University of Melbourne Magazine

Faculty of VCA and MCM: News Update

Faculty of Fine Arts and Music

    • CELLO RENAISSANCE

    Alumnus Yelian He (Bachelor of Music, 2006) won the inaugural Australian Cello Awards in March with Ruben Palma (Bachelor of Music Performance, 2012) also one of the three competition finalists. The awards come at an exciting time for cello at the MCM with a new Lecturer in Cello, Alvin Wong, appointed in February. Alvin has served on the faculty of Connecticut College (USA), and was the principal cellist of Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra. He holds music degrees from Eastman, Indiana and Yale, where he received an Artist Diploma. His major teachers are Alan Harris, Janos Starker and Aldo Parisot.

    ALUMNA SHINES ON STAGE

    Nicole Car (Bachelor of Music Performance, 2007) starred as Tatyana in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, the first co-production between Opera Australia and Britain’s Royal Opera in March. Ms Car also won the prestigious Neuer Stimmen Singing Competition in Germany in 2013.

    FULBRIGHT SCHOLARSHIP

    Alumnus Lachlan Philpott (Graduate Diploma Dramatic Art, 1999) has been awarded the inaugural Fulbright Professional Playwriting Scholarship. The scholarships support recipients for professional development in the United States, up to the value of $40,000. The award will see Mr Philpott undertake a writing residency at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco. He will collaborate with staff and students to create a play for young audiences, with the aim of increasing understanding between different cultures.

    EMMY AWARDS

    Australian mini-series Top of the Lake won the Emmy® Award for Outstanding Cinematography for a Miniseries or Movie at the Creative Arts Emmy® Awards ceremony last year. Alumnus Adam Arkapaw (Bachelor of Film and Television, 2006) was the cinematographer on the series.

    PHOEBE PANARETOS STARS IN STRICTLY BALLROOM

    Phoebe Panaretos (Bachelor of Music Theatre, 2011) is starring as Fran in Baz Luhrmann’s musical Strictly Ballroom. Luhrmann credits Panaretos for weathering many tests during the gruelling auditions. “The role of Fran requires an actor to transform from within, expressing that transformation in terms of character, voice and dance,’’ he said.