Alice Waten
Resume
The Late Associate Professor Alice Waten (Violin), MA Moscow Conservatoire
The Sydney Conservatorium of Music is devastated with the passing of our dear mentor and friend Alice Waten. Her generous and insightful support of violin students has changed the face of violin performance and pedagogy. We mourn her loss.
Alice Waten is one of Australia’s foremost violin teachers and string pedagogues. She studied at the Moscow Conservatoire, where her principal violin teachers were Valery Klimov and David Oistrakh, as well as the Borodin String Quartet for chamber music. Prior to studying in Moscow she studied with Eberhard Feltz at the Hochschule fur Musik, Berlin.
Alice Waten was a founding member of the Australian Chamber Orchestra, holding principal positions for ten years. During this period extensive tours were undertaken throughout Europe, Asia and Australasia. However, her interest in the training of violinists was inspired early in her career and has been a consistent force in her professional life.
The Australian musical community has been greatly enriched by the success of many of Alice Waten’s students. Supported by her rigerous training, years as a performer, teaching experience, continuing study and interest in the development of new string pedagogy trends throughout the world, the greatest testament to Alice Waten’s success as a teacher is evidenced by her former and present students including:
Richard Tognetti, Artistic Director and Lead violinist-Australian Chamber Orchestra
Sophie Rowell,-Co-Concertmaster-Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Rebecca Chan, Assistant Concertmaster- Philharmonia Orchestra, London, UK.
Kirsten Shlomowitz, Sub-Principal 2nd violin-Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London, UK.
Sun Yi , Associate Concertmaster -Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Kirsty Hilton, Co-principal 2nd violin-Sydney Symphony Orchestra & Mahler Chamber Orchestra
Marina Marsden, Co- Principal 2nd violin -Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Katherine Lukey, Associate Concertmaster, Australian Opera Orchestra, Sydney
Cameron Hill, Associate Concertmaster-Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
Kirsten Williams, Concertmaster, Canberra Symphony
Jane Piper, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Amsterdam
Graeme Norris, Principal Violin, West Australian Symphony Orchestra
Kylie Liang, Assistant Principal 2nd violin, West Australian Symphony Orchestra
Many of Alice Waten’s students have won both International and National competitions, including 4 first prize winners of the ABC Young Performers Award and in 2018 & 2019, 1st prize in the Gisborne International Music Competition, the National Youth Concerto Competition and the Kuringai Philharmonic Secondary Schools Competition.
Former teaching positions Professor Waten has held include:
Head of Strings, Chetham’s Specialist Music School, Manchester, UK
Head of Strings & Orchestral Studies, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts
Artist Teacher in Residence, Sydney Conservatorium of Music
Senior Lecturer in Violin, Sydney Conservatorium of Music
Head of Strings and Classical Ensemble, Australian Institute of Music, Sydney
Head of Strings, Australian National Academy of Music, Melbourne
Guest Lectureships:
The Menuhin School, UK
Idyllwild School of the Arts (California, USA)
Canberra School of Music, ANU
The Australian National Academy of Music, Melbourne
Masterclasses:
Throughout Asia – China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia & Korea, California (USA) and Australia.
Alice Waten has been actively involved in many teaching seminars:
The Luxembourg Conservatory (with Daniel Shafran and Igor Ozim)
The Juilliard School (with Dorothy Delay, Ramy Shevelov, and Sally Thomas)