ANAM SKETCHES 2025 presented by THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL ACADEMY OF MUSIC (ANAM) in partnership with AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER ORCHESTRA (ACO)

ANAM Sketches 2025 presented by the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) in partnership with Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO) from 3pm Sunday 7th September 2025 at The Neilson, ACO On The Pier

THE REPERTOIRE –
(a) Erkki VELTHEIM (b. 1976)
Heiligenschein (2021) ^
Joshua Jones (alum 2024) cello (six minutes)

(b) Pierre BOULEZ (1925-2016) Messagesquisse (1976)
Fabian Russell conductor (eight minutes)
Jack Overall ~ (SA) solo cello
Fergus Ascot ~ (VIC) cello
Boudewijn Keenan ~ (NZ) cello
Heesoo Kim ~ (QLD) cello
Ariel Volovelsky ~ (NSW) cello
Max Wung ~ (WA) cello
Joshua Jones (alum 2024) cello

(d) Jane SHELDON (b. 1982)
Talking with herself alone (2025) ^^
Mattea Osenk ~ (SA) viola/voice (four minutes)

(e) Richard MEALE (1932-2009)
Incredible Floridas (1971)
(thirty-three minutes)
i. Prelude
ii. Interlude I
iii. Sonata I
iv. Interlude II
v. Sonata II
vi. Postlude
Louise Turnbull ~ (VIC) violin/viola
Jack Overall ~ (SA) cello
Emica Taylor ~ (NZ) flute
Georgia White ~ (VIC) clarinet
Steven Bryer ~ (QLD) percussion
Po Goh ~ (VIC) piano

– Louise plays an Antonio Costa violin, and Pierre Guillaume violin bow, on loan to ANAM from Jannie Brown.
– Mattea plays a Coghill viola, purchased by the Lesley McMullin Viola Fund.
– Max plays a Pierre Guillaume cello bow, on loan to ANAM from Jannie Brown.
– Fergus currently plays a Virgilio Capellini 2006 Cello on loan to ANAM from Jannie Brown.

^ The 2021 ANAM Set commission was supported by the Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand (RISE) Fund – an Australian Government initiative.
^^ The 2025 ANAM Set commissions are supported by the Anthony and Sharon Lee Foundation.
~ Denotes ANAM musicians who are supported by ANAM Syndicate donors or a foundation.
Highly Recommended. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A LEAP OFF THE DRAWING BOARD – What do we ask of the coming generation? The weight of expectation sits heavily on the shoulders of those who try to rise to it, trapped between the conflicting pressures of hope that newness brings an overwhelming obligation to tradition. Today’s emerging musicians battle to find their voice when it must be both unique and precisely following tradition. Where does one begin in this paralysing contradiction? In Erkki Veltheim’s Heiligenschein (“Holy Light”), one note is all that is needed to take the first step forward against this “haunting aura of the past.” Using two recordings of J.S. Bach’s prelude from his Cello Suite No. 1, Veltheim has created a “spectral halo” which the cellist then colours with an obsessive repetition of just one pitch, the open G string. In this obsession, is the cellist searching deeper into the note for perfection, or outwards for the first step out, their next note? “The title Heiligenschein . . . is taken from the optical phenomenon of seeing a halo around one’s shadow in certain conditions . . . It becomes a metaphor for the way a performer is caught between ideas of self-projection and fidelity to the original, all the while bathed in the inescapable afterglow of the historical canon.” — Erkki Veltheim Pierre Boulez saw himself as the next step for art music when similarly trapped against the contradictory pressures of creating something new and maintaining
the canon. The most polemic of the twentieth century avant-garde, he believed the past needed to be destroyed and replaced with a new tradition — one of his own design. At the beginning of Messagesquisse, an E-flat emerges, aching, tentative as only the intimacy of a harmonic can be. From the deeper reflection of Veltheim’s repeated G, Boulez is assured as to what the notes are: a hexachord (six note tone row), assembled note-by-note in the introduction, then frantically
reconstructed over and over in this typically challenging, evocative soundscape. Commissioned for the great Mstislav Rostopovich, Messagesquisse rightly earns its place as one of the most challenging works any cellist performing the principal line could tackle.
For all the virtuosity in the world, many struggle to connect to the world of Boulez and its self-professed aseptic nature, so deeply mired in technical construction and theory. A contrasting vision is Jane Sheldon’s strikingly contemporary and deeply human Talking with herself alone, devised for Mattea Osenk as part of The ANAM Set commissioning project as a work for “singing violist”. Osenk, who gives the work’s first performance today, had found an affinity with another work for singing violist (Aftermath by Emily Sheppard, alum 2013, violin) and adding to the very small pool of works was the perfect commission for Sheldon, acclaimed for both vocal performance and composition. The title and text come from Rainer Maria Rilke’s O brunnenmund (“O Fountain Mouth”) and conceptually follow Sheldon’s own 2022 album, I am a tree, I am a mouth, a collection of “solo duets”. Mattea Osenk (SA) viola/voice – during a recent interview, stated that it was great to be able to discuss the performance with the composer (Jane SHELDON) and get feedback, unlike doing a Brahms piece.

