About Our Musicians
Eileen is passionate about bringing together all her learnings and experience to help others through utilising the series “The Flautist”
Eileen Gilligan, Flute
Eileen commenced her flute studies at the Canberra School of Music in Canberra ACT Australia. Her first lessons were with Margaret Crawford for a number of years. Margaret taught her the love of music ,the flute and cemented the foundations and musical thinking that William Bennett was later to build on. Tone, expression, colour and the music were Margarets focus.
Eileen completed a Bachelor of Music in Performance at the Canberra School of Music with high distinction under David Cubbin and was a Commonwealth finalist in the ABC Concerto Competition that same year with the Mozart D Major Flute Concerto and the Adelaide symphony Orchestra.
Looking to further her studies internationally Eileen went to Europe and studied with William Bennett (Wibb) in London for 2 years.
These two years with Wibb changed her. The flute became a musical voice and the love of the French School of Flute playing firmly instilled in Eileen.
Eileen taught at the Kent School of Music in the UK and attended Ramsgate masterclasses with Peter Lukas Graf, Trevor Wye and William Bennett while overseas.
Upon returning to Australia Eileen Performed Solo concerts, freelanced and performed with the chamber music group “ “MUZYKA” “ in Melbourne.
Eileen also represented John Lehner Flutes Australia for 10 or so years in Melbourne, which was a marvellous opportunity to try many different flutes and head-joints. It really cemented her belief in what is essential to a beautiful tone and resonance in a flute.
Eileen taught Bachelor of Music students at Melbourne University in 1981 for 10 years before moving to Brisbane where she freelanced and examined for the Australian Music Examinations Board throughout Queensland for 15 years.
During this time , Eileen travelled a few times to “ Wildacres” flute retreat in near Asheville USA where she again caught up with William Bennett and also had the pleasure of being exposed to Stephen Preston who left a marked impression on her with his beautiful tone on the modern flute and subtle , elegant approach to Baroque music. Here she learned the importance of dance movement and steps in Baroque interpretation . It changed her approach in many ways to Baroque interpretation.
Whilst Eileen was examining throughout Queensland she had the privilege of becoming acquainted with Robert Keene a very fine Australian pianist and composer. There were many a lively discussion about sound and colour and Robert honoured Eileen by writing a Concertina for flute and chamber orchestra for her, to deliver the timeframe and format of a Concertino composition which was scarce in the flute repertoire . The piece is gorgeous and named “ Impatiens”. It has won composition prizes in Australia as it deserved as it really explored everything discussed with a passion for the flute.
Eileen is passionate about bringing together into one place all her thoughts and experience to help teachers and players through utilising the website and YouTube series “ The Flautist”. The Flautist explores a vocal lyrical approach to the flute and tone and the challenges in repertoire and flute playing in general.The Flautist delivers the resources available for the flute with guides to the challenges faced as flute players, as well as as understanding of the piece and composer and the era it was written.
Alex Raineri, Piano
Described by Limelight Magazine as
“a soloist of superb virtuosic skill and musicality”
Hailed as a “born communicator” (The Australian), a “brilliant young musician” (Otago Times), and a “soloist of superb virtuosic skill and musicality” (Limelight), Alex Raineri (b. 1993) is active Internationally and throughout Australia as a recitalist, concerto soloist, chamber musician, writer, producer and educator.
International performances include tours throughout America, Southeast Asia, United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, Germany and Austria. Within Australia, Alex has appeared as a feature artist in many major festivals and venues. As a concerto soloist he has appeared with the Queensland, Tasmanian, Darwin and West Australian Symphony Orchestras, Ensemble Q, Southern Cross Soloists, Orchestra Victoria, Four Winds Festival Orchestra, Bangalow Festival Orchestra, Queensland Youth Symphony and the Queensland Pops Orchestra. He has been broadcast on BBC Radio 3, Radio NZ, California Capital Public Radio, ABC Classic FM and all of the Australian MBS Networks.
