Piano / Keyboard

LMusA | BMus | ASCM (Chamber Music) | Grad Dip. Ed

Saadet started studying piano at the age of eleven attended Conservatorium High School. She continued her tertiary music education at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, graduating with a Bachelor of Music degree majoring in both performance and accompaniment.

She has been the recipient of many music awards and prizes over the years and has been soloist with both the Sydney Symphony and the Conservatorium Symphony orchestras. Saadet has over 20 years of teaching experience and has been a member of staff at the following Sydney schools: St Joseph’s College (Hunters Hill), St Ignatius’ College (Riverview), SCECGS Redlands (Cremorne), Marist Sisters College (Woolwich), Manly Selective High School.

Since moving to the Nepean area over a decade ago, Saadet has taught at both St Paul’s Grammar School (Cranebrook) and St Dominic’s College (Kingswood). She continues to enjoy teaching students ranging in age and ability from Early Childhood through to HSC candidates and mature-age.

BMus Music Pedagogy | MMus

A classically trained pianist, Miro completed his Masters Degree in instrumental music pedagogy at the University in Poznan (Poland) in 1998. During his 20 years of teaching experience, Miro has prepared hundreds of students for exams, concerts and competitions with his students enjoying excellent results to advanced levels. With his extended experience and a positive, professional attitude, he teaches many various styles, including classical, jazz or pop piano. He uses a wide variety of teaching styles, tailoring the experience for each student according to their interest and talents.

He incorporates Cubase (recording software) and Sibelius (music notation software) into the lessons for those students who express interest in compositions, recording and arrangements. In the past, he has worked at Yamaha Music Australia, Wollongong Conservatorium of Music and now also currently works at The McDonald Performing Arts College. He also manages his percussion band using his own compositions and arrangements. Excerpts of his music can be found on his website.

AMusA | DSCM | Grad Dip. Ed | BA. Ed

Michele Gore is a music tutor with the Department of Education for special music camps in country areas, accompanist/repetiteur for the Gilbert and Sullivan Society, and the Director of Logan’s Music School, Burwood. She has been an official accompanist for several eisteddfods including the City of Sydney and Blue Mountains. She has taught piano at Ravenswood School for Girls, Cranbrook School, Oakhill College and Macarthur Girls’ High School. She has also taught privately in the fields of pianoforte, violoncello, musicianship, theory, accompaniment and HSC music.

As a cellist Michele has performed with Kuringai Philharmonic Orchestra, Willoughby Symphony Orchestra, Penrith Valley Sinfonia, Penrith Symphony Orchestra and the Blue Mountains Opera Orchestra. As a pianist she has performed with Kuringai Philharmonic Orchestra and the Vivace Trio, as well as being the repetiteur for the Blue Mountains Opera. She has given solo and chamber music recitals for community radio and several metropolitan and country music clubs, and has undertaken post-graduate accompaniment studies at the Robert Schumann Conservatorium, Dusseldorf and Trinity College, London.

MA Composition | AMusA | ATCL Teaching Dip

Amanda is a well-established composer, performer, and teacher with extensive experience and eclectic interests. She holds a Masters’ Degree in composition and Diplomas in piano teaching and performance. Amanda’s teaching objectives are holistic: to awaken creativity, foster spontaneity and deepen artistry within her students.

She is a BodyMinded Practitioner (Alexander Technique), a certified master hypnotherapist and master coach of NLP. These areas of expertise equip her to guide students towards technical ease and mental well-being, while enhancing the optimal state for performance.

Amanda has delivered presentations at teachers’ seminars, including the Australasian Piano Pedagogy Conferences. She has lectured in harmony, analysis and composition at Western Sydney University. Her thesis Music of Balance: Circles and Squares explores the universal mandala symbol/concept as a guiding principle for composition.

As a composer, Amanda navigates the nexus of contemporary art and world music genres. Her music has been described in reviews as “hauntingly beautiful, creative, cohesive and compositionally advanced”, “engaging and evocative … seductive with a Spanish tinge, and a lot of grit”.

Amanda has released two albums of original music: Ghosts & Angels (2006) and Gardens of Stone (2012). Both attracted brilliant reviews and ABC radio airplay. She has a large catalogue of compositions published through Wirripang Pty Ltd and some of her works appear in AMEB piano publications and examination syllabi. Her commissioned works include works for a variety of chamber ensembles and solo instruments, especially for festivals and concerts.

www.amandahandel.com

LMusA | Master of Music Studies (Performance)

Benjamin is a piano teacher based in Sydney with seven years of teaching experience. Throughout his career, he has come to understand that learning the piano is an individual experience, requiring a tailored approach for each student. He recognises that every student’s journey is unique and is always willing to adapt his teaching methods to meet their specific needs.

Benjamin specializes in Classical and Romantic music, particularly in preparing students for AMEB exams. Although the AMEB process can be rigorous, he believes that with dedication to improving their musicianship, these exams provide an opportunity for students to shine.

In addition to classical training, he also has experience in teaching jazz and contemporary music. He emphasises that playing the piano should not be limited to endless technical exercises; instead, it offers a chance for creativity and self-expression. By providing students with a simple framework for musical creativity, he aims to help them create a lifetime of original music.

Benjamin completed his LMusA in 2014 and recently earned his Master of Music Studies (Performance) from Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 2023.

He is excited to embark on new journeys with his students.

