FABIAN RUSSELL
Principal MYO Conductor and MYM Artistic Director
Fabian Russell was born in Sydney in 1968. In a career spanning twenty five years he has been a leading figure of the Australian classical music industry in a variety of roles including conductor, orchestral musician, artistic director, soloist and teacher.

Fabian began orchestral conducting in 2000 following a five year period as Artistic Director of Australian Chamber Brass – Australia’s pre-eminent professional national brass ensemble. He has been engaged to conduct many of Australia’s premier music organisations including AYO, ANAM, MSO (MSO Chamber Music Series), MYO, QYO and SYO. He has directed orchestras with leading soloists including Gary Graffman, Richard Tognetti, Michael Kieran Harvey, Alexei Yemtsov, Kristian Winther, Tristram Williams and Hector McDonald. In 2001 he founded The Orchestra Project – the Melbourne based training orchestra comprised of Australia’s finest young musicians. Fabian has been Artistic Director and Conductor of the Project since its inception. He has also served as Assistant Conductor to various guests including MSO Chief Conductors Markus Stenz and Oleg Caetani. In 2009 he was named Associate Conductor AYO following six years as Assistant Conductor where he had been engaged in almost every AYO season since 2003. In 2008 he was invited to be Principal Guest Conductor of MYO and was subsequently appointed Principal Conductor and Artistic Director. In 2010 Fabian Russell was appointed as the inaugural Artistic Director of Melbourne Youth Music.

His professional orchestral career began at the age of nineteen when he was invited to be Guest Principal Tuba of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra where he remained for three years. He subsequently traveled to the United States of America for further study and upon his return to Australia Fabian was offered the Principal position with Orchestra Victoria. In 1993 he accepted the Principal position with the MSO which he held for thirteen years until the end of the 2006 season. Throughout his career Fabian has been invited to perform with every Australian professional orchestra and also ensembles in Europe and Asia. He has played under many of the world’s finest conductors including Sir Georg Solti, Charles Dutoit, Mariss Jansonns, Neeme Jarvi and Yuri Temikarnov. In addition to his orchestral posts, Fabian performed as soloist with many of Australia’s professional orchestras including as a finalist in the 1997 ABC Young Performer Awards with the SSO. During his playing career Fabian established a reputation for being one of the finest brass musicians of his generation with true international standing.

STEFAN CASSOMENOS
Conductor - Percy Grainger Youth Orchestra
Melbourne pianist, conductor and composer Stefan Cassomenos appears regularly as a soloist, associate artist, chamber performer, and conductor. He studied piano with Margarita Krupina, Stephen McIntyre, and Ian Munro, and is currently under the guidance of Michael Kieran Harvey at the Australian National Academy of Music. He is generously supported by Kawai Australia, Music Theatre Australia, and the Youth Music Foundation of Australia. Stefan studied a Bachelor of Music (Honours) on a Faculty Merit Scholarship at Melbourne University, where he was awarded five prizes for performance. He was a semi-finalist and prize-winner in the 2005 Lev Vlassenko Piano Competition and the 2006 Australian National Piano Award, and more recently was a finalist and prize-winner in two International Chamber Music Competitions, as a member of The Yarra Trio. He has performed concertos with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria, the Melbourne University Symphony Orchestra, and the Chamber Strings of Melbourne, as well as several other youth and community orchestras. Internationally, he has appeared as a soloist in St Petersburg, Tallinn, Warsaw, Krakow, Athens, Rome, Milan, Amsterdam, London, Bangkok, and Tokyo. His 2007 London debut was described, in a Musical Opinion review by John Amis, as ‘alive, passionate, and dramatic … as if the pianist’s life depended on it. This was a prodigious London debut by a formidable talent.’ Stefan has been composing since the age of seven, and performing his music internationally since the age of ten. His compositions have been performed by the Symphony Orchestras of Melbourne and Adelaide, and continue to be performed and commissioned by many other orchestras and chamber ensembles. Stefan was the Artistic Director of the 2007 Melba Festival in the Yarra Valley, and has been the Guest Artistic Director of Melbourne’s Piano Landmarks festival since 2009. He was appointed Conductor of the Percy Grainger Youth Orchestra at the start of 2010.

MARY JOHNSTON
Conductor - Melbourne Youth Strings
Mary Johnston studied violin with Peter Cropper from the Lindsay String Quartet and Rosemary Furniss from the Nash Ensemble and St. Martin in the Fields. After majoring in performance and composition at University, she gained a Post Graduate Diploma in Orchestral Studies in London working with renowned conductors including Simon Rattle, Lorin Maazel, Sir Charles Groves, Sir Charles Mackerras, Sir Colin Davis, Sir John Elliot Gardner, Vernon Handley and Gennady Rozhdestvensky.

After working with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, The West Australian Symphony Orchestra and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra for many years, Mary is now heavily involved with teaching young musicians. She is conductor of the Melbourne Youth Strings, Head of Strings at Melbourne Girls Grammar School and conductor of the Symphony Orchestra at The Mac.Robertson Girls' High School. Mary is Concertmaster of the Zelman Symphony Orchestra, The Camberwell Camerata Orchestra, plays baroque violin with the Australian Baroque Ensemble, adjudicates at Eistefoddau and plays in 'Take Two String Duo' with cellist Willem van der Vis. This year she has been invited to work at the Conservatorium of Music in Tasmania with the orchestral degree students and training orchestra.

