These talented individuals have been recognised for their outstanding exams in 2024.
Each year, with the wonderful and generous contributions of our supporters, we are able to recognise some of our most outstanding exam performances across the year. Examiners nominate an array of superstars, with final selection coming down to very tough decisions made by our AMEB Tasmania State Committee. Let's meet them now, drum roll please...
AUSTA Tasmania Level 1 Prize
for the most outstanding Candidate in Level 1 strings goes to Allyn Chinthammit.
Allyn is a high achiever already, having achieved an A+ in her Piano Grade 6 exam last year but it's the A+ she was awarded in her Violin (Comprehensive) Grade 4 exam that has earnt her this prize. Examiner, Stuart Thomson, had this praise for her exam performance: "Well done Allyn! An absolutely terrific Grade 4! You make a fantastic sound and I thoroughly enjoyed your performance. The technical work was exemplary and I really liked that you could change effortlessly between the different styles of your pieces and adjust your sound accordingly." Well done Allyn and teacher!
Thanks so much to the Australian Strings Association (AUSTA) Tasmania for supporting this prize.
AUSTA Tasmania Level 2 Prize
for the most outstanding Candidate in Level 2 strings goes to Ruth Piercy.
Ruth's Violin (Comprehensive) Grade 6 exam earnt her an A+ and this accolade. Examiner, Daniel Wahl, had this praise for her exam performance: "Ruth, This was a very well-prepared exam. Your performances demonstrated both strong technical skill and a deep musical understanding. Each piece was executed with confidence and security, reflecting a clear grasp of the stylistic demands at this level. Your left-hand technique was particularly impressive, showing exceptional precision and control. Additionally, your phrasing, dynamic contrasts, and attention to rhythm were effectively tailored to the style of each work. Overall, your performances were engaging, well-balanced, and thoughtfully interpreted, capturing the essence of a skilled and expressive musician. Well done." Well done Ruth and teacher, Sarah Scheermeijer!
Thanks so much to AUSTA Tasmania for supporting this prize (as well).
Barratts Music Award
for the most outstanding Candidate in Northern Tasmania goes to Matthias Aras.
Mattias achieved an A+ in his Cello (Comprehensive) Preliminary exam and received some wonderful feedback from Examiner, Stuart Thomson: "Very well done Matthias, an excellent first cello exam! Very impressive and well-prepared technical work. The pieces were also to a very high technical standard, so much so that I sat and listened with great enjoyment and I didn't need to write much about them!... keep up the good work you have started!" Well done Matthias and teacher!
Thanks so much to Barratts Music for supporting this award.
Fosters Music Award
for the most outstanding Candidate in North-West Tasmania goes to Jagger Barnard.
Jagger achieved an A+ in his Cello (Comprehensive) Grade 6 exam. Examiner, Daniel Wahl, provided some wonderful words of encouragement and recognition: "Jagger, This was a well prepared exam and it was an absolute pleasure to hear you play today. You demonstrate outstanding technical and musical ability and this allows you to produce playing with considered musical direction. Keep working on finding greater variations of sound, articulation and dynamics to further highlight your musical ideas. Bravo." Well done Jagger and teacher, Helen Hurst!
Thanks so much to Fosters Music for supporting this award.
Hobart Guitar Society Award
for the best exam performance in Classical Guitar goes to Abhinav Sundaram.
Abhinav's Classical Guitar (Repertoire) Grade 3 exam earnt him an A and this nomination. Examiner, David Malone's, comments were extremely encouraging: "This was a very fluent and enjoyable performance. You captured the mood of each piece well with very good choice of tempos, a strong, clear tone and good use of tonal contrast. Your playing was rhythmically precise and your fingerings and position changes were well developed and delivered with ease... Well done!". Well done Abhinav and teacher!
Thanks so much to the Hobart Guitar Society for supporting this award.
Modern Musician Wind Award
for the most outstanding brass or woodwind Candidate in Tasmania goes to William Dunbabin.