Then there are those that found the future in the past. Far from the discomfort of subtext in Stravinsky’s neoclassicism and Grainger’s obsession with racial
hierarchy expressed somewhat through his work with folk music, merging past with present can be ‘HIP’ (literally, historically informed performers
finding success outside academia) or provide a fertile inspiration for new works. The composers of Les six
in turn-of-the-century France were among the latter, taking medieval and renaissance French works as
inspiration for a new style which rejected German Romanticism and nationalism that was overwhelmingly popular at the time. Germaine Tailleferre’s emotive
Nocturne is both modern and timeless, with Debussy’s pianism alongside guitar-like “strumming patterns” and longing, unresolved harmonic movement.

So, the titular ‘Sketch’ of today is not just a work — and is certainly not the honed performances of these technical and pinnacles of art music — but instead a template of the future. Far from the prescriptivist demands of what a classical musician should be, each of these ANAM musicians sketch their own future, free to colour across those lines and redraw them afresh. Richard Meale is one such trailblazer who similarly took his own path, fiercely anti-nationalist (at times oppositional to the ‘Australianisms’ of contemporary Peter Sculthorpe), avant-garde and yet never losing a personal streak from his own identity as a gay man living through the AIDS crisis. Incredible Floridas is a landmark of Meale’s and Australian art music as a whole, suffering obscurity largely due to its immense technical demands. Based on Arthur Rimbaud’s A Season in Hell, Incredible Floridas merges Boulezian modernism with a programmatic sensibility, creating a work both challenging, humanistic and authentically moving.
Words by Alex Owens, Music Librarian, Robert Salzer Foundation Library.
“I have never had the privilege of having a piece composed for me before, and it really showed me more about what my natural musical instincts are, and also to trust that part of me, a lot more. It was so special seeing this art for
the first time and being able to make it my own. I was given this incredible opportunity when I was just starting to explore other genres, specifically singing and playing with the instrument. I feel the ANAM Set project has only inspired me to further explore this avenue, and has even given me a gentle push to start writing my own music!” — MATTEA OSENK (SA) VIOLA

ABOUT ANAM –
The Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) is a dynamic and internationally engaged cultural institution. Founded in 1996, ANAM is renowned as the only purely classical music performance training academy in Australia, and one of the few in the world.
The ANAM Training Program is an intense studio-based program designed to meet the optimum developmental requirements of each musician. The focus is on outstanding pedagogy, which is reflected in one of the country’s most active and innovative performance programs, with over 200 public performances presented annually. An in-depth Musician Enhancement program ensures the whole musician is supported and industry partnerships provide additional performance experience in orchestras, ensembles and festivals across the country.

