ECU Impact Report WAAPA 2021

WESTERN AUSTR ALIAN ACADEMY OF PERFORMING ARTS Edith Cowan University

IMPACT REPORT 2021 Why your giving matters

PHONE:

(08) 6304 2761

EMAIL: supportingwaapa@ecu.edu.au ECU.EDU.AU/GIVING-TO-ECU -

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A MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DEAN

YOUR SUPPORT I N 2021

$474,324 gif ts

Working here at The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) is a privilege. We are all extremely proud of the international reputation WAAPA has for excellence in performing arts training.

Delivered by world-class practitioners and teachers, our programs serve to enable and empower the vision and aspirations of future generations of artists. They will set new standards in performance practice and develop innovative ways of working both now and well into the future.

The generous support of donors like you is critical for us to deliver our world-leading training and to make it accessible to everyone.

re ce ived fro m

61%

39%

Individual donors

Organisations, Trusts and Foundations

Thank you for showing such faith in our students, staff, and the WAAPA community. Your thoughtfulness and generosity makes a direct and significant impact on the lives of our students. You are helping us create the next generation of talent.

Professor David Shirley Executive Dean WAAPA

MAKING A DIFFERENCE We would like to extend a personal heartfelt thanks to our donors, contributors and supporters over the past year. By making a gift to WAAPA, you have invested in the future of performing arts and our next generation of artists and storytellers.

su p po r ted

S ch ol a rsh i ps

Tea ching a nd Lea rning

It is with great appreciation that we present to you this Impact Report for 2021. We hope you enjoy reading these stories and experiences that have only been possible with your help.

Your gifts, no matter the size, have a powerful impact. Together, we are transforming the future of performing arts.

With gratitude Development and Alumni Relations team

Pri zes S p o nso rship Don or Ci rcl e & G e n e ra l Don a ti on s

Co m m unit y Eng a g e m e nt F o und ing P ia nos

The information in this report is true and correct at the time of printing

CULTIVATING TALENT PRESTIGIOUS DAME MARY GILMORE AWARD In 1894, Edith Cowan was one of the founding members of the Karrakatta Club.

We are grateful that, through the generous support of current members of the Karrakatta Club, the Dame Mary Gilmore Award provides assistance and opportunity to young women training in classical voice.

Edith would be proud of our ongoing shared commitment ensuring female students pursue their career ambitions.

The prestigious Award furthers the education of an eligible female student, offering a scholarship to meet expenses associated with their degree. Sophie Herbert, 2021 Dame Mary Gilmore Award recipient, said receiving the Award was a great honour.

“It is truly wonderful to have the hard work and dedication I have put in my craft acknowledged in such a prestigious way,” said Sophie.

“I grew up in regional Western Australia and attended a school that didn’t offer ATAR music. It had limited classical voice opportunities and I needed to travel to Perth to access voice lessons.

As I approach the end of my final year, I have established a professional network through the performance showcases provided to me

by WAAPA, resulting in numerous professional opportunities, including becoming a part of the West Australian Opera Chorus. These new beginnings are very exciting for me.

I look forward to using the proceeds of this Award to further my studies through a master’s degree in opera studies. I would like to extend my sincere gratitude and thanks for your support.”

We thank current members of the Karrakatta Club who have chosen to continue the tradition of the Dame Mary Gilmore Award, and extend our sincerest gratitude on behalf of our students.

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Stewart Symonds and Prof. Geoffrey Lancaster

LEADING THE WORLD The exquisite Founding Pianos collection was born from the spirit of generosity when Stewart Symonds, a Sydney collector, donated one of the world’s most significant and culturally valuable historical keyboard collections to ECU. The collection of 139 vintage pianos features rare and unique instruments made from 1736 to 1874. What distinguishes the collection is its importance to Australian musical history and the role ECU plays in keeping many of the collection’s instruments in working condition.

Part of the Founding Pianos collection is a small unassuming square piano. This particular piano was aboard flagship vessel HMS Sirius - arriving in Australia as part of the First Fleet in 1788 – and is recognised globally by acclaimed researchers and historians as ‘Australia’s First Piano’.

Our supporters join us on a multi-faceted journey to not only restore the current historic collection, but also establish world-leading practices in keyboard performance and research.

This will position ECU as a global specialist in historical keyboard instrument research; positioning WAAPA as a hub for innovation around piano performance, education, conservation, restoration and maintenance.

We would like to thank all those who have donated to the Founding Pianos collection and who continue to champion the next steps in this collection’s incredible journey. This unique and important program would not be possible without your support.

To learn more about our Founding Pianos collection, please visit our website foundingpianos.com.au.

Through the support and generosity of donors and contributors, ECU has been able to breathe life back into this remarkable collection.

ECU.EDU.AU/GIVING-TO-ECU ecu.edu.au/giving-to-ecu

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HISTORICAL KEYBOARD INSTRUMENT RESEARCH As fortepianos and other keyboards of the era most often linked to composers such as Beethoven, Chopin, Mozart, and Schubert continue to age, their maintenance has become a pressing issue. Many are deteriorating from time, disuse, and neglect, their sound now threatened with extinction.

Worldwide efforts to develop best practices and educational programs on how to painstakingly conserve and restore prized historical instruments are now underway.

Our research program, devoted to keyboard instrument restoration, links PhD students with master restorers to teach them the finer points of the trade. It also captures methods of maintaining the instruments’ vitality.

WAAPA’s first historical restoration PhD Student, Elly Langford, is currently working in collaboration with local and international experts to research and document historical processes, and investigate modern solutions to foster new learning techniques.

Elly’s research has been supported by the Feilman Foundation.

We would like to thank all of our generous Founding Pianos donors for joining us on this incredible journey.

