| Award Recipient - 2003 | |
BENJAMIN NORTHEY
Winner of the Brian Stacey Memorial Award 2003 (for emerging Australian
Conductors) as part of the Helpmann Awards.
Benjamin Northey was born in Australia and completed conducting studies at the
University of Melbourne Faculty Of Music in 2001 under British conductor John
Hopkins. He has also studied in Australia and Finland with Finnish master conductor
Jorma Panula and in 2002 was accepted from an international field as the highest
ranked applicant to the prestigious Sibelius Academy Orchestral Conducting course
where he is currently studying with Leif Segerstam and Atso Almila.
In 2001 he won the Symphony Australia Young Conductor of the Year Competition
and Nelly Apt Scholarship under the directorship of Jorma Panula. This marked
the first time both major Australian conducting prizes were awarded to the same
conductor in the same year. He has conducted the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in
concert, the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and The Queensland Orchestra in Symphony
Australia masterclasses and has worked with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
as Assistant Conductor for the South Australian State Opera 2002 production
of Mozart’s Don Giovanni. In 2002 he also conducted Austria’s Graz
Symphony Orchestra as assistant to Achim Holub.
After his critically acclaimed Australian debut with the Melbourne Symphony
Orchestra in 2003, Northey was subsequently appointed Resident Guest Conductor
of the Australia Pro Arte Orchestra with who he first appeared in 2002.
He has recorded works for ABC Classic FM including the premiere of Timeless
for chamber strings by eminent Australian composer Brenton Broadstock and the
opera Milushka by Katy Abbott. As part of the 2000 Melbourne International Festival
of the Arts he was Musical Director for the St. Martin’s Theatre production
of the contemporary opera orb.IT featuring music by Estelle Pizer. His keen
interest is contemporary Australian orchestral music in demonstrated by his
performances of the music of Stuart Greenbaum, Tim McKenry and Mark Elliott
whose concerto for Chinese Sheng and Orchestra he premiered with the University
of Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in 2002.
In May 2003, Benjamin Northey was able to rearrange his schedule to return early
from Finland (where he was studying conducting) to appear at the Helpmann Awards
Ceremony in Sydney to receive the 2003 Brian Stacey Memorial Award.
Following is a transcript of Ben’s acceptance speech:
“Thankyou Robyn and thankyou to the trustees of the Brian Stacey Memorial
Trust for this special award.
This means a lot to me because I have a real affinity with the spirit of musical
diversity that this award encourages and represents.
Unfortunately I never had the chance to meet Brian Stacey, but from talking
with people who knew and worked with him I can see the level of affection and
professional respect people have for him.
His talent, his commitment to the highest musical standards, his easy-going
way, his warmth and charisma, his integrity and his respect for people are all
things I aspire to not only as a fellow Australian conductor but also as a human
being.
Brian would be happy to know that today there is an increased level of local
and international recognition of emerging Australian conductors and this is
in large part due to the high level of educational and financial support from
organisations such as Symphony Australia, the network orchestras and the Brian
Stacey Memorial Trust.
I thank the trust for their generous support of my continued development and
I am very proud to play a part in keeping alive the memory and the inspiration
of Brian Stacey for Australians and his friends and family who initiated this
award.
Thankyou.”