KIERAN CASEY
Conductor - Melbourne Youth Junior Strings
A graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts, cellist Kieran Casey has had much experience working with music students across all age groups. He has been involved as an educator, administrator and conductor with students from primary school to senior VCE students. Kieran has been employed at several schools such as Genazzano College, Firbank Grammar, Mentone Boys’ Grammar and Eltham College, as a classroom and instrumental teacher, as well as conducting instrumental and choral groups. He was Acting Head of Music at Kostka Hall, Xavier College in 2004, and Director of Music at Kilvington Girls’ Grammar from 2005. Kieran has a strong interest in the Kodaly philosophy of music education, and developed a text for use at Year 7 level. He has been a committee member of Austavic (Australian String Teacher’s Association, Victoria), and was also appointed as violoncello examiner for the AMEB during 2000.

RICK PLUMMER
Conductor - Melbourne Youth Wind Symphony
Adelaide born Conductor, Trumpeter and Music Educator, Rick Plummer, began playing with the Campbelltown Brass Band at age 8 receiving lessons from his father. During his time with the band, Rick won many solo Brass competitions including the Under 19 Cornet Championships in 1997, 1998, 1999 as well as the Champion of Champions in 1999. Rick was also awarded the 1997 Australia Day Young Citizen of the year and was a Sydney Olympic Games Torch bearer, in recognition of his commitment to the City of Campbelltown. Rick received a music scholarship to Marryatville High School, before studying Trumpet & Conducting at Flinders Street School of Music and the Elder Conservatorium of Music.

Rick’s professional engagements have included working with the Australian Army Band Adelaide, Elder Conservatorium Wind Ensemble, Elder Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra, the Adelaide Youth Orchestra, as Director of Bands at Cabra Dominican College, Band Director at Wilderness Girls School, Conductor at Marryatville High School and Conductor at SA State Music Camp as well as acting as a Board Member of the Ross Irwin Invitational All Star Big Band.

As a young conductor, Rick has had the privilege to be mentored by Bob Hower, Bill Broughton, Gordon Lambie and Carl Crossin and has participated in courses lead by Dr. Dale Lonis, Dr. Alan Lourens, Stephen Williams and Dr. Barry E. Kopetz.

In 2008, Rick moved to Melbourne to take up his current position as Coordinator of Brass at St Kevin’s College together with his wife Monique who teaches classroom music and directs choirs at Fintona Girls School.

ROSS IRWIN
Conductor - Melbourne Youth Jazz Orchestra
Ross Irwin is a 25 year old singer, songwriter, trumpet player, composer and arranger from Melbourne, Australia. Ross is an artist who truly covers all areas of the music industry, from Jazz education, through to the international Rock scene. As well as playing, writing and arranging for a number of bands including The Cat Empire, The Bamboos and The Daryl McKenzie Jazz Orchestra, he also runs his own projects, including The Ross Irwin Soul Special, and Los Delincuente All-Stars. He has performed at festivals all over the world including Glastonbury Festival, Edinburgh Festival, The Big Day Out, Rock Am Ring/Park Germany, Summer Sonic Japan, Byron Bay Blues and Roots, Falls Festival, Woodford, Queenstown Soul Festival, Melbourne International Jazz Festival, Manly International Jazz Festival, and the Bacardi Festival.

He has toured the world as one of the Empire Horns, with the internationally acclaimed Australian Band, The Cat Empire, as well as playing on their debut, double platinum selling album, and arranging, co-writing and playing on the ARIA award winning “Cities” album. Ross has also toured internationally with the Australian deep-funk outfit, The Bamboos, as well as playing and arranging for their world wide, critically acclaimed debut album, “Step It Up”, and their follow ups “Rawville”, and “Just Say” on “TruThoughts Records UK”. As well as touring with bands, Ross has been invited all over the country to give guest lectures and workshops to high school and university students, speaking on Jazz, Big Bands and the music industry.

As well as a number of recording credits including pop, jazz and rock albums, TV commercials and film soundtracks, Ross has also performed on, and arranged for such TV programs as Rove Live, The Panel, MTV and Channel V’s Music Max. He has recorded, performed with, and arranged for such bands and artists as Jimmy Barnes, Paul Kelly, Marcia Hines, Thirsty Merc, Diesel, Regurgitator, Ozomatli, Michael Franti, Stax Records giant Eddie Floyd, James Morrison, Alice Russell, Tyra Hammond, Ross Wilson, Guy Sebastion, Kate Cebrano, Brian Cadd, Xavier Rudd, The Resin Dogs, Deni Hines, Alan Vizutti, Jim Pugh, Brian May and Roger Taylor of legendary British rock band QUEEN, Vanessa Amarossi, as well as doing support gigs with Australian Bands for “Guru” from (Gangstarr/Jazzmatazz), Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, The Black Eyed Peas, and the late, great Godfather of soul, James Brown.