Alex is the Artistic Director of the annual Brisbane Music Festival. He is a passionate exponent and commissioner of contemporary music, having given 109 World Premieres + 147 Australian Premieres to date.
Major awards include the Kerikeri International Piano Competition and Australian National Piano Award. He was the recipient of the Queensland Luminary Award in the 2021 APRA/AMCOS Art Music Awards and received a Kranichsteiner Musikpries at the International Summer Courses for New Music (Darmstadt, Germany).
Notable collaborations include Andreas Ottensamer, TwoSet Violin, eighth blackbird, ELISION, Sara Macliver, Natalie Clein, Natsuko Yoshimoto, Karin Schaupp, Greta Bradman, Li Wei Qin, Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Jack Liebeck, Kathryn Stott, Slava Grigoryan, Brett Dean, William Barton, Ensemble Offspring, Orava Quartet, and many others.
Additionally to a full-time performative profile, Alex is a radio-presenter on 4MBS Classic FM, a reviewer for The Music Trust’s ‘Loudmouth’, and holds associate artist positions at both the Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University + University of Queensland.
Kathy Sander
A fulfilling life as a classical pianist, with a penchant for jazz and rock has led Kathy to be a versatile and entertaining pianist. Repertoire embraces different genres; classical, jazz standards, pop ballads, evergreens, Latin music, easy listening pieces and well-chosen contemporary songs adapted to her unique style.
Kathy grew up in Toowoomba, Queensland and studied piano in an undergraduate degree with Brachi Tilles, and the violin with Spiros Ranto. Further studies with pianists, Stephen McIntyre and Roy Shepherd at the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne gained a degree in Accompaniment and Chamber Music.
Currently working as a freelance pianist & keyboardist in Brisbane. Kathy is an Associate Artist at the Queensland Conservatorium part of Griffith University. Other work has been at the Southbank Institute & University Music Department as staff accompanist.
Kathy shares her passion through teaching positions at the Stuartholme School and for the past 30 years Kathy at Brisbane Girls’ Grammar School and Brisbane Grammar School both in a private teaching and associate artist role.
Memorable performances have been on the Vatican Organ and as pianist for a master class with legendary violinist Maxim Vengerov.
Kathy has toured with Musica Viva with their Arts touring project out of Sydney with her husband, drummer, and percussionist Barry Sutton. Also touring the same show with Barry throughout Queensland for the Queensland Arts Council.
Kathy has many years of experience performing on piano at National Band Championships, Austa Conferences and Workshops, the Australian Flute Festival, the National Youth Concerto Competition for QYO, to name a few. Kathy’s vast experience as a pianist is expressed through working with the Queensland Pops Orchestra for 9 years, in addition she has performed with the Fine Arts Trio, Barocka, Topology, and the Australian Session Orchestra.
Kathy has extensive experience in theatre work – latest shows have been “Dusty-The Musical”, “Miss Saigon”, “Phantom of the Opera” and “Mamma Mia”.
Extensive contemporary work highlights include shows with – Frank Sinatra – Liberace – Dionne Warwick – Grace Knight. Kathy has enjoyed working in the commercial music scene both as MD and as a performer with many years spent in working bands, she is also currently Musical Director of the Mood Music Musicians Collective.
Projects with Mood Music include her piano and bass duo, “The Amica Cocktail Duo”, Brisbane’s “Great Gatsby Band” and a new rebirth of the “Mood Music Orchestra” and “Piano Trio”. The team at Mood Music present classic and elegant music in all its forms for distinctive events in Brisbane and Southeast Queensland.
Kathy brings this wealth of experience to compliment and enhance The Flautist.
Daniel Le, Piano
Hailed by the New York Concert Review as a “brilliant young
pianist,” Australian pianist Daniel Le has enjoyed an international career spanning four continents.
