In August 2022, three Young Mannheim Symphonists – Isabelle Watson (violin), Jared Adams (violin) and Rio Kawaguchi (double bass) – were invited to join the Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra as part of the orchestra’s Young Mannheim Symphonists Emerging Artists Program on a national tour of an all Mozart program – Tempestuous Skies. The Young Mannheim Symphonists music education program specialises in Historically Informed Performance (HIP) and is designed as a learning opportunity which can function as a platform from which young aspiring musicians can step into the professional industry. Opportunities for such invaluable professional development are offered to these promising young HIP musicians as appropriate and whenever possible.

From August-October 2023, intern Luke Adams (trombone, University of Melbourne) joined the Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra administration team, supported by the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music - University of Melbourne. Luke worked remotely and in-person, joining the orchestra for part of its Midsummer Dreams tour and YMS VIC Intensive to assist with operations and communications - a valuable skillset for any emerging arts professional.

luke adams | Intern

From August to October this year we had the pleasure of welcoming our first-ever intern Luke Adams. An honours student of historical and modern trombone at the University of Melbourne, Luke joined us online and in-person for part of the 'Midsummer Dreams' tour and the YMS VIC Intensive as part of the university’s Music Internship subject.

On tour Luke learned the ins and outs of backstage management. Outside of the tour, Luke attended weekly meetings, contributing helpful and insightful ideas and perspectives.

At the YMS VIC Intensive Luke helped with operations as well as playing the second bassoon part on baroque trombone (sackbut), learning alongside the other students and presenting an educational demonstration of the instrument.

“Being an avid performer and advocate of historical instrumentation, I was looking to intern with an ensemble that facilitated both historically informed practice in their professional performances as well as an education element to teach younger students the playing styles of early music,” says Luke. “It wasn’t a tough decision, as ARCO included all of these elements and more, helping me learn the intricacies of running a historically informed small-medium orchestra in Australia. Having worked with ARCO has been one of my biggest highlights of this year, and I will cherish the time spent interning with them!”

Luke looks forward to finishing his undergraduate degree with honours early next year and hopes to pursue a mixture of education and early music in his career ahead.

An engaged orchestral player, she has in recent years held positions of Associate Principal Second Violin and Principal Second Violin in Queensland Youth Symphony; Associate Principal Second Violin, Principal Second Violin and Associate Concertmaster in the University of Queensland Symphony Orchestra; and Principal Second Violin in University of Queensland Pulse Chamber Orchestra. Further, she was accepted into the Australian Youth Orchestra's 2023 National Music Camp, where she played second violin in the Landa Chamber Orchestra under the direction of violinist Elizabeth Layton. 

Following her involvement in the Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra's Young Mannheim Symphonists Programs, including the 2022 National Winter Academy where she was concertmaster, Issie joined the orchestra for their 2022 Tempestuous Skies tour as an Emerging Artist. Playing Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony and Don Giovanni Overture on period instruments (gut strings and transitional bows) and in a historically-informed style was an eye-opening experience.

Issie enjoys researching and writing about music. Her Honours thesis, for which she received the Donald Tugby Musicology Prize (2022), examined thematic syntax in Felix Mendelssohn’s concerto forms using analytical models from a recent nineteenth-century branch of New Formenlehre. She is also fascinated by the French language and is studying a Diploma of Languages majoring in Advanced French.

Rio Kawaguchi | Double Bass

Rio Kawaguchi started playing the double bass in 2014 as part of her school’s instrumental program. During her time in Tasmania, she studied with the principal double bassist of the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Stuart Thomson from 2018. In 2019 Rio completed her grade 8 AMEB exam with high distinction and was awarded the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra Association Award for the most outstanding player. She has been part of programs such as the Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra Young Mannheim Symphonists in 2018 and 2019, Australian Youth Orchestra since 2019 and the Australian Chamber Orchestra Academy in 2020. In 2021 Rio was the principal double bass player of the Bishop Orchestra at the Australian Youth Orchestra National Music Camp. 