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Elly Langford

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REALISING DREAMS ABORIGINAL PERFORMANCE AT WAAPA The generosity of donors such as the Bass Family Foundation, Roy Hill Community Foundation, and the Estate of Julie Amsberg provides financial freedom for students of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island heritage to participate in worldclass education and training in the performing arts.

These gifts result in incredible outcomes as our students feel supported by those wanting them to succeed; powering a heightened drive to excel in their studies.

Rick Brayford, WAAPA Lecturer, says by giving a gift to Aboriginal Performance at WAAPA, you are truly having an incredible impact on a student’s ability to graduate - a feat that is often unattainable due to financial constraints.

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“There is a great demand in Australia for skilled Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander actors, film writers and directors,” said Rick.

“Despite this, there are still significant barriers that prevent these students in having the same level of access to education and being set up for success.

Your support helps to break down these barriers and has a significant impact on our students’ lives.

Thank you to all of our donors for believing in our students.”

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defying gravity In March this year, percussion virtuoso Joshua Webster teamed up with Tim White and Defying Gravity to create musical magic amidst the trees and gardens of the Fremantle Arts Centre. The rapturous sounds of ancient and modern percussion floated through the air with energy and rhythm, in a feast of music from Latin America and beyond. The audience was blown away with impressive and energetic compositions that had everyone dancing throughout the entire evening.

Our award-winning Defying Gravity ensemble creates a new world of sound with an astonishing array of percussion instruments from around the globe. The ensemble performs to sold-out concerts regularly both in Western Australia and, in past years, throughout the world.

Everyone involved with Defying Gravity is very grateful for the generous support of donors. It’s through your generosity that we are able to keep performing and dazzling audiences.

visiting artist Sam Coren

VERGE Sam Coren’s work in Verge was inspired by 80s/90s design concepts such as neon lights, ominous sounds, robotic movement and nostalgia.

Through the generous philanthropic support of donors we were able to fund musical collaboration to support Sam’s vision for the production to feel cinematic. Creating a convincing audible environment was a cornerstone of the work.

Every gift makes a difference. This visiting artist opportunity was only possible due to the funding available from donations to WAAPA general fund. Thank you for making valuable learning experiences like this available for your students.

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MENTORING PROFESSIONAL MENTORSHIP

ECU CAREER ALUMNI MENTORING

Made possible by the generous support of Allens Linklaters, WAAPA offers three professional mentorship opportunities to recent graduates. The successful applicants are provided with a paid position to shadow a senior member of staff as they work on a WAAPA production.

ECU is grateful to the many outstanding and inspirational mentors who donate their time and experience to our students through the Career Alumni Mentoring Program.

These positions offer mentorship from an experienced practitioner, valuable paid work experience, and the opportunity to begin to build their repertoire for career progression.

We are extremely grateful to Allens for recognising the difficulties sometimes faced when entering the workforce, and assisting us in bridging this gap into paid professional placements.

On behalf of all past, present and future mentees, we thank Alumni mentors for openly sharing their knowledge and connections. The benefits this brings to career opportunities and workplace readiness is invaluable and your influence has a truly powerful and lasting impact.

We would love to welcome new mentors to the program and invite you to get in touch with us. To find out more, simply visit ecu.edu. au/careers-and-employability-services/ mentoring/ecu-alumni-mentoring-program.

Farhiya Hussein ECU.EDU.AU/GIVING-TO-ECU

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our inspired staff Dorian’s journey with ECU began as a student.

“Throughout my studies I felt the pinch of what it is like to juggle study and work. Now, as an ECU staff member, I deduct a gift regularly through payroll. This is in the hope that by supporting scholarships I can help others to be alleviated of financial worries and focus on their study,” said Dorian.

Dorian Salzmann Learning Technologies Support Officer

“I barely even notice the deduction, yet the individual receiving it I hope would have a life changing outcome.”

“I believe that students of all backgrounds should be afforded an opportunity to undertake higher education, and I’m so happy to help make this possible.”

Thank you to all of our incredible staff who are giving to ECU.

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DONOR CIRCLE NEW TEACHING PIANO

Thanks to the support of members of WAAPA’s Donor Circle, we have been able to purchase a new Yamaha YUS1PE Teaching Piano.

This instrument offers Yamaha’s outstanding musical performance and quality, boasting premium features to improve student learning.

“I believe in philanthropy and the whole idea of giving back to the community if one is able. I have always been an advocate of education, training the mind and the learning of strong values”.

Wendy Court Donor Circle Member

Prof. David Shirley said “It is of utmost importance that the instruments used in teaching are of premium quality. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to members of WAAPA’s Donor Circle for making this possible.”

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grand designs JAZZ AND THE WORLD

For this special concert, WAAPA commissioned new music from our star Alumni, sparked by one central question: How would you change the world?

WAAPA has produced an array of innovative world-class jazz composers and arrangers, who can be found on stages all around the globe. We were so proud to welcome back our outstanding jazz Alumni to work with current students on creative performances.

Our Visiting Artists for this were Sarah McKenzie, Matthew Jodrell, Alana Macpherson, Troy Roberts, Vanessa Perica, Grant Windsor, Tom O’Halloran, and Johannes Luebbers.

Thank you to the Minderoo Foundation for their generous support, which made this performance possible.

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thank you ECU would like to thank and acknowledge the support of Alumni, staff, friends and organisations for their generous support.

This active involvement in our university is vital to ensure that together we continue to improve lives through educating future generations and delivering collaborative research.

On behalf of the ECU community, thank you.

DONATE ONLINE

ECU development & alumni relations PHONE:

(08) 6304 2761

EMAIL:

supportingwaapa@ecu.edu.au

ecu.edu.au/giving-to-ecu

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