SUSAN COLLINS - Artistic Director, Violinist
Susan Collins (…) plays these extraordinary scores with a remarkable sureness of touch, following even the most unexpected shifts in phrasing and expressive direction with micro-fine precision.
[Julian Haylock The Strad, May 2009]
At age 14, Susan performed Sarasate’s Zigeunerweissen with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Patrick Thomas at the Sydney Opera House. Since that time, she has performed as soloist and recitalist throughout Australia, the USA, and Europe. Critically acclaimed commercial CD releases include the complete violin works of Raymond Hanson (Tall Poppies) with pianist, David Miller, the complete Schumann Piano Trios (ABC Classics) with Kingfisher Trio, and Fritz Hart Music for Violin and Piano with Stephanie McCallum (Toccata Classics).
From 1992 until 2001, Susan held the position of Deputy Concertmaster of the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra and in 2003 was awarded the Australian Centenary Medal for her contribution to Opera and Ballet. From 2014 to 2021 she was Head of Strings and Orchestra at the University of Tasmania Conservatorium following a 6-year tenure at the University of Newcastle. Now based in Queensland, she teaches at Qld Conservatorium, Griffith University. In recent years, Susan has enjoyed performing as a featured artist in music festivals including Dark Mofo, Synesthesia, Ten Days on the Island, and Bangalow festivals. In 2022, Susan conducted the Queensland Youth Orchestra and performed as a soloist for the organisation’s fundraising event, was a featured artist at the Newcastle Music Festival, joined the panel of international judges for the Lipizer Violin Competition in Italy, and conducted the Brisbane Philharmonic Orchestra’s final Metro Concert.
Since 2018, Susan is Musical Director of the Riverina Summer School for Strings. In 2021, she founded the Nova Muse Festival in Penguin as Artistic Director, which is a highlight of her year.
RUDOLFO RITTER - Festival Mentor, Pianist
Of Mexican-German origin, Rodolfo Ritter is recognized as "one of the most important piano exponents in Latin America" (La Jornada, Notimex). Winner of the gold medal at the IV Angélica Morales-Yamaha National Piano Competition and the I Liszt-Parnassòs International Competition, as well as special awards, his career is distinguished by its impact on Mexican concert music. He has enriched the national repertoire with pioneering recordings of piano concertos by Ricardo Castro and Manuel M. Ponce for the Sterling Recordings and Toccata Classics labels. He currently collaborates with Brilliant Classics to record the complete piano works of Manuel M. Ponce and Silvestre Revueltas, in addition to performing world premieres of works dedicated to his talent. As an educator, he teaches classes in the master's program of Mexican music at the National Conservatory of the Universidad Panamericana. His solo career has led him to perform on three continents with a repertoire of more than 40 concertos for piano and orchestra. In addition, his compositions have been successfully performed in Mexico, Switzerland, and Taiwan.
SARAH SCHEERMEIJER - Festival Mentor, Violinist
Sarah Scheermeijer, a German-born violinist, continued her musical journey under the tutelage of renowned educator Elizabeth Morgan AM. At age nine, she performed solo for Queensland’s governor, marking the start of a distinguished career. At age 10 her achievements included appearances on ABC 2NR radio, a national TV feature in the 1999 St George Commercial, and solo performances the Sydney Opera House, as well as solo performances with ensembles like the Sydney Symphony Orchestra Quartet. Later, Sarah earned scholarships from Somerville House, Queensland Young Conservatorium, Avondale University (Academic and Musical Excellence), Newcastle Conservatorium (Australian Postgraduate Award, whilst studying under Dr. Susan Collins), and the University of Tasmania (Research Training Program). She has served as concertmaster and soloist for various community and University orchestras. A passionate educator, Sarah has directed Strings programs in schools for 9 years, and kept a private teaching studio for 15+ years. In 2021, Sarah received the AMEB Tasmania Arts Excellence Award for teaching the state’s largest cohort of A+ exam achievers - across all instruments and genres. In 2025 she completed her PhD (Music - Performance).
This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body.