In 2022 Rio Moved to Brisbane to study at the Queensland Conservatorium with Phoebe Russell. Later that year she toured with the Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra on the Tempestuous Skies tour as an Emerging Artist. Currently in her second year at university Rio has a wide range of interest in solo, chamber, orchestral and Historically Informed Performance.

JARED ADAMS | VIOLIN

Jared Adams is a young violinist with an extensive and diverse background of solo, chamber, and orchestral performance, currently studying a Bachelor of Music Performance at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. He began studying violin through the Suzuki Method under Stephanie Flack, has since studied under violinists Dmitri Calligeros and Ole Bohn, and is now currently learning from Goetz Richter.

From a young age, Jared was a keen participant in many different festivals and events, studying and performing chamber music on both violin and viola under Gabriel Bolkowski at PhoenixPhest Chamber Music Festival in 2013, and successfully auditioning into several district orchestras in Northern Virginia, USA. Throughout high school, Jared continued to seek out opportunities and learning experiences, having participated in orchestras all throughout his studies, eventually becoming concertmaster of the School Orchestra and the Alastair Mackerras Chamber Orchestra at Sydney Grammar School from 2018-2019. Jared also successfully auditioned to be concertmaster of the Australian Combined Schools Music Festival Orchestra, and the Young Mannheim Symphonists Winter Academy, the latter of which kickstarted his interest in historically informed performance. In Year 12, he received Encore Nominations for both Composition and Performance, and ranked 3rd in NSW for HSC Music Extension.

After graduating in 2019, Jared entered the Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic Orchestra as a tutti player and has since performed with them as principal second violin and concertmaster. At the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Jared was awarded the Jean Giles and Thomas Louis Pidcock Violin Scholarship and has participated in a number of orchestral programs ranging from string and symphonic orchestras to the Early Music Ensemble with Erin Helyard and Neal Perez da Costa, which he led in 2021. Throughout university, his orchestral career has continued to grow, performing as an Emerging Artist with both the Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra and the Australian Haydn Ensemble, as a tutti player on national tours with ARCO and the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, and leading the 2nd Violins in the Landa Chamber Orchestra at AYO National Music Camp in 2023. Aside from pursuing early music, he also enjoys exploring modern repertoire, workshopping and performing new solo and chamber works composed by his peers, and in 2022, leading the New Music Ensemble at the Sydney Conservatorium. 

When she is not busy unearthing hidden musical gems of the viola, Suzie is inspiring and guiding the next generation as a classroom teacher. Her involvements have included classroom music teaching in both High Schools and Primary Schools, tutoring and assistant conductor roles within the Central Coast Conservatorium of Music, Department of Education: The Arts Unit, viola tutor for The Regional Youth Orchestra, working alongside the London Symphony Orchestra, Australian World Orchestra, The Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Opera Australia Orchestra.

Suzie’s passion with HIP and education allows her to share a different perspective of playing and interpretation to younger musicians, providing an open-minded approach towards music. Building up prospective musicians to ensures this musical culture continues for the next generation.

“Thank you so much for the opportunity to be an emerging artist with ARCO. It has been so eye-opening and inspiring to rehearse, perform and tour with such an incredible group of HIP musicians. Your enthusiasm and creativity are truly infectious, and it was such a privilege to share that with the orchestra and with audiences.

Paradoxically, even though it was my first foray into the professional world, I felt the most relaxed and excited I have ever felt on stage. It was an amazing sensation knowing that I could communicate with the other musicians using non-verbal cues during the performance and we could trust each other enough to do something unexpected or surprising. Mozart has never felt so spirited!

Thank you so much Rachael for lending me the beautiful Kees van Hemert bow and helping me with the gut strings. Going back to my modern bow feels so heavy! It was enlightening to play Mozart with the bow strokes and articulation that occur so naturally from the classical bow - I’m beginning to understand what some of the tutors said at YMS about the instrument teaching you how to play.

I will not be forgetting these two weeks anytime soon! I hope to work with you again sometime in the future.”

— Isabelle Watson, Young Mannheim Symphonist Emerging Artist