fables for the Adelaide Festival.

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