Since 1973 SYO has been an engine room of excellence, produced some of Australia’s finest musicians and educators, and built a community of classical music lovers. Many SYO Alumni go on to professional jobs in orchestras in Australia and overseas. Indeed, many of Australia’s professional orchestras and ensembles wouldn’t exist without the specialised training SYO provides.
| First Name | Last Name | Instrument | Years In SYO | Currently |
| Philip | Arkinstall | Clarinet | 1987 – 1994 | Associate Principal Clarinet, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra; 2015 Australian World Orchestra |
| Ani | Aznavoorian | Cello | 1987 | Principal Cello, Camerata Pacifica, USA |
| Melissa | Barnard | Cello | 1980 – 1985 | Australian Chamber Orchestra; |
| Andrew | Barnes | Bassoon | 1987 – 1992 | New Sydney Wind Quintet; Senior Lecturer, Sydney Conservatorium of Music |
| Kirsty | Beilharz | Violin | 1986 & 1987 | Award winning composer. Formerly Professor of Music, Sonification & Interaction Design, University of Technology, Sydney. As at April 2018: Director of Music Engagement HammondCare Learning and Research Centre & Visiting Fellow, University of Edinburgh, UK |
| Diane | Berger | Flute | 1987 – 1990 | Principal Piccolo, Opera Australia Orchestra |
| Brigid | Bolliger | Flute | 1982 – 1985 | New Sydney Wind Quintet (founding member); founder and Artistic Director of Sydney Chamber Music Festival |
| Mark | Bruwel | Oboe | 1980 & 1981 | Opera Australia Orchestra |
| Paul | Champion | Clarinet | 1986 – 1988 | Principal Clarinet, Orchestra Victoria; 2015 Australian World Orchestra |
| Myee | Clohessy | Violin | 1984 – 1987 | Founding member of the Acacia Quartet |
| Susan | Collins | Violin | 1984 | Coordinator of Strings & Orchestral Music, Conservatorium of Music, University of Tasmania; freelance violinist |
| Virginia | Comerford | Viola | 1983 – 1987 | Principal Viola, Opera Australia Orchestra; 2016 Australian World Orchestra |
| Matthew | Coorey | French Horn | 1986 – 1995 | Freelance Conductor based in the UK. The orchestras Matthew has conducted include the Sydney and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras, the Philharmonia Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Seattle Symphony Orchestra to name but a few. Matthew made his debut at the BBC Proms conducting the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. The Sydney Youth Orchestra’s final 2016 concert in November will be conducted by Matthew and we are delighted that he will be returning in 2017 to conduct the SYO once again. |
| Lucinda | Cran | Bassoon | 1980 – 1981 | Principal Bassoon, Orchestra Victoria |
| Rosemary | Curtin | Viola | 1981 – 1989 | Sydney Symphony Orchestra; 2011, 2015, 2016 & 2018 Australian World Orchestra |
| Tania | Davis | Violin | 1983 – 1987 | First Violin in ‘Bond’ Electric String Quartet, based in the UK |
| Nick | Deutsch | Oboe | 1988 & 1989 | Former Solo Oboe, Frankfurt Opera, Germany; former Solo Oboe, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Hungary; 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017 & 2018 Australian World Orchestra. Also Artistic Director of the Australian National Academy of Music and Professor of Oboe, Hochschule für Musik – Felix Mendelsohnn Bartholdy, Leipzig |
| Grant | Dickson | Oboe | 1980 & 1981 | Lecturer in Oboe, Elder Conservatorium, University of Adelaide |
| Sarah | Dunn | Violin | 1984 – 1986 | Australian Brandenburg Orchestra |
| Rachel | Easton | Violin | 1986 – 1995 | Opera Australia Orchestra |
| Madeleine | Easton | Violin | 1986 – 1996 | Artistic Director, Bach Akademie Australia; former Leader, The Hanover Band, UK; also 2013, 2015 & 2016 Australian World Orchestra |
