Adjudicators in 2025

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Piano adjudicator

Andrew Rumsey MMus, BMus (Hons), LRSM, Dip ABRSM, AMusA

Andrew Rumsey is a classical pianist, accompanist, music educator, and AMEB examiner. He has performed in prestigious festivals around the globe, including the Miami Music Festival, the Atlantic Music Festival, the Burning Man Festival, the Canberra International Music Festival and the Agustin Aponte International Music Festival. He was the Artistic Associate for the late-Autumn residency at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in 2017.

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Graduating with a Masters degree and First-Class Honours degree from the Australian National University, Andrew has been a prize winner in the Margaret Smiles Accompaniment Competition, the ANU School of Music Chamber Music Competition, and the Australian National Eisteddfod. He was also awarded the Imad Nassir Piano Performance Prize and the Dennis Griffin National Masters Piano Scholarship. He is a passionate advocate of Australian classical music, and has given multiple world premiere performances in Australia and abroad.

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With a background in psychology, Andrew also has a keen interest in music memorisation and performance anxiety. He has presented lectures at the Atlantic Music Festival in Maine and the Mannes School of Music in New York. He has taught privately, and at the Music Learning Centre (Canberra), the ACT Academy of Music, and Methodist Ladies College (Sydney).
 

Andrew has led the Kawai Education Direct program since 2018.

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Catriona Stafford D.S.C.M., L.Mus.A., P.T.C.L., M.Ed.Ad

Mrs. Catriona Stafford studied pianoforte with Alexander Sverjensky at the State Conservatorium of Music, Sydney. She graduated with the Diploma in Pianoforte at Performer and Teacher level.

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After completing a Diploma in Education she taught music in state secondary schools before being promoted to Deputy Principal of a large co-educational high school. As well as working within schools, she was seconded at different times as Regional Consultant in Music; Co-ordinator of the Music Re-training Program; Inspector of Schools (Music) and Leader of the Performing Arts Unit. She gained a Masters in Educational Administration from the University of NSW.

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From 1990, she occupied the position of Curriculum Officer (Creative Arts) at the Board of Studies where she worked on the revision of the three secondary music syllabuses and support documents. She was appointed as Chairperson of the HSC Music Examination Committee and Supervisor of HSC music marking, both practical and written. She has had wide experience in assessing musical performance.

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Mrs. Stafford is an appointed Piano Examiner for the AMEB (NSW). In recent years she has taught piano privately and adjudicated at eisteddfodau.

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Dr. Elizabeth Mitchell

Elizabeth Mitchell holds Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees in performance from the University of Melbourne, plus the Concert Recital Diploma (Premier Prix) from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London. Returning to Australia in 1983 after four years of overseas study, Elizabeth combined regular performances as a soloist and chamber musician, with a teaching practice embracing all ages and levels of development. Elizabeth has worked in the tertiary environment for over thirty years and is now a Senior Lecturer in Piano at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, University of Melbourne. She has extensive experience coordinating tertiary academic programs, and coordinated the Bachelor of Music Performance (Hons) for over ten years. A profound interest in studio teaching and the training of instrumental teachers has resulted in Elizabeth's involvement in the Master of Music (Performance Teaching) degree. She has developed new subjects for keyboard players in this course and has for many years worked towards improving the standard of private teaching in the community. To this end she has given workshops and masterclasses to teachers and students throughout Australia and internationally. Elizabeth has had a long association with the Australian Music Examinations Board and is currently a Board Member (Vic), Chair of the Examinations Advisory Committee (Vic), Chair of Teaching Diplomas (Vic) and a Federal Examiner in both practical and written areas. The Victorian Music Teachers' Association is another organisation with which Elizabeth is greatly involved. She is a current Council member, Life Member and former President, and is researching the history of the Association.

Luba Totoeva BMus, MEduc

Piano Classical and jazz

Luba was born in Kiev, Ukraine, where she completed her music education. She holds a bachelor's degree in Piano and a master's degree in education. When she immigrated to Australia in 1992, she received her accreditation as a Private Music Teacher from the Sydney 

Conservatorium. Luba has been teaching at the University of Newcastle since 1994 where she has taught both community and tertiary students. She has extensive experience in teaching piano at all levels from young beginners to diploma level and enjoys teaching and accompanying HSC students. Luba has particularly enjoyed introducing her students to various styles of music - particularly 20th century Russian and Australian compositions as well as contemporary jazz.

