Paul Taylor Conductor & Musical Director
My Mission for the St Albans Music Weekend
The goal of the St Albans strings workshop weekend is to bring together like minded amateur string players to enjoy making music together in an inclusive, friendly and fun environment. This event has grown from the Innominato Strings group, a group of keen amateur musicians who share a passion for making music and enjoying the social and educational side of rehearsing and performing music. They are a group of friends and colleagues that span many age groups and backgrounds. The ethos of the Innominato Strings is one of inclusiveness.
All players are welcomed and supported no matter their experience or ability (usually from about grade 3). This weekend is a chance to get to know some lovely members of this group, and to meet like-minded creative and friendly musicians to share in the learning and performing of some interesting repertoire. The weekend will include group rehearsals, sectional tutorials and a performance to end the weekend. There will also be ample time to meet the members of the group and to relax in the beautiful historical St.Albans Area. All players welcome, all standards are catered for.
Inclusive, Friendly, Creative, Educational, Challenging & Fun
Paul began playing the cello in 1992. He entered the Victorian college of the arts for 1995, and completed his undergraduate degree with honours in 2001 studying with Nelson Cooke, former student of Pablo Casals, and former principal of the London Symphony. In 2002, Paul travelled to Europe where he studied with Walter Despalj, the renowned cellist and teacher at the Zagreb Academy of Music, Croatia, for one year. He then moved to Vienna, where he studied under Howard Penny, the former principal cellist of the Vienna Symphony, and principal of the European Chamber orchestra. Whilst there, he was also fortunate to study with Dimitry Fershtman, professor of cello at the Conservertoire van Amsterdam, Rudolf Leopold, Viola de Hoog, and Alexander Baillie.
In 2004, he returned to Australia to take up a position as a full scholarship holder at the Australian National Academy of Music in Melbourne. During his time there, he was able to study intensely with such teachers as Mats Lidstrom, principal of the London Philharmonic, David Berlin, principal of the Melbourne Symphony, Suren Bagratuni, professor of cello at Michigan State University, and graduate of the Moscow conservatorium, and again Alexander Baillie. In 2005 he moved to Adelaide to begin a master of Music degree under Janis Laurs, principal cellist of the Adelaide Symphony, and former student of Andre Navarra.
Paul has worked as a freelance cellist for 20 years and has played with many of Australia’s symphony orchestras. Paul has also done many recordings for Sony music, Pixar and many popular bands and performers, including John Farnham, Darryl Braithwaite, Gang of Youths and Paul Kelly.
Paul has always been teaching, whether at schools, institutions or privately. Paul was the cello teacher at Mentone Girls Grammar and Carey Grammar Schools in Melbourne, and in Tasmania taught the cello class and excerpt class at the Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music. In Sydney, Paul spreads his teaching between tertiary academic instruction at the Australian Institute of Music, instrumental teaching at Wenona, Shore, Ravenswood and Pymble Public and his private studio in Pymble.
Paul has been directing and conducting chamber music, string orchestras and other ensembles for over 20 years. Paul Studied chamber music with some of the worlds finest players in Europe and at the Australian National Academy of Music, and has since tutored many tertiary and secondary chamber music groups and orchestras.
Paul has instituted and directed string programs at many schools, both primary and secondary, over the years, and is currently the conductor of the competition winning string ensemble at Ravenswood School for Girls.
Justin White Luthier
Justin White is a violinist, music teacher, and musical instrument maker (luthier). He started to learn music seriously in his late teens. Like so many teenagers he took up electric guitar but very soon he found strumming chords to be less than satisfying. His search for something more complex resulted in his move to the classical guitar. Now in his early 20’s, Justin enrolled for a full-time course in guitar, choosing the violin as his second instrument but very soon the violin replaced the classical guitar as his centre of study. By the end of that year Justin was hooked and he went on to take a first-class honours degree in music at the University of New South Wales. Having started work on a PhD while starting to make instruments he soon found that he was becoming more and more drawn to instrument making, which is now his primary focus.
For Justin, becoming a luthier, specialising in period instruments, was a logical confluence of all his interests. Justin makes violins, violas, cellos and guitars, based on original specifications. Following in the style of the Cremonese masters, the models are derived from a careful study of original instruments and construction forms. His website has more detailed information about the history of the instruments that he has made.
Justin thinks that he enjoys teaching adults because he was a late starter when he took up the violin. That gives him insight into what it is like to learn an instrument as an adult. Although adults encounter more challenges when learning an instrument, he finds teaching adults rewarding because adults are interested in the wider context, the history, the theory, as well as the mechanics. Justin’s classes for adults at the North Sydney Community Centre are always full.
