Visiting Artists

Craig Bradfield

In 1979 Craig gained entry to the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne to study under Genardy Bergaslavsky and Harold Evans. By the last year of his studies Craig had secured positions in the Australian Philharmonic Orchestra and as principal bassoon in the Third Military District (Army) Concert Band.

In the 17 years he spent in Melbourne, Craig played with many of Australia’s major orchestras including the State Orchestra of Victoria, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

His further studies included lessons with William Waterhouse (BBC Symphony), Zoltan Harzanyi (Budapest Symphony) and Ole-Kristian Dahl (Oslo Philharmonic).

From 1997 to 2000 Craig was based in Kuala Lumpur were he was principal Bassoon of the Kuala Lumpur Symphony Orchestra. During this busy time he became a founding member of the Bintang Winds and No Black Tie chamber ensembles as well as freelancing with the National Symphony and the Malaysian Philharmonic.

In 2006 Craig assisted as Bassoon Tutor and Orchestra Manager for the Edward Said National Conservatorium of Music in Jerusalem (Israel) where he founded the Opus Chamber Ensemble.

On his return to New Zealand, Craig completed a degree in Media Arts (audio engineering) at WINTEC, Hamilton and is currently in the Masters Performance programme at Waikato University under the tutelage of Gordon Skinner. Craig is a member of the Royal New Zealand Navy Band based in Devonport, Auckland.

Buz Bryant-Greene

Buz last played with the Nelson Symphony Orchestra in 2005 in a performance of the Grieg Piano Concerto described as "superb", and demonstrating a "maturity and technique far beyond his years". He was also a concerto soloist with the Manawatu Sinfonia and Wellington Youth Orchestra where the Dominion Post remarked that Buz's playing demonstrated "a highly musical approach...and genuine poetic instinct".

Buz won the Kapiti National Piano competition in 2005 and went on to perform recitals in Temple Square, Salt Lake City, San Francisco and Vienna.

Buz has performed regularly as a solo recitalist and chamber musician in Nelson, Auckland, Wellington, Hamilton, Kerikeri, Waikanae and Palmerston North. He has performed at the Nelson School of Music's Winter Festival, the Adam Chamber Summer School, the St Andrews on the Terrace Festival series of lunchtime concerts in Wellington and has performed, commissioned and recorded new works by New Zealand composer Robbie Ellis and others.

Recent reviews state 'Bryant-Greene had..virtuosity to spare" and 'plays with a sense of confidence and complete accord'

Buz tutors on the Academy programme of the New Zealand School of Music and teaches piano students privately. He has completed a BMus (Hons) with Diedre Irons and is currently studying for a Master's degree at the New Zealand School of Music with Jian Liu.

Videos are available at his Youtube channel:

http://www.youtube.com/user/BuzBG

Jenny Banks

Born and raised in Alexandra, New Zealand, Jennifer started violin lessons at age 4, and has since performed for audiences worldwide as a chamber and orchestral musician, soloist and singer. She has played Ravel's Tzigane and concertos of Bach, Barber, Tchaikovsky, Vivaldi and Sibelius with orchestras including the Southern Sinfonia, the Nelson Symphony, the University of Toronto Symphony and the New Zealand School of Music Orchestra.

Following undergraduate studies at the University of Otago, she founded the Amygdala Quartet – graduate quartet at the New Zealand School of Music, where they worked intensively with the New Zealand String Quartet. She then attended the University of Toronto, where she won the school-wide concerto competition. In addition to this, her piano trio received the Felix Galimir Award for Chamber Music, resulting in debut concerts in Toronto and at the Banff Centre for the Arts. She since appeared at the Banff Festival many times as a soloist, chamber musician and as concertmaster of the Festival Orchestra.

Jennifer completed a Master of Music degree at the New England Conservatory in Boston, where she studied with the renowned violinist Miriam Fried. While studying in Boston she played with ensembles including the Boston Philharmonic and Gardner Chamber Orchestra, and performed at the Sarasota Music Festival in Florida.. She was a founding member and concertmaster of the Discovery Ensemble – a high-energy chamber orchestra that brings music to disadvantaged kids, and was also selected to play as assistant concertmaster for a concert at St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City.

Jennifer left Boston for Colorado in 2009 to become the 2nd violinist of the Tasman String Quartet, who were quartet-in-residence at the University of Colorado as assistants to the Takács Quartet. The Tasman Quartet performed and won top competition prizes throughout NZ, Australia, Germany, Canada and the USA. Since relocating to Germany in 2010, she has been invited to perform with the Aldeburgh Strings in England, as principal 2nd violin with the Schleswig Holstein Festival Orchestra in Germany, and with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra on their recent European tour.

Photo by Liss Photography