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Richard Morphew LMus, AMusA, DSME, FFCSME, TC

Richard Morphew studied piano at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and was awarded the Kenneth Wilkinson Memorial Prize for Singing. He completed the special music teachers’ course at the Sydney Teachers’ College before furthering his music education studies at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York and at the Boston Conservatory.

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After teaching music in New South Wales and in London, Mr Morphew joined the Alexander Mackie College in Sydney as a lecturer specialising in vocal and keyboard studies. He also lectured at the Sydney College of Advanced Education, the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and the University of New South Wales, where he was Director of the Postgraduate Expressive and Performing Arts Program. He has been a guest lecturer at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London and at the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

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Mr Morphew enjoys working with disadvantaged children in remote areas and has conducted music workshops and children’s choirs in places such as Alice Springs, Lightning Ridge, Walgett, Dubbo, Narrabri and Moree. He has been musical director for productions by amateur musical societies, a consultant teacher at schools and other educational institutions, and an adjudicator at eisteddfods and music festivals.

Positions held Chief Examiner – Voice, AMEB (NSW)

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String adjudicator

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David Pereira 

David Pereira (born 21 September 1953) is an Australian classical cellist, considered one of the finest working today. He was Senior Lecturer in Cello at the Canberra School of Music from 1990 to 2008. Later he worked there as a Distinguished Artist in Residence. Since April 2017 he again teaches cello there as a Senior Lecturer.

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David Pereira has performed all the cello concertos and major concertante pieces from the standard repertoire (Dvořák, Elgar, Schumann, Saint-Saëns, Johann Christian and Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Beethoven's Triple Concerto, Brahms's Double Concerto, Bruch's Kol Nidrei) as well as premiering concertos written for him by Australian composers such as Richard Mills, Barry Conyngham, David Lumsdaine, Larry Sitsky, Mary Finsterer and Bruce Cale. Numerous works by Australian composers for solo cello also have been written for him. He has appeared with the major orchestras in Australia and New Zealand. He has appeared in Europe, Russia and the United States with the Australian Chamber Orchestra and the Australia Ensemble, at venues such as Wigmore Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Concertgebouw, Lincoln Center and the United Nations (with Stuart Challender and Dame Joan Sutherland). There have also been appearances in China, India, the Philippines and Japan.

 

He has written three books on cello technique: Eloquent Cello Technique (2003), A Cellist’s Companion (2005) and The Larrikin Cellist (2008).[3] He has allowed these publications to fall out of print and expects to improve on them in the near future.

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Judy Hellmers

Judy began her career as a violinist with the Sydney Youth Orchestra playing many performances as Concert Master. She went on to graduate from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Joining the ABC National Training Orchestra as an Orchestral Violinist, she soon became Concert Master. In 1978 she joined the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and played both 1st and 2nd Violin for over a decade. Throughout this time she also played with the other ABC Orchestras around Australia. In 1985 she joined the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, playing both 1st and 2nd Violin for 17 years.

She has played in the backing Orchestras of Julio Iglesias and John Denver, and has performed with the Tommy Tycho Orchestra. Judy is currently Vice President of AUSTA (Australian String Teachers Association) NSW.

Judy has held positions as Head of Strings at the Scots College, Emanuel School, Shore School and MLC Burwood. She has also held teaching positions at the Cranbrook School, Sceggs Redlands, The John Colet School and The Hills Grammar School. She now continues to perform and teach privately. Judy will travel this year in September and October on another AUSTA tour to Europe this time as soloist as well as Associate Concertmaster.

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Luke Spicer Kings School Parramatta NSW

An acclaimed violist and chamber musician, Luke is now making his mark as an operatic and symphonic conductor. Graduating with a Masters of Conducting from the Sydney Conservatorium, he has furthered his studies in Freiburg, and Manchester; and attended the Fondazione Musicale Chigiana, Siena, working under Maestro Gianluigi Gelmetti. Luke was also a participant in the Symphony Services International Conductor Development Program during 2016.

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Luke is currently Conductor with Opera Australia, and has appeared as guest conductor of the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and Queensland Symphony Orchestras. He has also been guest Assistant Conductor at the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, working under Simone Young and Vladimir Ashkenazy. In 2018 Luke conducted the Willoughby Symphony Orchestra as part of their subscription series, The Tales of Hoffmann with Rockdale Opera Company as part of their 70th Anniversary celebrations, and the inaugural gala concert of Coast Opera Australia, featuring Jose Carbo and Sally-Anne Russell. 2017 saw Luke make his debut with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and Canberra Symphony Orchestra.

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