CONTRA
CONCERTS
Intimate Chamber Music
ALICE GILES AM
harp
© Olia Balabina
First Prize winner of the 8th Israel International Harp Contest, Alice Giles has had a wide-ranging career, with solo recitals from London’s Wigmore Hall, New York Merkin and 92nd St Y, Frankfurt Alte Oper, to Mawson Station, Antarctica. Her solo debut was hailed by the New York Times as "An exciting solo concert. Miss Giles has a fluent technique, a prismatic sense of tonal color and shows a keen awareness of musical structure". She has appeared as guest artist at international chamber music festivals from Marlboro Music to Schleswig Holstein, and as concerto soloist in Asia, Europe, USA, and with all the major Australian orchestras. Lecturer at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Alice has given Master Classes worldwide and is creator of an online harp teaching resource. She was Artistic Director of the World Harp Congress Sydney 2014 and will take on the position of Chair of the WHC in 2026. Alice has commissioned and performed many new works for her instrument. Luciano Berio called her "The most intelligent, sensitive and technically accomplished harpist I have ever met". Alice is regularly invited to sit on the jury of international harp competitions. She founded the Harp Centre Australia, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the harp in Australia. Her extensive discography and more information can be found at www.alicegiles.com
ARTISTS
JONATHAN HENDERSON
flute / Artistic Director
Recognised for his dynamic performances and technical mastery, Jonathan Henderson is an Australian flautist with a multifaceted career spanning Australia and the Nordic countries. He has been engaged as concerto soloist, orchestra principal, chamber music collaborator and recitalist across both regions, appearing at major international festivals including the BBC Proms and Lucerne Festival. His playing has been described by critics as “sublime” (Limelight Magazine), showcasing a “rich range of flute timbres” (The Creative Issue) and “a level of virtuoso control rarely heard” (The Music Trust). After completing his early musical training at the Queensland Conservatorium with Gerhard Mallon and privately with Sally Walker, he pursued further studies in Germany with Felix Renggli at the Hochschule für Musik Freiburg and in Switzerland with Jacques Zoon at the Haute École de Musique Genève. Masterclasses with Andrea Lieberknecht, Renate Greiss-Armin and Emily Beynon were an important influence on his studies. His professional career began in 2012 when he was appointed Principal Flute of the Estonian National Opera Orchestra, a position he held until 2019. During this time, he also worked extensively in Finland as Guest Principal Flute with the Turku Philharmonic and Tampere Philharmonic orchestras and performed with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Nordic Symphony Orchestra and Estonian Festival Orchestra. In Australia, Jonathan has performed with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Australian World Orchestra and Queensland Symphony Orchestra, appearing as Guest Principal Flute with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and Opera Australia Orchestra, as well as Guest Associate Principal Flute with Orchestra Victoria. A dedicated chamber musician, Jonathan is the founder and Artistic Director of Contra Concerts and a former member of the Southern Cross Soloists. As a guest artist, he has appeared at festivals including the Tallinn Chamber Music Festival, Festival Archipel Switzerland, Sydney Festival, Brisbane Music Festival, Orange Chamber Music Festival, Bangalow Music Festival, Musica Viva Tasmania, Melbourne Recital Centre, Phoenix Central Park and the Australian Flute Festival.
© Stephen Henry
JAMES WANNAN
viola
Violist James Wannan is a member of Southern Cross Soloists, and an Artistic Associate of Sydney Chamber Opera. He currently teaches chamber music and viola at the Sydney Conservatorium’s Rising Stars program. He studied viola with Alice Waten and Caroline Henbest in Melbourne; Janet Davies in Sydney; and viola d’amore in Vienna with Marianne Rônez. He explores his passion for music from ancient to contemporary on a number of instruments. James enjoys exploring the possibilities of other instruments: in the Melbourne Festival he performed the violin solo in Elliott Gyger's opera 'Fly Away Peter' and at the Sydney Festival he played the Oud solos in Dusapin's opera 'Passion'. He has worked, for many years, with Winsome Evan in the Renaissance Players, specialising in the vielle and rebec. As a viola d'amore soloist he has championed the full diversity of its repertoire from Ariosti to Haas with a special passion for Hindemith's concerto. He has influenced many new works, including a concerto for viola d’amore and percussion by Jack Symonds that was premiered at the Bendigo Festival of Experimental Music and he inspired the onstage viola d'amore solos in the opera 'Notes From Underground'. He collaborated intensely with Mary Finsterer in her work ‘Ignis’, this piece went on to win APRA’s best instrumental work of the year. James has appeared as a soloist with many of Australia’s orchestras including the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