International Academy partners include the Karajan Akademie of the Berliner Philharmoniker, Bayerisches Staatsorchester Hermann Levi Academy (Munich) and Mahler Chamber Orchestra (Berlin). As a member of the Australian Government-funded Arts8 group of performing arts training organisations, ANAM is dedicated to providing the high-level studio-based training necessary to ensuring that the national performing
arts sector has a pipeline of creative talent that will enable it to continue telling Australian stories for generations.

ANAM’s initiative The ANAM Set has commissioned 105 composers since 2021 from Australia and New Zealand to write a solo/duo work for an ANAM musician. Each ANAM Set work is premiered at ANAM then recorded by ABC Classic, contributing to the canon of new Australian music.

ANAM ALUMNI IN AUSTRALIA, SNAPSHOT –
ANAM Alumni are performers, pedagogues and
cultural leaders across Australia, New Zealand, and internationally. They contribute significantly to Australia’s vibrant arts sector, with 97% of graduates
from the last five years boasting vibrant careers in the arts, either with permanent employment o freelance work. Over 100 active Australian chamber ensembles boast ANAM alumni members

– “I’m sure I wouldn’t be where I am today
without ANAM . . . the perfect melting pot of inspiration and creativity.”
“ANAM showed me that there was no mountain
that I couldn’t tackle, no musical situation that I couldn’t handle. To liberate young artists to
that extent, is something truly special.”
— HARRY BENNETTS (VIOLIN 2016)
Associate Concertmaster, Sydney Symphony Orchestra
— LLOYD VAN’T HOFF (CLARINET 2014)
Head of Classical Woodwind, Elder Conservatorium of Music Pathways Program Director, Australian Festival of Chamber Music Clarinet, Arcadia Winds
“I came to ANAM as an 18-year old; utterly
determined and driven to learn. I knew the
viola was my voice, but I needed the tools to help me express it. ANAM hugely supported my magnetic pull towards chamber music, and I owe it a lot for giving me that support.”
— STEFANIE FARRANDS (VIOLA 2008)
Principal Viola, Australian Chamber Orchestra
“The three years I spent at ANAM opened up
a whole new world of opportunities for me.
I arrived not quite sure how I would create a life in the music world, and emerged with the skills, networks and connections that have helped me to forge a professional career as a
musician.” — THEA ROSSEN (PERCUSSION 2016)
Founder and Director – Ad Lib Collective
Music Educator and Presenter

The Alchemy of Becoming, The Harbour, The Pier, The Promise. On a Sunday afternoon in early September, the light in Sydney is a particular kind of magic. It is a clean, sharp, golden light that seems to polish the city, making the white sails of the Opera House gleam and the deep blue of the harbour water sparkle with a million diamond points. It is a light that promises clarity, revelation, and beauty. On such an afternoon, at 3 pm on the 7th of September 2025, within the elegant, wood-panelled confines of The Neilson, ACO On The Pier, that promise was not merely fulfilled; it was transcended. The Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM), in partnership with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, presented “ANAM Sketches,” a concert that was far more than a mere performance. It was a manifesto, a living document, and a breathtakingly vivid portrait of the future of music itself.

To call this event a concert feels almost reductive. It was a ritual of passage. It was a symposium of souls. It was a gathering where the weight of centuries of musical tradition met the fierce, brilliant, and unapologetic energy of the now, and in that collision, something new and extraordinary was forged. The title, “Sketches,” is a masterstroke of understatement and profound meaning. These were not rough drafts or unfinished ideas; they were the essential, confident lines drawn by master artists—both composers and performers—each stroke intentional, each gesture laden with meaning, together composing a complete and stunning picture of artistic integrity and evolution.

This review is an attempt to capture the essence of that afternoon, to sit with the reverberations of the music that was played, and to articulate the immense hope and admiration that this gathering of young musicians and their visionary institution inspires. It is a deep dive into the repertoire, the performances, the context, and the silent, powerful narrative that wove it all together: the story of what it means to be an artist in the 21st century.