| James | Eccles | Violin & Viola | 1986 – 1994 | Australian Brandenburg Orchestra; also member of the Australian Haydn Ensemble and Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra |
| Douglas | Eyre | Bassoon | 1982 & 1983 | Opera Australia Orchestra |
| Anna | Hansen | Violin | 1989 | Adelaide Symphony Orchestra (viola) |
| Alex | Henery | Double Bass | 1985 | Principal Double Bass, Sydney Symphony Orchestra; 2011, 2013, 2015 & 2016 Australian World Orchestra |
| Kirsty | Hilton | Violin | 1984 – 1993 | Co-Principal 2nd Violins, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, also Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Europe; 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017 & 2018 Australian World Orchestra |
| Luisa | Hyams | Violin | 1986 – 1993 | Assistant Principal, 2nd Violins, Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra |
| Deborah | Lander | Viola | 1981 | Assistant Professor, Viola, College of Fine Arts, University of Kentucky |
| Prem | Love | Flute | 1987 – 2000 | Head of Woodwind, Orange Regional Conservatorium |
| Eszter | Mikes-Liu | Cello | 1985 – 1987 | Associate Principal Cello, Opera Australia Orchestra |
| Simon | Murphy | Viola | 1981 – 1989 | Founding Director & Conductor of The New Dutch Academy, The Hague. Also freelance conductor and solo violist with a special focus on music of the 18th and early 19th centuries. |
| Guy | Noble | Piano | 1984 | Freelance conductor, ABC announcer, presenter for SYO (2013) |
| Geoffrey | O’Reilly | French Horn | 1987 – 1989 | Principal 3rd Horn, Sydney Symphony Orchestra |
| Jennifer | Penno | Double Bass | 1982 – 1985 | Opera Australia Orchestra |
| Veronique | Serrett | Violin | 1983, 1984 & 1986 | Ensemble Offspring |
| Kirsten | Shlomowitz (nee Le Strange) | Violin | 1984 – 1993 | Sub-principal, 2nd Violins, The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, UK |
| Leanne | Sullivan | Violin & Trumpet | 1984 (violin) & 1985 – 1987 (trumpet) | Australian Brandenburg Orchestra |
| Scott | Taggart | Violin | 1983 | String Co-ordinator, Wollongong Conservatorium of Music |
| Andrew | Tait | Double Bass | 1984 | West Australian Symphony Orchestra |
| Warwick | Tyrrell | Trombone | 1983 & 1984 | Australian Brandenburg Orchestra |
| Andra | Ulrichs | Viola | 1981 – 1985 | Basel Symphony Orchestra; 2011, 2013, 2015 & 2018 Australian World Orchestra |
| Greg | van der Struik | Trombone | 1986 & 1987 | Principal Trombone, Opera Australia Orchestra |
| Antony | Walker | Cello | 1984 & 1985 | Artistic Director & Conductor, Washington Concert Opera; Music Director, Pittsburgh Opera; Music Director, Cantillation; Conductor Emeritus, Pinchgut Opera; founding Artistic Director of the Orchestra of the Antipodes (Notes: (1) conducted SYO performance of Mendelssohn’s Elijah on 14 & 15 Sept, 1996 – see Program History) (2) New York Metropolitan Opera conducting debut Orfeo ed Eurydice in 2011; conducting New York Metropolitan Opera production of The Magic Flute in Dec 2016/Jan 2017 |
| Allan | Watson | Percussion | 1985 | Associate Principal Timpani, Opera Australia Orchestra |
| David | Wickham | Cello | 1984 & 1985 | Sydney Symphony Orchestra |
| Lyn | Williams | Harp | 1980, 1984 & 1986 | Artistic Director, Sydney Children’s Choir |
| Asmira | Woodward-Page | Violin | 1982 – 1983 | Concertmaster, Strings Orchestra of New York City; 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017 & 2018 Australian World Orchestra |
| Marianne | Yeomans | Violin, Viola | 1989 – 1995 | Australian Brandenburg Orchestra (viola) and the Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra |
| Yvonne | Zammit | Violin | 1988 & 1989 | Director, External Relations, Sydney Symphony Orchestra |
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