Featured artists
Kazimierz Machala
Kazimierz Machala is a Polish-born horn player, composer, and teacher. He studied at the Janáček Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts in the Czech Republic and was the first horn player in Juilliard’s history to receive the Doctor of Musical Arts degree. He also won third prize at the 1974 International Music Competition for Woodwinds and Brass in Prague.
From 1989 to 2009, he taught at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is now Professor Emeritus of Horn. As a performer, he has appeared on numerous occasions with the New York Philharmonic and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, and has served as principal horn with both the Cracow Radio Symphony and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, where he held the position for seven years.
Machala has also been active in chamber music as a member of the American Woodwind Quintet, the University of Illinois Brass Quintet, the Australian Wind Virtuosi, and, from 1994 to 1996, the St. Louis Brass Quintet. In addition to his performing career, he has been widely active as an arranger and composer, with publications issued by several international publishers. He is currently a visiting Professor of Horn at the Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, Poland.
Abbey Edlin
Abbey grew up in Invercargill, New Zealand, starting out as a cornet player in the local brass band and later going on to play horn in the National Band of New Zealand. She is also secretly a closet soprano, and completed her Bachelor of Music with a minor in Performance Voice at Otago University in 2004.
Abbey started playing French horn fairly late in life. After completing her Bachelor Degree, she was at a loss with what to do next. A close friend encouraged her to pick up the French horn, something she had wanted to do since a young age, but never had the opportunity, or the courage, to do so! It certainly wasn’t love at first sight… or sound. The French horn proved to be a fairly treacherous instrument to try to navigate, but with an enormous amount of hard work Abbey completed a post graduate diploma at the New Zealand School of Music in 2007 and hasn’t looked back since.
Playing the French horn has opened the door to a number of amazing opportunities. After completing her studies at the school of music, Abbey went on to work as a freelance musician in New Zealand and in 2010 gained a position in the Southbank Sinfonia, a chamber orchestra of young professionals based in London. She moved from London to Sydney where she enjoyed a busy freelance schedule with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra.
She won her position as tutti horn with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in 2014 and now lives in Melbourne with her partner Richard and their two children, Harriet and Benjamin.
Nicolas Fleury
Nico Fleury began his studies of Natural and French horn at the age of eight. Upon completing his studies in his native country, France – first, in Nantes Conservatoire and later in Rueil Malmaison Conservatoire – he continued his education at the Royal College of Music under guidance of professors Timothy Brown, Timothy Jones and Sue Dent. He graduated in 2009 with distinction and The Tagore Gold Medal.
Nico has been recently appointed Principal Horn of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Prior to that, Nico was Principal Horn in the Aurora Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and in the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra where he performed Mozart’s concerti for horn and Britten’s Serenade for Horn, Tenor and Strings broadcast live on BBC Radio 3.
He appears frequently as a guest Principal Horn in numerous orchestras around the world such as the London Symphony Orchestra, The Philharmonia, The Royal Opera House, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Utah Symphony Orchestra among many others. Nico has performed the most demanding pieces of the orchestral repertoire alongside conductors such as Sir Andrew Davis, Charles Dutoit, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Lorin Maazel, Bernard Haitink, Andris Nelsons, Valery Gergiev, Sir Neville Marriner, Sir John Eliot Gardiner.
After having been appointed professor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London in 2017, Nico keeps a strong relationship with this establishment (since moving to Australia) where he regularly gives classes as an international visiting teacher.
Linda Hewett
Linda is originally from Geelong and started playing cornet in brass bands before moving on to the French horn in her early teens. She attended the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School and the Victorian College of the Arts, during which time she played as a casual with Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. She became the principal horn with the Queensland Theatre Orchestra at the age of 19, then went on to join the Queensland Symphony Orchestra. Linda has also worked with the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra as acting principal horn as well as casual work with Sydney Symphony Orchestra. She came back to Melbourne to play in the original Australian Broadway seasons of Cats, Les Misérables and Phantom of the Opera. Linda has been principal third horn with Orchestra Victoria since 1993. She also teaches French Horn and Trumpet and has a strong interest in music education.
Josiah Kop
Josiah Kop began playing French Horn at Blackburn High School at the age of 11 under the tutelage of Spiros Kessaris. Continuing into tertiary studies in 2014, Josiah went on to complete his Bachelor of Music Performance at the University of Melbourne, studying under MSO’s Principal 3rd Horn, Saul Lewis. It was during this time, at the age of 19, that Josiah joined the MSO as a casual musician, performing regularly for 6 years.
After completing his studies at Melbourne University, Josiah went on to study at the Australian National Academy of Music under the tutorage of Andrew Bain, Ben Jacks and Nico Fleury.
Josiah‘s career thus far has also seen him perform with the Symphony Orchestras in New Zealand, Tasmania, Sydney and Western Australia, as well as with Victorian Opera, Opera Australia, and Melbourne Chamber Orchestra.
In 2023, Josiah auditioned and was appointed a permanent position as a Section Horn with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
Peter Luff
Peter Luff served for 25 years as Associate Professor at the Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University (QCGU), where he trained numerous horn students who have gone on to secure permanent positions in leading national and international professional orchestras. He holds a Bachelor of Music Performance (Honours) from the Elder Conservatorium of Music at the University of Adelaide and a Master’s degree in Conducting from Griffith University.