Part I: The Foundation – Acknowledgment and Aspiration. Before a single note was played, a fundamental truth was spoken. The Acknowledgment of Country that opened the program is not a perfunctory gesture; it is the bedrock upon which all Australian art must now consciously rest. To “respectfully acknowledge the traditional custodians of the lands spread across Australia” and to “honour their continued relationship to these sites” is to immediately situate the European classical tradition, from which this music largely springs, within a much deeper, older, and richer Australian context. It is an act of humility and connection, recognising that the music about to be heard, though from different shores, now adds its voice to the ongoing song of this land. This acknowledgment frames the entire endeavour not as an isolated, rarefied cultural import, but as a living, breathing part of Australia’s contemporary cultural dialogue. It sets a tone of respect, mindfulness, and awareness that permeated the entire afternoon. These young musicians are not just technicians of the past; they are culturally literate citizens of the present, and this foundational respect is the first and most crucial note in their symphony of skill.

This ethos is central to ANAM’s mission. As outlined in the program, ANAM is not merely a conservatoire; it is a “dynamic and internationally engaged cultural institution” dedicated to “outstanding pedagogy” and the development of the “whole musician.” The statistics speak volumes: over 100 alumni in active chamber ensembles, a staggering percentage of players in every major Australian orchestra, and partnerships with the world’s most prestigious institutions like the Karajan Akademie and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. But numbers only tell part of the story. The testimonials from alumni like Harry Bennetts, Lloyd van’t Hoff, Stefanie Farrands, and Thea Rossen reveal the true impact: it is about building confidence, finding one’s voice, and creating a professional and personal toolkit for a sustainable life in music. ANAM doesn’t just create performers; it cultivates leaders, educators, innovators, and custodians of the art form.

This holistic approach is made possible by a profound culture of philanthropy, detailed in the program’s closing pages. The list of patrons, pioneers, luminaries, champions, and supporters is a testament to a community that understands that art of this calibre is not a commodity but a vital ecosystem that requires nurturing. From the Janet Holmes à Court AC and the late Dame Elisabeth Murdoch AC DBE to the countless syndicate donors supporting individual musicians, this is a network of belief. They are investing not in a product, but in a process; not in a finished article, but in potential. This concert, “ANAM Sketches,” was the vibrant, thrilling dividend on that investment.

Part II: The Program as Narrative – A Journey from Solitude to Symphony. The curation of the program for “ANAM Sketches” was a work of art in itself. It was not a random assortment of pieces but a carefully constructed narrative arc, a journey that explored the individual voice, the collaborative spirit, the weight of history, and the boldness of the new. It moved from the solitary meditation of a single cellist to the complex, kaleidoscopic world of a mixed ensemble, tracing a path that mirrored the artistic journey of every musician on stage.

Chapter 1: The Single Note – Erkki Veltheim’s Heiligenschein (2021)

The journey began not with a fanfare, but with a whisper. Not with a complex theme, but with a single, open G string. Erkki Veltheim’s Heiligenschein, a 2021 ANAM Set commission, is a piece of profound conceptual and emotional depth. As the program note by Alex Owens so brilliantly elucidates, the work tackles the “haunting aura of the past” that every young artist faces. How does one step out from the “inescapable afterglow of the historical canon,” particularly one as monumental as Bach?

Joshua Jones, an alum of 2024, took the stage alone. The atmosphere shifted, becoming intensely focused, intimate. The piece begins with two pre-recorded, slightly out-of-sync playings of the Prelude from Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1. This familiar, beloved music is presented not as itself, but as a ghost, a memory, a “spectral halo.” It is the cultural baggage every musician carries. And then, the live cello enters, not with Bach’s flowing arpeggios, but with an obsessive, persistent, unwavering repetition of a single pitch: the open G.

