Founder’s and President’s reflections

Elizabeth Morgan and James de Rozario

‘I am thinking of you all as you start the AUSTA Conference,’ writes AUSTA’s founder and parting Elizabeth Morgan. ‘This gives me the opportunity to send warm wishes for a stimulating weekend.

‘AUSTA continues to fulfil a remarkable role throughout the country heading towards its 50th birthday. Who would have thought it possible back then in 1975? All credit to countless people throughout the country who have brought AUSTA to where it is now. There has been a remarkable rise in string playing and teaching over this time.

‘Remember Paul Rolland at the first conference in 1978 talking about ‘notes and tunes’? His Teaching of Action in String Playing was a revelation to many of us and opened the way ahead for string teachers far and wide. Today we understand even more.

‘From each AUSTA conference, we made new discoveries leading to inexhaustible possibilities. Simply teaching the way we were taught is no longer enough no matter the teacher.

‘It is a thrill for me in Brisbane to wish you all an inspiring few days. Sending a special hello to longstanding AUSTA friends throughout the country.

Molto AUSTA!’

James recalls: I first started thinking about the 2022 AUSTA National Conference back in 2019 when I became President-Elect. After being fortunate to attend conferences overseas and attending presentations from visiting overseas educators, I knew that the string community within Australia had a great deal to offer, and so ‘Strings of Australia’ was quickly born. Of course, the pandemic hit us in 2020 and the original 2021 conference was postponed to 2022. Although we weren’t confident with this decision at the time, in the end this turned out for the best.

As time went on, it also became apparent that other works were happening at AUSTA that would tie in well with the Conference. This included the launch of the AUSTA book and the announcement of new AUSTA patrons.

Molto AUSTA is a book that has been many years in the making. It has involved interviews with many, many AUSTA people, along with the reading and study of old newsletters, magazines, meeting minutes and the sorting through the history of AUSTA. I would like to thank Susan Pierotti for her work on the book and to Susan and Stephen Chin for providing an entertaining launch. The book is a wonderful way to celebrate our founders who made ‘Strings of Australia’ possible.

The choosing of patrons was a very difficult job. We wanted to represent different instruments, genders and ages, but above all, we were keen to choose great Australian teachers and pedagogues. It was such a pleasure to announce Patricia Pollett, Robin Wilson and Howard Penny as AUSTA three newest patrons. I thank them for their dedication to their craft and for aligning themselves with AUSTA.

Unfortunately, my personal conference experience was not what I had expected. Working hard in the week leading up to the conference, I developed a minor but irritating cold, fortunately not Covid! I seemed to be getting better, but after having introduced Jeremy Woolstenhulme at the Pre-Conference Workshop, my voice soon left me. For the rest of the conference, I could do no more than whisper and was forced to write things down to be understood! When I also developed a sinus infection, the wonderful AUSTA VIC committee soon sent me home to rest.

Although I didn’t see much of the conference, I was able to experience the great community that came together. The enthusiasm in sharing ideas was palpable as people socialised and came together. It was a vibe that certainly couldn’t be done over Zoom! Our wonderful traders and supporters helped create a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. Their warmth, along with their knowledge of all things string was so appreciated by the delegates. The launch of the Series 10 Violin Syllabus was brought to us by our principal sponsor, AMEB, and it was interesting to meet and hear from the people who contributed to the new series. Many thanks to all of our sponsors for their support of the conference.

I would also like to thank our presenters. We were inspired by our international visitors, but our local presenters demonstrated with acuity that we really are ‘Strings of Australia!’

Although many people can see the work that goes into a printed program, schedule, catering and other visible parts of a conference, it is actually the behind-the-scenes work that has been so crucial in setting up the 2022 conference. The Conference Organising Committee worked incredibly hard to set up the infrastructure to make it easier for future conferences. The success of the organisation could be seen when I was unable to undertake my duties – other people took this on seamlessly and the conference continued to run without mishap.

I would like to thank Karen Kyriakou and Helen Holt for their tremendous support over our 45-plus Zoom meetings. Your work and dedication were awe-inspiring while your personal support was much appreciated.

The AUSTA VIC Committee is tremendously strong. They came together smoothly to cover every job, from introducing presenters to meeting caterers, looking after traders, answering delegate questions and even washing glasses! Your generosity and support were very special throughout the conference – thank you. And so now we start to look forward to our next conference in 2025. Wherever it is held, the one thing I know is that our organisation will go from strength to strength and the next conference will be even better!

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