After Daniel’s debut with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra in 2015, he was immediately re-engaged for two consecutive seasons. In 2019, he made his debut with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, under conductor Benjamin Northey. Other performances have brought Daniel to venues including Lincoln Center in New York, Melbourne Recital Center, Queensland Performing Arts Theatre, Lyric Theatre in
Australia and the Waseda University in Japan.
Competition successes include prizes in the Lev Vlassenko Piano Competition, Australian National Piano Award, and Kerikeri International Piano Competition.
As an educator, Daniel has been active for the last 10 years in his time in Australia, Singapore and the United States. Over the last few years, he served on the Bronx Conservatory of Music piano faculty where some students have won prizes including the Rondo Young Artist Competition. In New York, his students have performed in prestigious venues Kauffman, Steinway Hall and Merkin Halls. Recently, his students have become finalists in the Young Maestro International Music Competition.
Daniel has collaborated with members of the Chamber Music Society of the Lincoln Center. Festival appearances include Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Bowdoin International Music Festival where he worked with renowned musicians from the Emerson, Brentano, Shanghai and Miro String Quartets.
Xinyu “Allie” Wang, Piano
Xinyu Allie Wang has been praised for her poetic tone and exquisite grace at the piano. She quickly began performing in public, receiving prestigious top prizes at the “Xinghai” Cup National Piano Competition in Tianjin and Beijing, TOYAMA Asian Youth Music Competition and Chopin Theme in Beijing. She won the first prize at LaGrange Young Artists Competition as well as the first prize of Piano Texas International Academy & Festival Concerto Competition. Xinyu has established herself as a performer, collaborator and pedagogue in New York City. She is the recent winner of the International Piano House Competition in New York as well as a winner of the Zaslavsky-Koch Piano Competition at Manhattan School of Music.
She has performed in Carnegie Hall, Tenri Cultural Institute in New York, The Forbidden City Concert Hall, Capital Normal University in Beijing, Tianjin University, Steinway & Sons Hall in Tianjin, Jilin University of The Arts in Changchun, Ed Landreth Auditorium, PepsiCo Recital Hall in Texas, Lee University in Tennessee and Walnut Hill Music Festival in Natick, Massachusetts. As a soloist she has appeared with the LaGrange Symphony Orchestra and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra alongside conductor Geoffrey Simon. She has participated in masterclasses with world famous artists such as Barry Douglas, Yoheved Kaplinsky, John Perry, Hung Kuan Chen, Jerome Lowenthal, Pavlina Dokovska and Andre-Michel Schub.
XInyu is currently completing her Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance under Dr. Marc Silverman at the Manhattan School of Music. As a pianist, she holds degrees from Manhattan School of Music for Bachelor, Master and Professional Studies in Piano Performance. She is currently teaching at the Manhattan School of Music, as well as working as a collaborative pianist for the world renowned Pinchas Zukerman program.
Xinyu’s teaching expertise alongside performance credits throughout China and the United States. She has given masterclasses in Beijing, Guangzhou, Tianjin, and Shandong. In New York City, she has been a teaching fellow at the Manhattan School of Music for the past two years, and shares experience working with young talented students. Xinyu has worked with Steinway & Sons as part of her role as a Steinway Education Partner. Her students have given recitals at Steinway Hall, providing the highest quality instruments and guidance. Her beginner’s studio is exceptionally talented with students from the United States, China and Korea.
Xinyu’s capacity as a teacher has been to help provide students with guidance through the international musical examinations, such as the NYSSMA and ABRSM curriculum. She has been teaching for over 10 years. Her experience inc
ludes teaching individual piano lessons, group piano class, music theory lessons, aural-skills and chamber music coaching from beginner level to adults and professional artists. Her students have attended numerous piano competitions and music festivals in the United States. She has worked with students from Manhattan School of Music pre-college and Juilliard pre-college, and they have been admitted to some of the top music schools in the United States and in China