For six minutes, Joshua Jones explored the universe contained within that one note. This was not a monotonous repetition; it was a deep, meditative excavation. Through bow pressure, speed, placement, and a masterful control of harmonics and timbre, he made that single G string speak in a thousand voices. It was a growl, a murmur, a shimmer, a cry, a prayer. It was the sound of an artist searching and searching for perfection within the note, searching for a way out of it, searching for their own voice amidst the echoing ghosts of greatness.

The title, meaning “Holy Light” or the halo one sees around one’s shadow, is a perfect metaphor. The performer is both the source of the light and the object casting the shadow, trapped in the beautiful, blinding glow of tradition. Jones’s performance was a masterclass in concentration and artistic commitment. He held the audience in a state of rapt attention, making us hear the infinite within the finite. It was a courageous and stunning opening, a statement of intent for the entire concert: we will engage deeply with the past, not to replicate it, but to use it as a point of departure for our own essential explorations.

Chapter 2: The Architect’s Blueprint – Pierre Boulez’s Messagesquisse (1976)

From the introspective, almost philosophical search of Veltheim, the program pivoted dramatically to the fierce, intellectual rigour of Pierre Boulez. If Veltheim was asking a question, Boulez was proclaiming an answer—a radical, complex, and uncompromising one. Messagesquisse (a portmanteau of “message” and “esquisse,” meaning sketch) is a work of formidable architecture.

Commissioned for the legendary Mstislav Rostropovich, it is a piece that lives in the world of high modernism, built on a serialist framework using a specific six-note cell (a hexachord). The program notes describe Boulez as “the most polemic of the twentieth century avant-garde,” who believed “the past needed to be destroyed and replaced with a new tradition — one of his own design.”

Under the precise and energetic baton of Fabian Russell, seven cellists took the stage: soloist Jack Overall (SA) surrounded by a cadre of six others—Fergus Ascot (VIC), Boudewijn Keenan (NZ), Heesoo Kim (QLD), Ariel Volovelsky (NSW), Max Wung (WA), and returning alum Joshua Jones. The visual impact was itself powerful: a phalanx of cellos, a unified yet multi-voiced organism.

The piece begins with that “aching, tentative” harmonic on E-flat, a delicate seed from which the entire complex structure explosively grows. What followed was a breathtaking display of collective virtuosity. The music is a whirlwind of plucked notes, aggressive bowing, glissandi, and frantic rhythmic interplay. It is music that demands absolute precision, a shared rhythmic pulse, and an almost superhuman level of communication.

Jack Overall, as the principal soloist, was phenomenal. His technique was flawless, navigating the absurdly difficult passages with a clarity and force that never devolved into mere noise. But the true magic was in the ensemble. This was not one soloist with accompaniment; this was a conversation among seven equals, a democratic yet intensely disciplined musical machine. They passed phrases between them like electrical currents, creating a tapestry of sound that was at once jagged and lyrical, chaotic and perfectly controlled.

For an audience, Boulez can be challenging. His sound world is not traditionally “beautiful.” But this performance transcended the academic exercise. Under Russell’s guidance and through the passionate commitment of the young cellists, the piece revealed its raw, expressive power. It was the sound of modernism itself: ambitious, complex, and utterly convinced of its own necessity. It was a thrilling declaration that the future of music is also built on the fearless intellectual ambition of the 20th century.

Chapter 3: The Human Voice – Jane Sheldon’s Talking with herself alone (2025)

After the architectural grandeur of Boulez, the program offered a moment of stunning, vulnerable humanity. Jane Sheldon’s Talking with herself alone, another ANAM Set commission receiving its world premiere, was a radical and beautiful contrast. Devised for Mattea Osenk as a work for ‘singing violist,’ it exists in the rarefied space between music theatre, art song, and pure chamber music.

The title and text come from Rainer Maria Rilke’s poem “O brunnenmund” (“O Fountain Mouth”), evoking a sense of internal dialogue, of a self conversing with its own depths. Mattea Osenk walked onto the stage and immediately commanded a different kind of attention. She held her viola not just as an instrument, but as an extension of her own body, her own voice.

