TOP UP INSTRUCTORS - Topology
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TOP UP INSTRUCTORS
JOHN BABBAGE – COMPOSER, SAXOPHONE
A founding member of Topology, John studied saxophone at the
Queensland Conservatorium Of Music, graduating with a
Diploma in Jazz in 1987. He has been performing and teaching
for over 30 years, has toured Australia, Europe, the US, Canada,
India, Singapore and Indonesia, released 15 albums by Australian
and international composers, and his compositions have been
played on radio and television worldwide. Babbage is a sought-
after cross art form composer with commissions for works such
as R&J (Expressions Dance Company), Argus (Dead Puppet
Society) and Ocean’s Skin (Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre, USA).
He has recorded and performed with the above groups as well
as Terry Riley (USA), the Brodsky Quartet (UK), Abhinaya Theatre
Company (India), Kate Miller-Heidke, Katie Noonan, the Kransky
Sisters, Christine Anu, Trichotomy, TaikOz, William Barton, Grant
Collins and many more. Babbage is also a driving force in Topology’s Top Up education and community
engagement program and is actively sought after by teachers around the country to deliver improvisation and
composition workshops. His work for Top Up has brought him to numerous communities in regional Queensland,
Northern Territory, New South Wales and Victoria.
LOUISE KING - CELLO
Louise King is a portfolio musician, recording and concert artist,
Teaching Artist, active chamber musician, examiner, conductor,
music director and adjudicator. She has extensive international
training and professional performing and teaching experience.
Louise is a multi-award and competition-winning graduate of the
Royal Colleges of Music in London and Manchester, and has
worked extensively throughout the UK, Europe and Asia with the
BBC Philharmonic, the Hallé Orchestra, and Hong Kong
Philharmonic Orchestra, and on faculty at the Royal Northern
College of Music and Queensland Conservatorium Griffith
University. As a soloist and chamber music partner, she performs
in Australia’s major art festivals and established classical concert
series and has recorded seventeen albums showcasing diverse
collaborations from New Music, Chamber Music, Early Music and
singer-songwriters including three albums for ABC classics. As
Artistic Director of Cello Dreaming she runs a teaching practice, presents community and professional concerts,
music workshops, collaborative performance projects, and mentors emerging young musicians. She is a guest
conductor and clinician for school music camps and tutors for the Australian Youth Orchestra and Australian
Chamber Orchestra education programs.
ANDREW MADDICK - VIOLIN
Andrew has performed with Hans Zimmer, Smokey Robinson,
George Benson, Missy Higgins, The Whitlams, Katie Noonan, The
Bootleg Beatles, Kathryn Jenkins and Paolo Nutini, whose album
Sunny Side Up he also plays on. Andrew performed on Sting’s
DVD “If On A Winter’s Night” and toured the show to Paris and
Germany. Andrew is a principal musician for the Hofesh Shechter
Company. With them he has toured extensively performing on
violin, viola, electric guitar and bass in Political Mother, and In Your
Rooms. Having completed a Masters degree in music
performance from the University of Queensland, Australia in 2004
Andrew moved to the UK to further his studies with Marianne
Thorsen and Pete Lale. He was awarded a scholarship to attend
the Dartington Summer School on Baroque violin in 2005 and in
2008 the Freiburg Academy on both baroque and contemporary violin.
CHRISTA POWELL - VIOLIN
Highly-respected performance artist, session musician, and music
educator, Christa is as comfortable lending her talents to the orchestra
pit as she is in character wardrobe, playing on stage with Led Zeppelin
or playing solo violin and strolling the stage with Expressions Dance
Company. One of Topology’s founders, a steadying influence and
strong driving force towards the shared common goal, Christa has
helped steer Topology from the start, emerging as Creative and
Education Director. When she’s not playing with Topology, she
performs a wide range of chamber music (she and Therese are two
thirds of the Muses Trio with cellist Louise King), her long-held
passion. She also plays orchestral music with the Queensland
Symphony Orchestra, gigs with bands and teaches violin at Brisbane
Girls Grammar School, in her private studio and as a guest at various
education institutions. Christa studied at the University of Queensland
(BMus Hon 1991) with Elizabeth Morgan, in London (1991 – 1993) with
Emanuel Herwitz of the Melos Ensemble and at the Queensland
Conservatorium of Music with Carmel Kaine, obtaining her Master of Music in 1996. In London, she played with
the Olyver Gypsy Ensemble.