He currently serves as President of the International Horn Society. Formerly Associate Principal Horn with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Peter has performed with many of Australia’s and the region’s leading orchestras and ensembles, including the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Australian World Orchestra, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, West Australian Symphony Orchestra, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, and Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. He was a founding member and solo horn of the internationally acclaimed chamber ensembles Ensemble Q and Southern Cross Soloists, which have toured extensively throughout North America and Asia. He has also broadcast and recorded widely for ABC Classic and 4MBS FM.
Peter has conducted a wide range of orchestras and ensembles, including the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Queensland Ballet, Opera Queensland, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra Brass Ensemble, Bangalow Festival Orchestra, and the Queensland Conservatorium’s Symphony Orchestra, Opera Orchestra, Wind Orchestra, and Brass Ensemble. As a band director, he has led the Brisbane Excelsior Band and Brisbane Brass, with whom he also performed and competed as a solo tenor hornist.
Peter currently lectures in horn and brass studies at the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) and Monash University. He maintains an active and distinguished career as a performer, educator, and conductor.
Ben Messenger
Ben is an orchestral and chamber horn player who is a member of Orchestra Victoria in Melbourne. Originally from Brisbane, Ben studied horn under Peter Luff at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, graduating in 2012. He then attended the Australian National Academy of Music and was part of the Fellowship program with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in 2016. He has travelled Australia as a freelance musician, working with the QSO, MSO, SSO, WASO, ASO, Hong Kong Philharmonic and New Zealand Symphony Orchestra before joining Orchestra Victoria as a permanent musician last year.
Roman Ponomariov
Roman Ponomariov’s work as a teacher, academic, and performer is driven by a dedication to artistic excellence. He has performed with all major Australian symphony orchestras and has been recognised with multiple awards for his contributions to music and education, including nominations for the Monash Student Society Award for Teaching Excellence, the Vice-Chancellor’s Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning, and the Monash University Arts Faculty Award for Outstanding Contribution to Education.
An advocate for chamber music, Roman collaborates regularly with both local and international artists. He has recorded for 3MBS and ABC and has appeared as a soloist with ensembles including the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. Roman holds a Bachelor of Music (Honours) from the University of Melbourne and a Master of Music from Rice University, USA, and has studied with Darryl Poulsen, Geoff Collinson, Barry Tuckwell, and William VerMeulen.
Since 2018, Roman has held the position of Coordinator of Brass and Lecturer in Classical Performance (French Horn) at the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music and Performance at Monash University. Beyond his university commitments, he is a dedicated mentor to young musicians, tutoring with the Australian Youth Orchestra and Melbourne Youth Orchestra, presenting guest masterclasses, and performing with Orchestra Victoria and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
Rachel Shaw
Born on Queensland’s Gold Coast in 1990, Rachel Shaw started learning the horn when she was 14 years of age. Holding a Bachelor of Music from the Queensland Conservatorium of Music at Griffith University learning under Peter Luff, Rachel has also studied with Andrew Bain and Ben Jacks at the Australian National Academy of Music.
Before joining the MSO Rachel held the position of Tutti Horn in Orchestra Victoria. She has performed with the Symphony Orchestras of Sydney, Queensland, Tasmania and New Zealand, and the Australian Chamber Orchestra. Rachel was a finalist in the International Horn Symposium Solo Horn Competition (2010), won the Most Outstanding Academic Brass Student at the Queensland Conservatorium (2010) and was the winner of the Australian National Academy of Music Chamber Music Competition as a part of the Arcadia Quintet, of which she is a founding member.
Saul Lewis
Saul Lewis has been a member of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Horn section since 2009 and holds the position of Principal Third Horn. After completing his A.S.C.M. at the Sydney Conservatorium, Saul was awarded a Big Brother Scholarship and studied with many of the pre-eminent horn players in London and Germany. He later completed his Masters Degree in Performance in Sydney under Tony Buddle and became Principal 3rd Horn with the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra in 1994.
He has played with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Symphony and Australian Chamber Orchestra as well as being active in the commercial scene on film scores. Saul was a founding member of the Sydney wind quintet Enigma Five and was reviewed for his “fine horn playing” in a concerto performance with Cove Chamber Ensemble in 1991. He won the position of Principal 3rd Horn with the MSO in 2010 and is also teaching at Monash University and the University of Melbourne. He loves Melbourne’s cultural life and its golf courses!
Andrew Young
Andrew was born in Bendigo and began learning piano at a young age. In high school, he started playing the trumpet, but after a couple of years, he saw the light and switched to the horn. He went on to complete a Bachelor of Music with Geoff Collinson at the University of Melbourne and continued his studies at the Australian National Academy of Music under Geoff Lierse, Ben Jacks, and Andrew Bain. Andrew then studied abroad at the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts, where he attained a Master of Music and a Soloist Diploma under the tutelage of Professor Esa Tapani. He has held positions with the Hessisches Staatsorchester Wiesbaden and the Luxembourg Philharmonic, and he has now been appointed Principal Horn of Orchestra Victoria.