Whitworth Roach Recital: Kirsten Williams & Marie Searles

Facilitated by the generosity of Ms Christine Roach, the ANU School of Music is excited to host this year's Whitworth Roach Recital featuring Kirsten Williams (violin, pictured left), who will join the judging panel for the 2022 Whitworth Roach Classical Music Performance Competition, and Marie Searles (piano, pictured right).

Kirsten Williams was appointed Concertmaster of the Canberra Symphony Orchestra in 2019 and in 2020 became Head of Strings at the Hume Conservatorium, Goulburn.

Kirsten began the violin at age 4 in Sydney. She studied with Alice Waten at the Sydney Conservatorium and Igor Ozim at the Bern Konservatorium.

She has been a member of the Opera House Orchestra at Covent Garden, the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Associate Leader of the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Associate Concertmaster of the Sydney Symphony 2000-2019 and guest leader of many orchestras. She has given many recitals and ABC broadcasts as a soloist and chamber musician as well as soloist with many Swiss and Australian orchestras.

Kirsten is a much sought after teacher and has taught in many private schools in Sydney as well as in her own private studio and numerous masterclasses. She is a dedicated mentor and tutor of Sydney Youth Orchestra and Australian Youth Orchestra. She directed the AYO chamber orchestra on a tour of USA and Canada and Sydney Youth Orchestra in various concerts.

She also has a passion for playing music for healing purposes: she has recorded 2 CDs for the Australian Bush Flower Essences and in 2014 was named Volunteer of the Year for her work playing in the Intensive Care Unit at Westmead Children's Hospital. That same year she became patron of the Goulburn Strings Project, designed to bring music education to low-socioeconomic and disadvantaged children in regional Australia.

Marie is a pianist and fortepianist with a particular focus in chamber music and accompaniment. In Australia, Marie studied with two of the leading authorities in Chamber music, Suzanne Powell and David Miller. During this time, Marie developed an engaging and sensitive approach to collaborative playing which saw her winning awards and competitions alongside her performing colleagues.

After relocating to the Netherlands, Marie broadened her experience and knowledge into Early Music, undertaking studies in Fortepiano at the Koninklijke Conservatorium of Den Haag under Bart van Oort. As a fortepianist, Marie has performed in the Netherlands, England, France, and Hungary. Marie is a versatile musician whose interests and experiences have enabled her to enjoy a varied performing life.

Alongside her wealth of experience playing for instrumentalists and singers, Marie has explored the accompaniment of dancers, taking part in an intensive summer course for ballet pianists in London under Nicki Williamson, pianist for the Royal and English Ballet. Marie is drawn to the pianistic and improvisational challenges faced by ballet pianists and looks forward to delving deeper into this area in the future.