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Mark Shiell Winner of the '2005 Brian Stacey Award for Emerging Conductors', Mark Shiell began his conducting studies with Australian Conductor Graham Abbott through Monash University. He continued his studies at Melbourne University with British conductor John Hopkins, graduating with a Master of Music. He has become the first person accepted to do a Doctorate in Conducting at Melbourne University. Mark recently returned from a highly successful visit to Japan where he worked with Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa (in Japanese) – one of Japan’s foremost Chamber Orchestras. He has been invited to return in 2007 for further concerts. In March 2006 Shiell travelled to Moscow to participate in an International Mastercourse with the Moscow Symphony Orchestra and conductor Vladimir Ponkin. He was selected by Maestro Ponkin to conduct in further performances with the Kuban Symphony Orchestra in Krasnodar, Southern Russia. A very active supporter of youth and community-based music making, Shiell has worked with ensembles including the Percy Grainger Youth Orchestra, Peninsula Youth Orchestra, Zelman Memorial Symphony Orchestra, Stonnington Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne University's 'New Audience Ensemble', Ballarat Symphony Orchestra, Monash Chorale, Frankston Symphony Orchestra, Barrier Reef Orchestra, Monash University Chamber Orchestra, Melbourne University Orchestra, Melbourne Sinfonia and the Victorian Youth Symphony Orchestra. In 2004, he was invited to conduct the Sydney Conservatorium's Postgraduate Opera production of Così Fan Tutte, performances which won critical acclaim. Shiell is Co-Founder, Artistic Director and Conductor of 'Melbourne New Orchestra' (MNO). An independently-run orchestra featuring musicians of tertiary age, MNO is an orchestra committed to creating an environment that combines excellence with the joy of making and sharing music. This orchestra was invited to perform at the Melbourne Concert Hall in 2005 and 2006. n 2005 Shiell also conducted MNO both at the Melbourne International Festival of Brass accompanying International Guest Soloists in a program of contemporary concertos and at their official debut concert at BMW Edge Theatre, Federation Square. A keen advocate of new music, Shiell conducted the 2002 premiere, season and ABC FM recording of Matthew Hindson's opera Love, Death, Music and Plants - An infringement on the life of Baron Ferdinand von Mueller. In 2004, he conducted the Australian premiere of American composer Don Freund's Life of the Party - a concerto for Bassoon and 16 friends at the International Double Reed Society Convention in Melbourne with International Bassoon soloist Kim Walker. In 2005, he worked with Sydney Conservatorium's Modern Music Ensemble on a program of Stravinsky, Webern and Wolpe which was subsequently performed at the 2005 Conference of The Orchestras of Australia Network (now Orchestras Australia). Other performances of contemporary music have included concerts with the Sydney-based ensemble Halcyon in 2005 and 2006, co-conducting performances with ChamberMade Opera of Nicholas Vines' new opera The Hive, a new opera by Melbourne composer Martin Greet, Becoming by Johanna Selleck with soprano Merlyn Quaife, You and Your Stupid Mate film score recording and New Music Projects with the Melbourne University Orchestra in 2004, 2005 and 2006 He is becoming sought after as both a conductor and educator. He presented, demonstrated and co-wrote a three part series for ABC TV's Sunday Arts program on What do Conductors Do? - more programs are planned for 2007. He has tutored and conducted for Melbourne Youth Music's Saturday Program and Summer School since 2001 and, in January 2006 and 2007, conducted the Shiell orchestra at the Melbourne Youth Music Summer School. He has been a conducting tutor at Melbourne University since 2004. Shiell has conducted performances featuring nationally and internationally-renowned soloists including Barry Tuckwell (Horn), Roger Lemke (baritone), Suzanne Johnson (mezzo soprano), Merlyn Quaife (soprano), Alison Morgan (soprano), Jenny Duck-Chong (mezzo sopano), Lin Jiang (Horn), Geoff Collinson (Horn), Michelle Perry (Horn - Empire Brass Quintet), Oystein Baadsvik (Tuba), Rex Richardson (Trumpet), Michael Brookes Reid (Violin), Kim Walker (Bassoon). Mark Shiell is represented by Sydney-based Arts Management. Mark first worked with the Zelman Symphony during rehearsal late in 2002 and, on the strength of these sessions, was appointed conductor for the orchestra's first concert of the 2004 Melbourne season. In a reprise of this most successful concert, Mark also directed the Zelman Symphony at its first-ever appearance at the Hepburn Springs Swiss-Italian Festival, a concert in the historic Daylesford Town Hall on 25 April 2004. Mark has done the same in both 2005 and 2006, conducting concerts in both Melbourne and Daylesford each year,
most recently at the MLC Auditorium on Saturday 1 April 2006
(in association with the 2006 Kew Community Festival) and then at the
Hepburn Springs Swiss-Italian Festival on the afternoon of Sunday 23 April 2006 in Daylesford.
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