Throughout the festival, students will have the opportunity to refine their musical abilities through interactive workshops, masterclasses and adjudications led by world-renowned musicians. The 2019 music educators include:
Owen is an experienced and versatile musician with a reputation as a dynamic and enthusiastic conductor and music director as well as being known for his work in education and teaching. In 2001 Owen was appointed the Director of Music for the Royal New Zealand Air Force and subsequently worked in this field for 16 years finishing as conductor and Director of the Royal New Zealand Navy Band in Auck-land. He also conducts professional, amateur, tertiary and youth level orchestras and ensembles throughout New Zealand and Australia.
After learning the violin from a young age Owen subsequently completed his Bachelor of Music majoring in performance trombone at Victoria University. On completion of this degree, he worked as a freelance musician in Wellington and has played the trombone with all the professional orchestras in New Zealand as well as many other musical ensembles.
He is in demand as an adjudicator and he undertakes workshops and adjudicates at music festivals throughout New Zealand and in Australia including the KBB Festival in Auckland, Rhapsody Rotorua Music Festival and the NZCT Chamber Music Contest. Owen moved to Brisbane in 2015 and is currently Director of Music at Brisbane Girls Grammar School.
One of New Zealand’s premier jazz artists, over the years Rodger has performed with some of the biggest names in jazz – blues and commercial music including Michael Brecker, Diane Schuur, Joey Defrancesco, Mike Stern, Randy Crawford, Michael Houstoun, Charlie Musselwhite, Robben Ford, Chris Cain, Jon Papenbrook, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Steve Smith, Tom Warrington, Larry Koonse, Joe La Barbara, John Fedchock, Clay Jenkins, Eric Marienthal, Bill Cunliffe, Steve Houghton, Dick Oatts, Alex Sipiagin, Bob Sheppard, Bruce Forman, Charley Davis, Denise Perrier, Alan Broadbent and Jim Pugh to name a few. Winner of Jazz Recordings of the Year”1984, 2001, 2004, 2009 and 2011 plus has been nominated on 9 other occasions. In September 2017 featured performance at the 60th Monterey Jazz Festival in California. Latest CD “Hipwalk” released in May 2018 which was recorded at United Studios in Los Angeles.
Erna Ferry is a paramount jazz and blues singer and comes with stellar experience in many styles of musical performance. Erna is a vivacious, fun, sparkling stage personality. She has the ability to grab the crowd and make them hers. Whether she is singing a slow sultry ballad or belting out a swinging blues, you are in no doubt that Erna is giving the song her utmost.
July 2013 – Erna toured to the USA with The Rodger Fox Wellington Jazz Orchestra and recorded with the band at the famed Capitol Recording Studios in Los Angeles – This CD has been released under the title of “The Capitol Sessions”. In 2015 Erna toured the Peggy Lee Story to much acclaim while continuing to work with the Rodger Fox Big Band and the Wellington Jazz Orchestra. 2016 sees Erna continuing to work with Rodger – and also finding a way to get back into some blues with the initiative “Two Bluesy Blondes”.
In 2017 Erna appeared at the Monterey Jazz Festival in California USA.
Lauren Ellis is a drummer, percussionist and composer based in Wellington, New Zealand. Originally hailing from Tauranga, Lauren moved to Wellington in 2008 where she studied jazz performance at the New Zealand School Of Music, earning a Bachelor and Post Graduate Diploma.
Lauren has toured with acclaimed musicians Mike Stern, Joey Defrancesco, Hollie Smith, Mark Williams, and Chris Cain in recent years as part of the Rodger Fox Big Band, as well as joining international touring shows such as Ben Portsmouth’s ‘The King Is Back’ and ‘Sounds Of The Supremes’ for their New Zealand legs. Lauren is currently recording a new album with Richter City Rebels, due for release late 2017.
Alongside performing, Lauren also enjoys writing music, arranging and teaching. She has a passion for music education and teaches in high schools and privately in the Wellington region. Lauren has enjoyed giving back to jazz education in NZ and participated in adjudication, workshops and performances at many of the youth jazz competitions around the country such as Tauranga Jazz Festival, Manawatu Jazz Festival, Southern Jam and CPIT Jazz Quest in Christchurch. Lauren endorses Yamaha Drums.
David Bremner is the Principal Trombone of the NZ Symphony Orchestra. He has an Honours Degree from Victoria University in Wellington, and a Masters Degree from the San Francisco Conservatory. He has performed as guest Principal Trombone with the San Francisco Symphony, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestras, and is a member of STROMA Music Ensemble, and bonaNZa Trombone Quartet.
As a soloist, David has performed concertos with the NZ Symphony Orchestra including Gareth Farrs Trombone concerto ‘Funambulistic Strains’, Lyell Cresswells ‘Kaia’, and Sandstrom’s Double Concerto with Christian Lindberg.
In 2009 his debut solo CD Gung-Ho, featuring the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and the National Brass Band of NZ, received the Classical Music Award at the Vodafone NZ Music Awards. He has recorded with Crowded House, performed with Sting, Diana Krall, and Wynton Marsalis. He is Director of Education for Brass Bands NZ, Founder of the NZ Brass Foundation, and host of Radio Concert’s Brilliant Brass programme.
Jono Palmer is a dynamic and enterprising young conductor from Auckland, New Zealand. He serves as Choir Director at First Christian Church in Bedford, Indiana, where he also directs the Bedford Community Children’s Chorus. Jono is currently a doctoral student in Choral Conducting at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, and works as an Associate Instructor for the Choral Department. He maintains a link to New Zealand in his work as Artistic Programme Coordinator for Choral Connect, the NZCF Association of Choral Director’s National Conference, and as a part-time high school teacher. Jono is increasingly in demand as a choral adjudicator and clinician.
His choirs have won national and international acclaim, including two Gold Medals at the 2015 Grand Prix of Nations in Magdeburg, Germany, and many awards at regional and national festivals of NZCF The Big Sing. As a conductor, Jono has been selected for masterclasses at the 2017 World Symposium of Choral Music and the 2017 NCCO National Conference. In October 2018, he competed as one of six finalists in the Grand Final of the inaugural London International Choral Conducting Competition.