What unfolded was nothing short of miraculous. Osenk began to play her viola, drawing out long, ethereal lines that seemed to hang in the air. And then, she began to sing. Her voice, a clear, focused, and beautifully controlled soprano, was not an addition to the viola’s line; it was its twin, its echo, its question, and its answer. She was, quite literally, talking with herself alone.

The technique required to do this is immense. To maintain intonation and bow control on the viola while simultaneously producing a sung pitch is a feat of coordination that few musicians ever attempt. Osenk made it seem not just natural, but inevitable. The music itself, by Sheldon, was exquisite. It wove the voice and the instrument into a single entity, exploring the spaces between speech and song, between string resonance and vocal cord vibration. It was intimate, haunting, and deeply moving.

This piece and this performance were a powerful testament to the ethos of The ANAM Set project. As Osenk herself says in the program, “I’ve never had the privilege of having a piece composed for me before, and it really showed me more about what my natural musical instincts are, and also to trust that that part of me a lot more.” This is the heart of ANAM’s mission: to give artists the tools and the opportunities to discover and trust their own unique voices. Osenk’s performance was a brave and stunning revelation of an artist fully in possession of her means, exploring new territories of expression. It was a highlight of the afternoon, a perfect example of how new music can be immediately accessible, emotionally resonant, and utterly contemporary.

Chapter 4: Timeless Elegance – Germaine Tailleferre’s Partita (1957) – ii. Notturno

Following the premiere of Sheldon’s work, the program offered a moment of repose with the second movement, “Notturno,” from Germaine Tailleferre’s Partita. Tailleferre, the only female member of the famed French composers’ group “Les Six,” often wrote with a clarity, charm, and elegance that belied a deep sophistication.

Po Goh (VIC) at the piano took the stage for this brief, but beautiful interlude. The Notturno is a gem of neoclassicism. Lyrical, impressionistic harmonies of Debussy, but filtered through a more structured, almost archaic lens, with guitar-like strumming patterns in the left hand. Music that is both nostalgic and entirely present.

Po Goh’s performance was a masterclass in touch plus tone, and also drew a beautiful, singing line from the piano, phrasing the melancholic melody with exquisite tenderness. The balance between the hands was perfect, allowing the intricate accompanying figures to shimmer without ever overpowering the melodic thread. Performance of quiet confidence and refined musicality, a reminder of the enduring power of simple, beautiful writing, perfectly executed. In the context of the program, it served as a bridge, connecting the French modernist tradition of Boulez back to an earlier, more melodic iteration of French innovation.

Chapter 5: The Australian Epic – Richard Meale’s Incredible Floridas (1971). The concert culminated in a monumental undertaking: a complete performance of Richard Meale’s Incredible Floridas. This is a piece that stands as a “landmark of Meale’s and Australian art music as a whole,” yet it is rarely performed due to its “immense technical demands.” That ANAM chose to programme it, and that these young musicians undertook to perform it, is a statement of immense ambition and respect.

Scored for flute, clarinet, violin/viola, cello, percussion, and piano, Incredible Floridas is a six-movement journey based on Arthur Rimbaud’s apocalyptic and visionary poem, A Season in Hell. Meale, as the program notes, was a complex figure: “fiercely anti-nationalist,” avant-garde, and yet deeply personal, with his identity as a gay man living through the AIDS crisis informing his work.

The ensemble assembled was stellar: Louise Turnbull (VIC) on violin/viola, Jack Overall (SA) returning on cello, Emica Taylor (NZ) on flute, Georgia White (VIC) on clarinet, Steven Bryer (QLD) on percussion, and Po Goh (VIC) back at the piano. Together, they embarked on this 33-minute epic.

