Faculty
We employ the very best staff in the industry: from the leading symphony orchestras, to world class soloists, composers, contemporary performers and musicologists. It may also be possible to stay with an existing teacher if they are suitably qualified, or we can source a teacher from our global pool of performing excellence.
Dr Mark Gasser
Head of Performance
& Collaborative Music
Mark Gasser is a critically acclaimed pianist with an international reputation as a solo concert artist, chamber musician and pedagogue. He has performed in many of the world’s leading concert halls including the Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall and the Sydney Opera House: where he received standing ovations. He has previously held positions at Royal Holloway University, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, the King’s School (Canterbury), Central Queensland University, WAPPA, the National Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts (where he was Chief Executive Officer and Artistic Director) as well as Campus Manager for the Australian Institute of Music (Melbourne). Since 2009 he has been an exclusive Yamaha Artist.
Qualifications:
- ARAM: for ‘significant contribution to the field of music’ Royal Academy of Music
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PhD: Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA)
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M.Mus (with distinction) Royal Academy of Music / University of London
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AdvCert (RAM), Royal Academy of Music
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LRAM, Royal Academy of Music
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HonRBC, Honorary Member for “Distinguished work in Music” Royal Birmingham Conservatoire
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BA (Hons) first-class Royal Birmingham Conservatoire
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ABSM piano performance Royal Birmingham Conservatoire
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ABSM piano teaching Royal Birmingham Conservatoire
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Cert IV in Training and Assessing (2014)
PhD (Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts), ARAM, M.Mus (RAM), AdvCert (RAM), LRAM, (Royal Academy of Music London) HonRBC, BA (Hons) ABSM prf, ABSM tch, (Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, UK)
Dr Houston Dunleavy
Head of Composition
Dr Houston Dunleavy (Ph.D. (comp), Buffalo; M.M. (ch. cond.), Cleveland; M.M. (comp), Cleveland; B.A. hist), Melbourne; B.Mus (comp), Melbourne, Pi Kappa Lambda (Zeta Psi chapter). Former Senior Lecturer in Composition, Discipline co-ordinator, Acting Head of School, University of Wollongong, Former Senior Academic Co-ordinator, Former Head of Composition and Production, The Australian Institute of Music.
Internationally-known composer and conductor with over 80 published works and 9 CDs on the Wirripang, Move and Wayfarer labels; Artistic Director, Southern Cross Philharmonia; Executive Committee, Melbourne Composers' League; Board member, Sydney Brass Festival; Represented Artist, The Australian Music Centre. Houston has conducted over 40 operas and musical theatre works, most of the standard symphonic repertoire and premiered works by living composers on three continents. His compositional work has been presented in many countries on all continents except Antarctica.
His work is performed by leading soloists around the world, and he maintains an active schedule of premieres and performances. He has taught, guest lectured, and been visiting composer at over 30 universities, and been Musical Director of The Illawarra Choral Society and The Sydney Male Choir.
Houston is now Musical Director of St Oswald's Anglican, Glen Iris, and Artistic Director of The Southern Cross Philharmonia Orchestra. His compositions often explore electronic and acoustic sound worlds as well as the blurring of the lines between the concert hall, the electronic music studio and the theatre
Ph.D. (comp), M.M. (ch. cond.), M.M. (comp), B.A. (hist), B.Mus (comp)
Ph.D. (comp), M.M. (ch. cond.), M.M. (comp), B.A. (hist), B.Mus (comp)
Dr Matthew Field
Head of Musicianship
In addition to his position as Chair of the Higher Education Committee, Dr Matthew Field leads the Musicianship discipline within our Bachelor of Music program.
Dr Matthew Field completed his BMus in Piano Performance with High Distinction at the Melba Conservatorium of Music under master teacher Dr Mikhail Solovei. He then completed his PhD in music through the University of Newcastle. In his earlier years Matthew was a Yamaha artist and conducted many professional performances on piano and voice. Since completing his PhD Matthew has focussed on music education including designing and delivering a revolutionary program of foundational training that has seen accelerated and excellent results for students.
His education work has included a large output of course books and instructional videos. Matthew has been involved with the Australian Guild of Music Education since 2015 and is excited to see the Guild position itself as a world leader in distance music education
Beth Woollacott
TITLE
Dr Houston Dunleavy (Ph.D. (comp), Buffalo; M.M. (ch. cond.), Cleveland; M.M. (comp), Cleveland; B.A. hist), Melbourne; B.Mus (comp), Melbourne, Pi Kappa Lambda (Zeta Psi chapter). Former Senior Lecturer in Composition, Discipline co-ordinator, Acting Head of School, University of Wollongong, Former Senior Academic Co-ordinator, Former Head of Composition and Production, The Australian Institute of Music.
Internationally-known composer and conductor with over 80 published works and 9 CDs on the Wirripang, Move and Wayfarer labels; Artistic Director, Southern Cross Philharmonia; Executive Committee, Melbourne Composers' League; Board member, Sydney Brass Festival; Represented Artist, The Australian Music Centre. Houston has conducted over 40 operas and musical theatre works, most of the standard symphonic repertoire and premiered works by living composers on three continents. His compositional work has been presented in many countries on all continents except Antarctica.
His work is performed by leading soloists around the world, and he maintains an active schedule of premieres and performances. He has taught, guest lectured, and been visiting composer at over 30 universities, and been Musical Director of The Illawarra Choral Society and The Sydney Male Choir.
Houston is now Musical Director of St Oswald's Anglican, Glen Iris, and Artistic Director of The Southern Cross Philharmonia Orchestra. His compositions often explore electronic and acoustic sound worlds as well as the blurring of the lines between the concert hall, the electronic music studio and the theatre
Ph.D. (comp), M.M. (ch. cond.), M.M. (comp), B.A. (hist), B.Mus (comp)
Ph.D. (comp), M.M. (ch. cond.), M.M. (comp), B.A. (hist), B.Mus (comp)
Yolanda Acker
Higher Education
Administrator
Yolanda Acker gained her Bachelor of Music (Honours) and Master of Music degrees in Musicology from The University of Melbourne, Australia. Following her Australian academic achievements, Yolanda relocated to Madrid, Spain to join the Instituto Complutense de Ciencias Musicales (ICCMU) over a 16 year period during which time she completed her Master of Arts Management degree in Music, Theatre and Dance.
Yolanda's research and publications generally centre on early twentieth-century Spanish music and dance. Further to her academic efforts, Yolanda is also a uniquely experienced and sought after translator of complex texts on music from Spanish into English.
Overseeing the student administration function at The Guild, Yolanda continues her academic contribution with participation in national and international conferences as well as undertaking her PhD at the Australian National University (ANU) with a thesis provisionally titled “Music in Madrid during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939)”.