MELBOURNE STRING ORCHESTRA FESTIVAL
Sunday 15 May VENUE: TBC

12.15pm Registration and warm-up for performing ensembles in set-up rooms.
Please BYO one music stand per player
1.00pm – 2.30pm Festival String Orchestra rehearsal.
Festival Music: Spy Catcher by Howard Dillon
Festival Conductor: Patrick Burns
2.30pm Afternoon tea –Due to COVID restrictions please BYO
3.00pm – 4.00pm FESTIVAL CONCERT including all string ensembles who wish to perform an
item, plus the Festival String Orchestra.
Parents and guests invited – Gold coin donation

Request a registration form at – austavicstringorchfestival@gmail.com

Howard Dillon
Howard Dillon is a composer, violinist and teacher.
He has a Masters degree in composition from La
Trobe University. His interests in composition
extend to electro-acoustic music and sound
installations, as well as more traditional instrumental
composition, including music for community and
student groups.
Between 1997 and 2006 he organised the Elbow
Room Concert Series highlighting the work of
Melbourne composers in non-traditional venues
on behalf of the Melbourne Composers’ League.
His music has been performed by the Astra Music
Society, the Melbourne Composers’ League, Monash
University, and as part of the Asian Music Festival
in Bangkok and Japan, and at the Meetings of New
Music Festival in Romania. He has had his Sound
Installations exhibited at the Linden Gallery in
Melbourne and at the National Gallery of Victoria.
Spy Catcher, the 2022 String Orchestra Festival
piece, and some of Howard’s other music is
available as through Sheetmusicplus as a digital
download: https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/or
personally via email: hdillon@nex.net.au

Patrick Burns
Patrick Burns was born in Sydney, Australia and
studied French Horn and Conducting at the
Melbourne and Queensland Conservatorium. In
Australia, he is the chief conductor and music
director of the Ipswich City Orchestra and XL
Arts Inc. He is also the current Hephzibah Tintner
Conducting Fellow with the Australian Ballet, Opera
Australia, and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. In
2018 he was also awarded the Robert and Elizabeth
Albert Conducting Fellowship with The Australian
Ballet. Patrick has conducted performances for
the Australian Ballet with Orchestra Victoria, The
Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, and The Australian
Opera Orchestra. He has also conducted Orchestra
Victoria in a regional performance and acted as
Assistant Conductor to Simone Young with the
Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
Internationally he has made guest appearances
with the National Theater of Serbia (Otello),
State Opera of Bulgaria Ruse (Rigoletto, Nabucco,
Turandot), and the Pazardzhik Symphony Orchestra
in Bulgaria. In 2017, he was the assistant conductor
with British Youth Opera and conducted the
covers performance with the Southbank Sinfonia.
He won the Jury’s Prize at the 2015 Blue Danube
International Opera Conducting Competition in
Bulgaria and the Orchestra’s Prize in 2016 Black Sea
Opera Conducting Competition in Romania.