This year's tutors will be
Peter Adams (conductor; wind tutor)
Peter is an experienced conductor, composer and fine clarinettist. He has been conductor and musical director for many groups including the Southern Sinfonia, Dunedin Youth Orchestra, St Kilda Brass and the City of Dunedin Choir. He is professor emeritus in music at the University of Otago. We appreciate his musical knowledge and ability to enthuse players of all ages.
Anne Loeser (concertmaster)
Anne is a first violinist with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. She studied violin and viola in Germany, was a member of the Orfeo Quartet, and has played in several European orchestras. Anne puts everyone at ease and we enjoy her physical warm- up exercises at the beginning of each day's playing.
Laura Barton (violin 2)
Laura Barton plays violin with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra. Laura holds a Master of Music (Research) from Griffith University, but first studied at the New Zealand School of Music under CSO concertmaster Martin Riseley. She then attended the Australian National Academy of Music, studying under Melbourne Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Sophie Rowell. A highlight from this time was being selected for the Mahler Chamber Orchestra Academy in Germany in 2019. Laura also held numerous conducting positions in Australia including Conductor in Residence at the Six Piano Project (2017) and Assistant Conductor for both The Metropolitan Orchestra and River City Voices Choir (both 2020). In her free time, Laura enjoys teaching, playing chamber music, taking on too many knitting projects, and daydreaming about all the dogs she will one day adopt.
Susan Dollin (woodwind)
Susan studied performance flute at Canterbury University and now enjoys a very busy life teaching flute players of all ages and abilities. She is a casual player for the Christchurch Symphony and in her spare time enjoys travelling, baking and has been seen running in the SBS Marathon.
Gabriel Baird (double reeds)
Gabe is a bassoonist and pianist based in Christchurch. He plays as Associate Principal bassoonist with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra and enjoys a wide range of piano playing opportunities including accompanying, solo performance, chamber music, and improvising at the Court Theatre.
Sophia Acheson (viola)
Sophia is from Christchurch. She studied performance viola in Wellington where she graduated with first class honours. She was then invited to study in Barcelona with Ashan Pillai, violist with Pinchas Zukerman Chamber Players, and was subsequently awarded scholarships to study with Donald McInnes at the University of Southern California and later with Roger Myers at the University of Texas at Austin. During this period she furthered an interest in early music, learning the viola d'amore and viola da gamba, performing solo in the US at Berkeley and Evanston, and since her return to NZ, in Auckland. Since 2012, Sophia has enjoyed working as a freelance musician with the Auckland Philharmonia, Auckland Chamber Orchestra, Bach Musica and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, until her appointment in 2014 as principal violist of Orchestra Wellington. Apart from orchestral work, Sophia is also keen to continue her interest in chamber music with Toru, a harp, flute and viola trio, and Kiwa String Quartet.
Robert Ibell (lower strings)
Robert was born in Dannevirke and brought up in Palmerston North. He began learning cello at Saturday morning music classes, and played in the Manawatu Youth Orchestra and Manawatu Sinfonia. While training as a school teacher in Palmerston North he learned cello from Judith Hyatt in Wellington. From 1986 to 1992 Robert lived in London, studying cello with Tania Hunt, Derek Simpson and Christopher Bunting. He played at music schools and in masterclasses (where his teachers included Alexander Baillie, Steve Doane, Anner Bylsma and Steven Isserlis), taught, gave recitals and played in professional and amateur orchestras. Between 1993 and 2020 Robert was a member of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. He is now a union organiser, cello teacher and chamber musician. He is a member of the Aroha String Quartet, square piano and cello duo Hammers & Horsehair, contemporary music group Stroma, and indie/folk/rock band Milkthistle.
Ruth Brinkman (woodwind)
Ruth plays bassoon and contrabassoon. She teaches bassoon in schools all over Auckland as well as pupils in her private teaching practice. She played with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra for 38 years. She never seems to have enough time to spend in her garden which only seems to look good over the summer break! She enjoys reading a good book or two as well as tramping when she gets the time.
Mark Carter (brass)
Mark was born in Poole, Dorset, and began playing the cornet at the age of seven. He later joined the school brass band and became a member of the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain. Mark took his first trumpet lesson and later studied at The Royal Academy of Music in London with John Wilbraham. Mark participated in the Royal Academy of Music exchange programme, which allowed him to study at The Queensland Conservatorium of Music in Brisbane. Since then, he has performed with the Cape Town Opera and Ballet Orchestra, the Queensland Philharmonic, the Queensland Orchestra, and the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. Mark currently teaches at the New Zealand School of Music. He is also the musical director of the Wellington Youth Orchestra and the Hutt Valley Orchestra, a dedicated community orchestra of amateur players. When he's not immersed in the world of music, Mark can be found conquering the rugged hills around Wellington and the Hutt Valley on his trusty mountain bike.
Shadley van Wyk (horn)
Shadley is a Camp alumnus who is now Principal Horn for Orchestra Wellington as well as a contract player with NZSO. He also has a busy schedule playing with all the New Zealand regional orchestras and internationally. Shadley studied at Victoria University with Greg Hill, Ed Allen and Samuel Jacobs and is involved in music making as conductor of the Kapiti Youth Orchestra and a player many other groups.
