GUEST SPEAKERS
Tim Topham BMus, DipEd, MBA (Educational Leadership), and DipPianoPerf (AMusA) with Distinction.
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An internationally recognised leader in music education, Tim Topham has been helping to reshape and recharge the traditional landscape of instrumental music education since founding TopMusicCo in 2010. Tim’s vision of a more creative, modern and integrated approach to music teaching has seen him speak on stages from the USA to UK and Australia, including the 2024 Keynote to the Music Teachers’ National Association of America in Atlanta. Tim is the author of No Book Beginners, a leading text demonstrating the many benefits of delaying reading in beginner music teaching. |
Dr Hannah Darroch DMus, MMus, BMus(1st Class Hons), LTCL, MBA Arts Innovation
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Dr. Hannah Darroch has been described as “a musician comfortable both in the ancient and the modern – a master of musical communication, demonstrating total mastery of her instrument.” She was Principal Flute of the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra and Artist Teacher at the University of Canterbury’s School of Music in 2024 before leaving to become the new Chief Executive of SOUNZ Centre for New Zealand Music. |
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Gillian Ansell LRSM, ARCM  Credit: Latitude Creative |
Gillian Ansell is a founding member of the New Zealand String Quartet. Originally second violinist, she became the violist in 1989. Gillian teaches violin, viola and chamber music at the New Zealand School of Music—Te Kōkī and has been Artistic Director of the Adam Chamber Music Festival, since 2001. In 2008 she became a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for services to music. Read more... |
Dr Sarah Watkins BMus Canterbury, MMus DMA Juilliard School (New York)
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 Credit: Lydia Searle |
Dr Sarah Watkins has enjoyed an impressive and busy career as a collaborative pianist. She performed across Australasia, Asia, the USA and Europe as a founding member of NZTrio from 2002-2018, and now enjoys a wide variety of collaborations with musicians throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. Sarah is a graduate of the University of Canterbury (NZ) and the Juilliard School in New York City, where she earned both Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in collaborative piano. |
Assoc. Prof. Graham McPhail BMus (Hons), DipTchg, MMus, AIRMTNZ
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Graham is Associate Professor in the School of Curriculum and Pedagogy, in the Faculty of Education and Social Work, at the University of Auckland. He took up this position in 2015 after twenty years of work in the secondary education sector including three years as the National Moderator for NCEA Music. His current research is centered on the role of knowledge in the curriculum, in particular within C21schooling and music education contexts. |
PUBLIC CONCERT
We are delighted to announce that Sarah Watkins, Gillian Ansell, and Hannah Darroch will join forces to showcase their exceptional talents in a public concert on Thursday, 9 April 2026
Watch this space for details as they come to hand.
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