ADMT | BA Primary Education Studies | MMus

John received his Associate Diploma in Music Teaching (Piano), from the NSW Conservatorium of Music in 1983, after which he studied for a Master’s Degree at Adelaide University and a Bachelor of Primary Education Studies at Charles Sturt University. John has been teaching Piano and Music Theory for over 25 years as a private teacher and music specialist in primary education. As a pianist, he specialises not only in the standard “classical” repertoire but also in jazz improvisation and composition and is an active member of the Hawkesbury Jazz Society.

Many ensembles, including several Australian Symphony Orchestras, have performed his compositions. He believes that, in addition to a sound pedagogical approach to teaching, lessons must be sympathetic to each student’s personal tastes and musical preferences as much as possible and that, above all, a positive teacher-student relationship is essential for children and adults.

CMusA | Certificate of Performance – Voice

Catherine’s passion for music began at the age of eleven, initially playing the organ, it was this introduction that began her lifelong passion for music and performance.

Catherine began teaching piano in 1998 and singing tuition commenced in 2015. Catherine teaches all ages and abilities, she is also qualified in the Hungarian Kodaly method of music, teaching infants up to five years of age.

Catherine prepares students for exams, recitals and the HSC. Her lessons are structured and planned to suit the individual student to facilitate their own goals and achievements.

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BMus | MA | Grad. Dip Music Therapy | GCertGIM | ASCM | PhD

Dr Micaela Nathan is a professional orchestral and concert performer, Music Therapist, examiner for the Australian Music Examinations Board (AMEB), composer, and artistic director. After attending the Sydney Conservatorium High School, she gained her BMus (high distinction), MA (music therapy), and PhD at Sydney University, with adjunctive postgraduate research through Melbourne University and the Sydney University of Technology. Her doctorate research addressed the sociological foundations of Performance Dysfunction in career musicians and music students set in the cultural environment of higher music education. This has contributed to her expertise in the areas of performance anxiety and music therapy.

Over her 40-year career as a concert musician, Dr Nathan has worked regularly with the major Australian symphony, opera, and ballet orchestras in NSW, QLD, and Victoria, and held principal positions with many music theatre productions in Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Korea.

Dr Nathan has been a music educator for 40 years at primary, secondary, and tertiary levels, including lecturer in woodwinds and piano at the Northern Rivers Conservatorium, Penrith Conservatorium, the University of NSW, and University of Technology Sydney. She is regularly sought for specialist instruction for HSC, undergraduate, and postgraduate music students.

As a registered Music Therapist, Dr Nathan provides music learning programs for children who are neurodivergent, and have cognitive differences and physical disabilities. She has undertaken specialist post graduate training and has 25 years’ experience teaching these unique children.

Dr Nathan has composed five albums of structured music therapy sessions, presented at International Music Therapist Association conferences, and published for the International Journal of Music and Imagery. As an adjunct to performing and teaching, Dr Nathan spent many years facilitating workshops combining music psychology and music therapy for community events, cancer patients, and post-graduate students of music therapy.

www.moonmusic.au

BA Music (Piano Performance)

Eunbi Oh is a Korean classical pianist. She started playing the piano at the age of 5, and received her Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance from Dongduk Women’s University in Seoul, South Korea in 2012.

At university, she performed with various choirs, professors, vocalists, and solo instrumentalists as an accompanist. In 2010, Eunbi participated as an accompanist for the opera ‘Le nozze di Figaro’ by W. A. Mozart organised by Dongduk Women’s University College of Arts. She performed in the 4th Piano Ensemble Night at Dongduk Recital Hall and in Piano Duo Recital at Gwanglim Art Centre, in 2009 and 2010 respectively. Eunbi also has served as the Youth Choir Director for 7 years at her church in Seoul, South Korea.

After moving to Sydney, Australia, she worked with River City Voices, Sydney Intervarsity Choral Festival, Inspire Choir, and is now an accompanist for Men’s Shed Chorale Lidcombe.

Passionate about sharing classical music and her experience, Eunbi has tutored students since 2011. She currently teaches piano at Penrith Conservatorium of Music and performs both as a pianist and accompanist in the Greater Sydney area.

BA | AMusA | LMusA | PhD

Finn is a piano teacher specialising in Baroque harpsichord repertoire. At Bard College, in Upstate New York, Finn studied piano with German Diez and harpsichord with Dr. Fred Hammond. During this period, he has given recitals as both an accompanist and soloist, including a performance with the American Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Leon Botstein.

Since arriving in Sydney in 2000, Finn has completed research at UNSW concerning musical aesthetics and psychophysics and continues to perform, compose and write about music. Lessons are centered around exam and recital preparation, and focus on theory, fingering, technique, interpretation, and memorization. Students perform works at the end of the year at a student recital held at the Conservatorium.

www.finnpursell.com

AMusA

Born and raised in the Blue Mountains, Jillian has been playing the piano since she was four years old. Jillian was fortunate with her musical education studying with Jenny Hammond OAM, Lily Cowen (Theory), Igor Hmelnitsky, Brian Stanborough, and achieving the Early Childhood Music Certificate with the Yamaha Music Foundation. Jillian enjoys the many uplifting tonal colours of the piano and likes to relax in her own time either playing or listening to music. More recently, Jillian has provided entertainment for fundraisers, community plays and to add the finishing touch to a special event or occasion.

Jillian is passionate about learning and teaching the piano, and believes in lifelong learning, continuing her own musical education at UWS while teaching students ranging in age from 4 to 94. Should you wish to undertake exams or perhaps just enjoy the pleasure of the piano, you will be supported in whatever musical path you desire for either yourself or your child, regardless of age.