William achieved an A in his Flute (Comprehensive) Grade 6 exam. Examiner, Jennie MacDonald, was absolutely delighted by the exam and was clearly encouraging in her comments: "William, you have a beautiful flute tone and your vibrato is developing nicely. You explored a range of tone colours which enhanced the performance of your pieces. You played a range of styles with attention to performance practice and used a range of expressive devices with confidence... This was a beautifully prepared exam today. Your playing was expressive and demonstrated a high level of musicianship. Keep enjoying your flute as you take on some more exciting repertoire. Congratulations!". Well done William and teacher, Jill Norton!
Thanks so much to Modern Musician for supporting this award.
Modern Musician Rockschool Award
for the most outstanding Rockschool Candidate in Tasmania goes to Lenn Li.
Lenn achieved a distinction-worthy score of 96% in his Rockschool Acoustic Guitar Grade 2 grade exam. Examiner, Hamish Houston, said "An excellent performance today, well done. You showed consistently accurate notation and understanding of musical structure, and equally consistent sync to the backing tracks... The solo during Sitting in the Dock of the Bay was a standout moment. Thank you for taking a Rockschool exam. A very secure distinction performance, well done." Well done Lenn and teacher!
Thanks so much to Modern Musician for supporting this award (as well).
Modern Musician Award
for the most outstanding Candidate in Southern Tasmania goes to Zhenmin Luo.
Zhenmin is a Hobart local and received an A+ in her Piano (Repertoire) Grade 6 exam. A feature of her program was a collaborative work with her younger sister - the first exam in the state to include a collaborative piece in a piano exam program since the new syllabus launched! Examiner, Michael Power, said “A sophisticated performance today, Zhenmin. You performed a well-balanced program with very secure memory in each of your pieces and with outstanding attention to the musical and technical demands of the program. Congratulations on your collaborative own choice performance.” Well done Zhenmin and teacher, Jody Heald!
Thanks so much to Modern Musician for supporting this award (as well).
TMTA Piano Award
for the most outstanding Candidate in Grade 7 Piano goes to Myfanwy-Clare Parry.
Myfanwy-Clare achieved an A in her Piano for Leisure (Comprehensive) Grade 7 exam. Examiner, Amanda Hodder, had plenty of nice things to say about Myfanwy-Clare's exam: "Thank you for playing today - you have such a strong affinity with the contemporary style; this is very high level playing from you. You have a strong sense of rhythmic impulse, groove, harmony and balance in these pieces... I think you are an incredibly strong musician." Well done Myfanwy-Clare and teacher, Angela Polden!
Thanks so much to the TMTA for supporting this award.
TMTA Theory Award
for the highest score in Theory or Musicianship Grade 5 goes to Dihansa Udawatta.
Grade 5 is getting pretty challenging but Dihansa still managed to achieve her Theory of Music qualification with an outstanding score of 91. Well done Dihansa!
Thanks so much to the TMTA for supporting this award (too), and for honouring the legacy of Jennifer Filby.
Yamaha Music Award
for the most outstanding Candidate in Grade 4 Piano goes to Serena Zheng.
We hope that Serena's A+ in her Piano (Repertoire) Grade 4 exam is a sign of more great music to come. Examiner, Lynette Smith, had this praise for Serena: "Congratulations on your excellent performance from memory today. Your preparation of this enjoyable programme is commendable and musical. Your playing is developing very well so keep up the great work." Well done Serena and teacher, Jody Heald!
Thanks so much to Yamaha Music for supporting this award.
AMEB Tasmania Teaching Award
for the largest cohort of students achieving an A+ in their exam goes to Jody Heald .
This award was introduced in 2020 to specially acknowledge the work that goes on behind the scenes. If it weren't for the incredible teachers we're privileged to work with, none of the above would be possible. This year's worthy recipient is Jody, who supported many students to achieve their exam goals with five of them achieving A+ results in their piano exams.
To share the love, winners of this accolade are ineligible for the next two years but Karen has taken out both 2020, and now 2023!
We'll be featuring many of these award recipients, and our supporters, on our Facebook page as "Superstar Saturday" posts throughout the first few months of the year. These will include some fantastic words from them about their exam experience and the joy of performing.
To find out about our amazing supporters who make this possible, or to find out about these prize for a healthy dose of inspiration, please visit our Awards page.
