Piano
David Shaw | Executive Director, Head of Piano
David Shaw is a multi-instrumentalist, specialising in flute and piano. He has extensive experience in many genres of music, including performing, arranging and teaching. As an orchestral musician, David has performed with several state orchestras in Australia and enjoys chamber music collaborations and projects with colleagues Australia-wide. David is a champion of new Australian music, with a long list of composer collaborators and premieres.
In Orange and the Central West, David has been involved in innumerable musical offerings. He has been a repetiteur and music director for the Orange Theatre Company in more than a dozen shows, and has performed in many school musical theatre shows. He has also led the Orange Symphony Orchestra as music director since 2017. David is a regular performer in the Orange Chamber Music festival and has also been onstage as part of the Orange Winter Jazz Festival. He founded the ORC Chamber Academy to give students a chance to explore the complex nature of chamber music while still at school and is always looking for innovative programs and ideas to share with new students. In 2023, David gave his first public performances on two new keyboard instruments – the piano accordion and the church organ – both of which were joyously tackled. David loves to connect with community and engage with the many varied musical offerings around him.
Marianne Bangert | Piano
Marianne has been playing the piano since she was 11 years old, and has been involved in a variety of musical performances and productions over a range of genres. She is a passionate and enthusiastic teacher of all ages, and delights in the opportunity to walk alongside students on their musical journey.
Philip Rees OAM | Piano
When Philip Rees was eight, two events impacted his life: his first piano and brass lesson and his parents being given a complete recorded performance of Messiah. Since then he can’t recall a time of not wanting to be a musician. Philip has spent his entire working life involved in music education and performance. As the musical director of the Central Coast Philharmonia, he conducted many major works of the choral tradition, as well as a number of Australian premiere performances of works by Christopher Tin, (Calling All Dawns) Karl Jenkins, (Joy to the World) John Rutter (Feel the Spirit) and Alexander Lestrange (Zimbe and Ahoy). He was the chorus master for Central Coast Opera productions of Magic Flute (2016), Carmen (2017) and La Bohème (2018).
Since moving to the Central west in 2019, Philip teaches brass and piano at the Orange Regional Conservatorium, is the conductor of the City of Orange Brass Band, and participates in a variety of school music programs.
In 2010 he was awarded an OAM for services to music
Kate Rose | Piano
Throughout life, piano music has been a sanctuary in which Kate has found joy, peace and inspiration. Whilst practice wasn’t an initial given, the instant gratification that came with exploring the sounds of the piano motivated Kate to refine her skills and deepen her understanding of music.
Kate completed 8th grade AMEB piano, a Bachelor of Music and a Diploma of Education at the University of New England. Exploring composers such as Scriabin, Chopin, Scarlatti, and Shostakovich were exciting and certainly helped to develop technique.
Down the track, worship music and jazz piano rekindled Kate’s curiosity of harmony and improvisation. Kate strongly believes that music provides a pathway for growth, connection, and discovery. With all its colour and complexity, Kate has seen this in the classroom context, the jazz bands that she has worked with and her private studio of which she has run at the ORC for 11 years.
Kate’s goal is to inspire her students to not only play the piano but to embrace music as a vital part of their lives. Kate loves to see students gain confidence with piano and performance as it instils discipline and perseverance, provides a sense of accomplishment, fosters creativity and boosts self-esteem.
Whether Kate’s students play for personal enjoyment or pursue music professionally, she enjoys seeing them carry a passion for music beyond lessons and into everyday experience.
Annette Houghton | Piano
Annette Houghton is a highly experienced piano teacher and accompanist dedicated to inspiring students of all ages. She tailors lessons to each student’s needs, focusing on strong technique, expressive playing, and effective practice habits.
Annette has prepared students for AMEB, ABRSM, and Trinity College piano, theory, and musicianship exams, as well as competitions, concerts, and scholarship auditions. She also enjoys accompanying instrumentalists and vocalists for exams and performances and is the accompanist for the Orange Regional Conservatorium Symphonic Choir.
She holds a Diploma in General Primary Education specializing in music, an Associate of Trinity College London (ATCL) in Piano Performance, and AMEB Grade 8 Musicianship. She previously ran her own Yamaha music school, teaching group keyboard classes to children as young as four.
Annette taught at Redlands, Cremorne, for 27 years, working with students from Kindergarten to Year 12, leading musicianship classes, and supporting school performances. Her students have earned scholarships at St. Andrew’s, Stella Maris, and Redlands.
Now based at Orange Regional Conservatorium, Annette continues to inspire students, whether they are preparing for exams, competitions, or playing for personal enjoyment.
Carmel Follent | Piano
Carmel graduated from the University of Queensland in 1985, majoring in violin and teaching. She taught in schools before moving to the central west of NSW. For the past 25 years she has been involved in local community work, raised her family of boys and continued to teach the creative arts in classrooms and privately. With training and experience in the Suzuki Method and Kodaly she brings a wealth of creativity, fund, insight and passion to her lessons.
Dahle Innes | Piano
Dahle Innes attended the Conservatorium High School, where she majored in piano and French horn, studying piano with Nea de Mestre and Josephine Bell and horn with Alan Mann and Clarence Mellor. She then continued at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music with tertiary music studies.
For six years, Dahle played horn with the Elizabethan Sydney Orchestra (now the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra). She was a member of the ABC Sinfonia for 18 months, occasionally performing as a soloist. She has played casually with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and the Australian Chamber Orchestra, as well as at events such as the Leningrad-Kirov Ballet tours. In the field of music theatre, she has played in professional productions including Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita and Man of La Mancha.
Since the mid-1980s, Ms Innes has been primarily engaged in music education. As head of Brass at Kinross Wolaroi School for over 30 years, she tutored in all areas of brass from Years 2 to 12 and was also involved in senior performance technique development and accompaniment. She directed various ensembles including the secondary school orchestra, which successfully toured Europe and the United States under her direction.
Since 2021, Dahle has been a staff member at the ORC, where she teaches brass, piano and Musicianship. She also currently directs two brass ensembles and is a co-conductor of the Orange Youth Orchestra.
Her interest in learning styles and the social and cognitive influences on behaviour led Ms Innes to pursue and gain an honours degree in psychology.
Dahle has been an examiner for the AMEB since 1997.
Anna Kovalenko | Piano
Anna Kovalenko is an enthusiastic piano teacher from Ukraine with over 20 years of experience. Anna graduated from a prestigious pedagogical college and university in Ukraine, where she mastered advanced techniques and methods for teaching piano. Throughout her career, Anna has cultivated a deep love for music and a commitment to helping each student unlock their full potential. She takes great joy in creating personalised learning experiences and tailoring her approach to the individual needs and aspirations of each student. Anna is deeply fascinated by a wide range of musical styles and strives to inspire her students to explore and embrace the beauty of music in all its forms.
Glenys Ramage | Piano
Glenys has been involved in music since childhood learning brass instruments first, then moving on to Clarinet and Piano which became Major studies at Alexander Mackie College of Advanced Education in Sydney where she completed her Music teaching qualifications. She has taught piano, clarinet and recorder privately for over 40 years with students of all ages including adults.
She has worked many years with bands of different types, playing in, tutoring and directing. As a school music teacher, Glenys has had experience with all ages of students, from infants to year 12, in private and State schools, in Sydney as well as overseas. Part of this teaching has involved directing many different ensembles, choirs, bands and recorder groups.