Strings
Stephanie Li | | Head of Strings, Cello
Stephanie is an Australian cellist whose passion for music has led her all over the world. She graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music with a Bachelor of Music Honours degree, and in 2019 she graduated from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music with a Master of Music.
Experienced with historical and modern instruments and bows, Stephanie’s work covers a range of repertoire from early Renaissance repertoire to contemporary pop. From touring internationally with a session band to premiering new solo, chamber and orchestral works and recording tracks for films and video games, Stephanie continues to perform, compose and arrange music in a variety of settings and genres.
Stephanie’s teaching philosophy centres around her belief that everyone is capable of learning music, and she fosters an individualised approach to learning with each student. Prior to her return to Australia, Stephanie taught at various schools in the Bay Area through the San Francisco Symphony Education program and was also on the cello faculty at the San Francisco Community Music Centre. Stephanie is particularly passionate about bringing music to those who may not have access to live performance, and she has performed in many schools, hospital wards and aged care homes. Her internship with the UK organisation “Music in Hospitals” led to a performance at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Manchester which was broadcast on BBC.
Angela D’Elia | | Violin
Stefan Duwe | Viola
Born in Oldenburg, Germany, Stefan studied viola with Marcel Charpentier, Konrad Grahe and Emile Cantor at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen and attended masterclasses with Thomas Brandis and Serge Collot.
From 1992 he worked with a number of orchestras including the Cologne Chamber Orchestra, Theatre Nordhausen, Folkwang Chamber Orchestra, Philharmonia Hungarica, Philharmonie Essen, Düsseldorfer Sinfoniker and Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen.
Since immigrating to Australia in 2001, Stefan has worked with the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra and recorded the 6th Brandenburg Concerto for ABC Classics.
Since the formation of Acacia Quartet, Stefan has turned his focus to chamber music and teaching.
Carmel Follent | Violin
Carmel graduated from the University of Queensland in 1985, majoring in violin and teaching. She taught in schools before moving to the central west of NSW. For the past 25 years she has been involved in local community work, raised her family of boys and continued to teach the creative arts in classrooms and privately. With training and experience in the Suzuki Method and Kodaly she brings a wealth of creativity, fund, insight and passion to her lessons.
Alan Moxey | Double Bass
Alan hails from a very accomplished musical family in the Orange region. He is an experienced Double Bassist and is completing his tertiary studies in Music at Canberra.
Ann Hosking Perrin | Double Bass
Ann Hosking Perrin has had a comprehensive music career as bassist, educator, and conductor.
Ann has held permanent positions with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and the orchestra now known as the Opera Australia Orchestra. She has freelanced extensively with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and the Australian Chamber Orchestra.
As an educator Ann has worked as Lecturer in Double Bass at the Sydney Conservatiorm of Music teaching preparatory, high school, and undergraduate students. With the assistance of an Australia Council Grant she studied mini bass pedagogy at the Bass Project Summer School, Peabody Conservatory and the International Society of Bassists Convention in the United States.
While acknowledged as a conductor of professional standing Ann has chosen to work with community orchestras and choirs inspiring them to move beyond the knowledge of their own capacity.
Lisa Stewart | Violin
Born in Sydney, Lisa began the violin aged 5 with Suzuki teachers Hiroko Primrose (and lots of input from her husband, legendary violist William Primrose) and Yasuki Nakamura. By 11 she was playing solos in Japan, the USA and New Zealand. Continuing studies with Christopher Kimber, Lisa won the Wenkart Competition, was finalist at the ABC Young Performers Competition, awarded multiple Australia Council grants and worked with the Australian Chamber Orchestra and Sydney Symphony Orchestra before going to Germany to study with Prof Igor Ozim.
Lisa performed worldwide as a soloist, duo, chamber music musician and concertmaster before returning to Australia in 2001. During Lisa’s time abroad highlights include recording French sonatas for the Klavins Music label, Bach concertos on the Naxos label, performing with Concerto Cologne, Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne, West German Radio Symphony Orchestra, was a member of the Beethoven Orchestra Bonn, leader of the Cologne Chamber Orchestra and Guest 3rd Concertmaster with the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Bernard Haitink.
Returning to Sydney in 2001, Lisa has been Guest Concertmaster of the Opera Australia Orchestra, West Australian Symphony and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras.
Lisa is also an established illustrator with numerous published books through Scholastic Press, Random House, Hachette and HarperCollins.
Alina Zborowski | Violin
Alina started her music studies at the Canberra School of Music at a young age, under the tutelage of Vincent Edwards. Once her family settled in Sydney, Alina had violin lessons with Janet Davies and Chris Kimber. She studied her Bachelor of Music (Performance) at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and got her first taste of playing in orchestras. She was also lucky enough to be a part of the Sydney Sinfonia program, working with Richard Gill and members of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. After a few interludes of life, Alina moved to Orange in 2007, where she resides with her young family.
Teaching the violin has always been a passion for Alina. She started teaching younger students during high school and continued throughout her university years. Since she moved to Orange, she has taught in many of the primary and secondary schools here. She teaches individual students from beginners (young and old) to advanced, and prepares students for all levels of AMEB exams. Alina has found one of her most rewarding teaching experiences has been with groups of beginner string players in local public schools and also supporting advanced students in the start of their string teaching journey.