SONIA WILSON – VIOLIN
Sonia began learning the violin at age seven once she realised it always
played the melodies in the ballets she grew up watching on VCR. She studied
with Graeme Jennings at the Queensland Conservatorium before completing
a masters with Goetz Richter at the Sydney Conservatorium. Sonia has a great
love for chamber music and was a founding member and first violinist of the
Geist String Quartet from 2015-2019. The quartet was awarded the
Westheimer Fellowship, E.V. Llewellyn Memorial Award and the Mary
Vallentine Award and toured both nationally and internationally; performing at
the Musica Viva Festival in Sydney, the St Lawrence String Quartet Chamber
Music Seminar in Stanford, USA, the Orford Music Academy in Quebec,
Canada, Internationale Sommerakademie für Kammermusik Niedersachsen in
Germany and the Luberon International String Quartet Festival as part of a
ProQuartet professional training course in France. Sonia has a keen interest in
contemporary classical music and in 2018 travelled to Germany to attend the
Darmstadt International Summer Course for New Music, performing works by
György Kurtág, Elliott Carter and Holly Harrison. She has guested with a number of contemporary ensembles
including Topology, Sirius Chamber Ensemble and Rubiks Collective, who she joined for their 2018 international
tour. Sonia has worked with orchestras all over Australia, including the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, the
Opera Australia Orchestra, the Western Australia Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and
AYO’s Momentum Ensemble. In 2018 she was an Emerging Artist with the Australian Chamber Orchestra and a
member of ACO Collective and in 2019 joined the Australian Chamber Orchestra for one of their national tours. In
November 2019 she began a full-time position as tutti first violin with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra.
BETHAN LEWIS – VIOLA
Bethan Lewis is a freelance violist and highly experienced string
educator with 17 years of experience as a violin and viola teacher in
schools, privately, for music services and for academies in the UK and
Australia. Her teaching has spanned all
ages and abilities including designing and leading school string
programmes, workshops, masterclasses and orchestral and chamber
music tutorials. Recently, Bethan undertook a Kodaly Australia
secondary teaching course and completed a 500hr yoga teacher
training to ensure a thorough understanding of best postural
alignment and ranges of movement. As a professional violist, Bethan
has performed with contemporary ensembles Black Square Quartet,
Collusion and Topology. She worked on the Hofesh Schecter Dance
Company’s Survivor project at the Barbican in London and Political
Mother Choreographer’s Cut project in Tokyo, Montpelier and at
Sadler’s Wells in London. She toured the UK with Tango Siempre on
their Tangents project/CD with Gilad Atzmon. Bethan also toured the UK for many years as principal violist for
Mid Wales Opera and she was a member of the chamber group Orchestra of the Swan. Orchestral work has
included the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, BBC ScottishSymphony, English Chamber Orchestra, Australia
Symphony Orchestra (principal), Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, RTE National Symphony Orchestra and Camerata.
TOBY LOVELAND - GUITAR
Toby is a Brisbane based guitarist who has been working as a
professional musician for over twenty years. Toby is in high
demand in the musical theatre scene featuring as guitarist in the
QPAC seasons of “School of Rock”, “Muriel’s Wedding”, “Chicago”,
“Book of Mormon”, “The Lion King”, “Priscilla”, “Kinky Boots”,
“Jersey Boys”, “Wicked”, “Mamma Mia” and “Matilda” to name a
few. Toby has supported some of the country’s finest performers
including Anthony Callea, Rob Mills, Bert Newton, Todd McKenny,
Lucy Durack, Paulini, Jack Vidgen, Erika Heynatz, Silvie Paladino,
David Atkins, Stephen Amos, Luke Hunter, Tim Smith, Peter
Casey, Kellie Dickerson, The Veronicas, Jessica Mauboy, Marcia
Hines, The Village People, Kate Ceberano, James Morrison,
Richard Clapton, The Drifters, Little Patti, Normie Rowe, David
Campbell, Katie Noonan, Christine Anu, Sean O’Boyle. Toby also
worked alongside John Foreman in the 2018 and 2019 TV Week Logie Awards Band. Toby has toured extensively
throughout Australia and the globe working in Taiwan, Bali, Fiji and throughout Europe. On the local front, Toby is
a member of one of Brisbane’s finest duo acts Phoenix, as well as operating his own professional covers band
Savvy. In addition to performing, Toby has been teaching the guitar and bass at Brisbane educational institutions
for over 20 years. Currently, when not on stage, Toby enjoys lecturing in contemporary music studies at TAFE
Brisbane and teaching at St Joseph’s College Gregory Terrace.