From the mysterious, atmospheric “Prelude” to the final, fading “Postlude,” the performance was a tour de force. Meale’s language here is a unique synthesis of Boulezian complexity and a more poetic, almost narrative sensibility. The music is wildly volatile, shifting from moments of delicate, pointillistic texture to explosive, percussive outbursts. It requires each player to be a consummate soloist and a supremely sensitive ensemble member.

The cohesion of the group was astounding. They navigated the fiendish rhythmic complexities and intricate harmonic clashes with absolute assurance. Emica Taylor’s flute lines were agile and ethereal; Georgia White’s clarinet provided both warmth and piercing intensity; Steven Bryer’s percussion work was colouristic and powerfully precise; Louise Turnbull switched between violin and viola with seamless authority, providing a strong string core; Jack Overall’s cello was, once again, a source of rich, dark lyricism and rhythmic drive; and at the heart of it all, Po Goh’s piano playing was the anchor, managing the Herculean keyboard part with both power and nuance.

They didn’t just play the notes; they told the story. One could feel the turmoil, the ecstasy, the despair, and the fleeting glimpses of transcendence that permeate Rimbaud’s text and Meale’s score. It was a physically and emotionally demanding performance for both the musicians and the audience, but it was utterly compelling. To experience this masterpiece, performed with such commitment and understanding by the next generation of musical leaders, was a privilege. It felt less like a performance and more like an act of cultural preservation and renewal. They were not just playing Australian music; they were reclaiming it, internalising it, and ensuring its life for years to come.

The Performers – The Human Element of the Sketch. While the music was the vehicle, the young artists of ANAM were the undeniable engine and the soul of the afternoon. The program’s title, “ANAM sketches,” applies most powerfully to them. They are works in progress, but what magnificent works. Each performer showcased not just technical prowess, but a distinct and developing artistic personality.

· Joshua Jones (cello): His performance in the Veltheim was an act of profound focus and musical meditation. He demonstrated that supreme artistry often lies not in how many notes you can play, but in how much meaning you can imbue in a single one.
· The Cello Ensemble (Boudewijn Keenan, Heesoo Kim, Ariel Volovelsky, Max Wung, Fergus Ascot, Jack Overall, Joshua Jones): Their unity in the Boulez was a marvel of collective discipline. They moved and breathed as one organism, a testament to the intense chamber music training at the heart of ANAM’s philosophy.
· Jack Overall (cello): As the principal in the Boulez and a key voice in the Meale, Overall revealed himself to be a musician of formidable power and precision. His technique is rock-solid, and his musical presence is confident and compelling.
· Mattea Osenk (viola/voice): Her performance was a revelation. It required a rare blend of courage, vulnerability, and sheer technical skill. She has not only mastered her instrument but is pioneering a new, hybrid form of expression. Her quote in the program reveals an artist on a thrilling path of self-discovery.
· Po Goh (piano): In both the Tailleferre and the Meale, Goh displayed incredible versatility. Conjuring a world of delicate poetry in a nocturne and then provide the complex, rhythmic backbone for a sprawling modernist epic, plus with touch and musical intelligence evident throughout.

The Meale Ensemble (Turnbull, Overall, Taylor, White, Bryer, Goh) tackled one of the hardest pieces, in the Australian repertoire and made it coherent, expressive, and thrilling. Each was a superb soloist, but their ability to listen and blend, made the performance truly great.

Every musician on stage contributed to an atmosphere of mutual support and shared purpose. They were not competing for attention; they were collaborating towards a common goal. This is the ANAM effect, that creates not just great players, but great colleagues.

The Institution – The Framework for Genius. Each concert of this calibre, does not happen by accident. It is the product of an ecosystem designed for excellence. The faculty listed—paedagogical giants like Paavali Jumppanen, Howard Penny, Adam Chalabi, Timothy Young, Peter Neville, and David Thomas, do provide the technical and artistic foundation. The administrative and philanthropic machinery, so meticulously detailed in the program, provides the support structure that allows the artists to focus solely on their craft.

