Our Patrons

Inaugural Patron

Jayson Gillham is a renowned pianist on the international stage. From beginnings in Dalby, Queensland, to Lecturer of Keyboard at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Jayson performs world wide and returns regularly to thrill Australian audiences. His recordings have won many awards and earned him the accolade of “the ideal romantic”.

In recital, he has appeared at some of the world’s most prestigious venues including the Wigmore Hall, Kings Place, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Birmingham Town Hall, Saffron Hall, Royal Nottingham Concert Hall and the Barbican in the UK, Auditorium du Louvre in Paris, Montreal’s Pollack Hall, the Steinway Hall in New York, and the major Australian recital venues including Sydney’s City Recital Hall and Melbourne Recital Centre.

Jayson's recent concerto highlights include performances with the London Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony, Royal Philharmonic, the Hallé, English Chamber Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Nashville Symphony, Wuhan Philharmonic, Johannesburg Philharmonic, and all of the Australian and New Zealand orchestras.

Emily Sun is currently Professor of Violin at London’s Royal College of Music and is known world wide for her stunning interpretations and technique. From the Sydney Opera House to the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in Moscow, Emily is appreciated as an amazing talent and an ambassador for her home country of Australia.

“Possessed of a superb talent” (The Australian), Emily is in demand internationally for her compelling and captivating interpretations which have won her international renown. Her genuine connection with audiences and engaging presence have thrilled her growing audiences, as she performs as a concerto soloist with leading orchestras, and as a chamber musician and recitalist in major concert halls around the globe.

In recent seasons, Emily made her debut with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra, London Mozart Players and returns to Sydney Symphony, Melbourne Symphony, and West Australian Symphony Orchestra. She was Artist-in-Association with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra across two seasons, including the critically acclaimed world premiere of Elena Kats-Chernin’s Violin Concerto.

David Griffiths is Professor of Music (Clarinet) at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. David has earned a reputation not only for his superb performances as a clarinet soloist but as a consummate musician equally accomplished as a chamber musician, recitalist and leading educator.

Chamber music forms a vital part of David's career and as a member of Ensemble Liaison, he curates and performs an annual three-concert series. Recognised for fostering long-term relationships with leading chamber ensembles, David enjoys collaborating with the American, New Zealand, Goldner, Tinalley, Arcacia, Flinders and Australian String Quartets, the New York Wind Soloists, and the Southern Cross Soloists.

Recent highlights of these include a performance of Brahms' Clarinet Quintet with the American String Quartet at the Portillo Festival in Chile, John Adams' Gnarly Buttons Clarinet Concerto with the Australia Ensemble@UNSW, the Weiland Concerto with the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, a collaboration with accordion virtuoso James Crabb, Mozart's Clarinet Quintet and Concerto at the 3MBS Mozart Marathon and the complete chamber works of Brahms in one day at UKARIA in collaboration with Timothy Young, Svetlana Bogosavljevic and the Australian String Quartet.