THOMAS GREEN – COMPOSER (ELECTRONIC)
Thomas Green has a reputation in Brisbane (Australia) as a versatile
composer whose focus is finding a musical home between many
and varied streams, often seamlessly melding classical and
contemporary idioms. He is the recipient of various government
grants, commissions and is a prize-winner in national composition
competitions. He completed his PhD in 2016, and his music has
been premiered around Australia and internationally, with
performances in Italy, France, UK, Croatia and China in recent
years. He has composed and arranged music for The Sydney
Symphony (with Josh Pyke), The Australian String Quartet, Katie
Noonan, Opera Qld, La Boite Theatre, Plexus (Melbourne), and the
Brisbane-based organisations Collusion Music, Trivium Ensemble
and Argo. In 2017 he was commissioned by The Queensland Music
Festival to write a concerto for Manu Delago and QYO, in 2018 his original dance music for Turbine, a show by
Collusion, was toured in Brisbane and Shanghai, and in 2019 he is writing music for Katie Noonan with the
Australian String Quartet, for The Glad Tomorrow. He also releases experimental electronic music under the
moniker Praxis Axis. He lectures in music theory at the Queensland Conservatorium.
DR GRANT COLLINS – PERCUSSION, DRUMS
Grant is one of the forerunners in the industry, forever
pushing the limits and confines of music and leading
cutting edge, creative and unconventional drumming. His
approach defies stereotypical drum set methodologies
with his innovative and enthralling solo drum set
compositions. He uses all four limbs both individually and
as a collective to present multi-timbral soundscapes,
defining the drum set as a contemporary solo instrument
for the world stage. Through his determination, Grant has
developed powerful and modern drum set solo
performances, which have captivated audiences not only
in Australia, but around the world. Grant’s vivacious and
dynamic one man show is a reflection of his infatuation
with the drums, which has seen him tour and perform as
an international artist at many concert halls across the
globe. Not only does Grant attack the boundaries of a solo performer, he also pushes the restrictions of his
instrument to create ground-breaking ingenious works. Grant’s sell out performances have also been trumped
with feature presentations on countless radio stations and television programmes.
ANDREW JOHNSON – BASS, TRUMPET
Andrew Johnson is a versatile musician with a wide range of performing
and recording experience across many musical styles. He holds a
Bachelor of Music with honours in performance and has worked
extensively on both bass and trumpet. He has enjoyed performing for
large touring shows such as Chicago, The Book of Mormon, Matilda,
Aladdin, The Lion King, Mamma Mia, Muriel’s Wedding, Mary Poppins,
Avenue Q and Wicked as well as with productions for the Qld Theatre
Company, Opera Australia and The Little Red Company amongst others.
He has played live with popular artists such as James Morrison, Kate
Miller-Heidke, Kate Ceberano, Tom Burlinson and Glen Shorrock and has
recorded for Mark Sholtez, Salliana Seven Campbell, Luke Kennedy,
Adam Lopez, Francesca De Valence, Yves Klein Blue and Bindi
Irwin. Andrew currently works part time at Mt. Alvernia and Padua Colleges where he helps students gain
confidence in writing, arranging and recording their music.
ELLI WELSH - PIANO
Pianist Elli Welsh completed a Bachelor of Music in 2016 and a Master of
Music Studies in 2018 (Distinction) at the Queensland Conservatorium
Griffith University under the tutelage of Natasha Vlassenko. Elli currently
holds a scholarship position at the Royal Academy of Music where she is
undertaking a Professional Diploma in Piano Accompaniment with James
Baillieu. Elli also won the Ena Williams Award for Postgraduate Study
Overseas. Elli’s excellence in performance has also been recognised
through the Margaret Nickson Prize for Voice and Accompaniment (2017)
and the John and Sue Thompson Vocal Accompaniment Scholarship (2018).
Last year, Elli toured northern and central Queensland with award-winning
quintet, Topology. Also a member of Brisbane City Opera (BCO), Elli was
Repetiteur for the 2019 production of Opera Galactica (an Australian
premiere direct from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival), Repetiteur and
Performer for the 2018 production of Handel’s Apollo e Dafne and the 2017 production of Mozart’s Bastien und
Bastienne. In 2018, she was also appointed Student Repetiteur and Performer for the Conservatorium’s
production of Purcell’s The Fairy Queen, Puccini’s La rondine and Massenet’s Cendrillon.
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