The choice of repertoire was particularly inspired. It was a curriculum in itself, taking the audience and the musicians on a journey through spectralism (Veltheim), high modernism (Boulez), contemporary vocal-instrumental fusion (Sheldon), neoclassicism (Tailleferre), and Australian modernist masterpiece (Meale). This is the kind of programming that challenges and educates both the performer and the audience, refusing to settle for the safe and familiar.

The venue, The Neilson, ACO On The Pier, with its panoramic views of the harbour from the foyer, provided a stunningly beautiful and intimate setting. The acoustics were clear and present, allowing every nuance of these complex scores to be heard, both exclusive and welcoming, a perfect jewel box for the musical gems on display.

The Future, Drawn in Light. As the final notes of Meale’s Incredible Floridas faded into the air, the audience sat for a moment in stunned silence before erupting into rapturous, sustained applause. It was the kind of applause that is more than politeness; it is gratitude, awe, and shared excitement. We had not just been entertained; we had been witness to something significant.

“ANAM Sketches” was more than a concert. It was a powerful affirmation. It affirmed that the future of classical music is not something to be feared but fiercely anticipated. It is in the hands of thinkers like Veltheim and Sheldon, of past masters like Boulez, Tailleferre, and Meale, and most importantly, in the hands, hearts, and minds of these phenomenal young musicians.

“ANAM Sketches” are the confident, bold, and elegant lines from which the masterpiece of the next generation of music will be drawn. They are technically equipped to handle the most demanding repertoire of the past and present. They are intellectually curious, engaging with complex ideas and new forms. They are emotionally brave, willing to be vulnerable and personal on stage. And they are culturally aware, understanding their place in a long tradition and a wide world.

The light on that September afternoon was indeed blessed. The light of potential realised, of talent nurtured, of art flourishing, and the brilliant futures of every musician on that stage. ANAM is not just training musicians, and is stewarding the future of culture itself, and based on the evidence of this sublime afternoon, that future is incredibly bright.

More information –
Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM)
https://anam.com.au/whats-on/events/anam-sketches
Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO)
https://www.aco.com.au/whats-on/2025/anam-sketches

ANAM SKETCHES 2025 from 3pm Sunday 7th September 2025.
ACO On The Pier – The Neilson
13A Hickson Road, Dawes Point, NSW.

“Supporting ANAM makes me feel
connected in a meaningful way to some
extraordinary human beings.”
— LORIS ORTHWEIN, ANAM PATRON AND BEQUESTOR
“I wanted to bequeath a bursary that will enable
young musicians to maximise their potential.
It was clear that ANAM staff and faculty
understood and shared my objective, and I am
delighted to know my legacy will contribute
to such exceptionally gifted young musicians
reaching their goals.”
— THEA ROCHE, BEQUESTOR
“I wish that as a student, I could have
experienced the opportunities for growth
and learning that the ANAM musicians have
at their fingertips.”
— NOAH BENDIX-BALGLEY, CONCERTMASTER,
BERLIN PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

Photo credit is Neil Bennett.

Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM)
Abbotsford Convent
SH1.28 Sacred Heart Building
1 St Heliers Street, ABBOTSFORD VIC 3067
telephone – 03 9645 7911
mailto:info@anam.com.au
https://anam.com.au/
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Experience an evening of gilded glamour at Bennelong
celebrating the musical transformation that ANAM enables.

AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL ACADEMY OF MUSIC –
ALCHEMY – 2025 SYDNEY DINNER from 6pm Tuesday 28 October 2025
at Bennelong, Sydney Opera House. Featuring performances by
ANAM Musicians and a three-course menu accompanied by fine wines.
TICKETS ON SALE NOW – https://anam.com.au/alchemy2025

The recordings are the ANAM Set works, available on the ANAM website here –
https://anam.com.au/theanamset/catalogue —
(please note that the 2025 commissions are currently being recorded, and not available yet)