Church Music People

	Dr Calvin Bowman, DMA (Yale) Director of Music, Wesley Uniting Church. Dr Calvin Bowman took up his appointment as Director of Music at Wesley Uniting Church on February 1st, 2012. Calvin Bowman is a graduate in music from the University of Melbourne (MMus), and holds both a Master of Musical Arts and a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) from Yale University, the latter whilst holding a Fulbright Scholarship. Calvin is one of Australia’s foremost organists, church musicians and composers, having held positions in Uniting and Anglican churches and University Colleges in Victoria. He performs frequently on organ, piano and harpsichord with the Melbourne and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras. Calvin was previously the Director of Music at St George’s Anglican Church, Malvern in Melbourne. Calvin’s role as Director of Music at Wesley will relate chiefly to the Choir, Music Scholars and music at the 10.30am service, but will include occasional assistance in music matters at the 9.00am services at Wesley and St Aidan’s, Narrabundah. He is a Senior Lecturer and University Organist at the ANU School of Music and has been Artistic Director of the Wesley Music Foundation since 2011. He also teaches in Wesley’s ACT Organ School.More here. Download the Media Release on his arrival here.
	Bronwyn Brown – organist Born locally in Temora, Bronwyn more recently relocated to Canberra from Brisbane. For ten years there, she was the rehearsal and performance accompanist for the Brisbane Concert Choir. Her musical studies in her home town of Sydney were with Annette Erskine-Farkas (piano) and Robert Goode (pipe organ). She has had extensive experience accompanying vocalists and instrumentalists for recitals, examinations and eisteddfodau. She has been a church organist for many years, at present playing here at Wesley. Her experience also extends to accompanying choirs and musical societies in a wide range of repertoire ranging from musical theatre to opera. Bronwyn holds a B.Sc from the University of Sydney, a Teachers’ Certificate and an AMusA in piano.
	Colleen Rae-Gerrard - Choir Accompanist Colleen’s prestigious career as accompanist and concert pianist began with studies in Europe with Karl Ulrich Schnabel and Paul Badura-Skoda. As a concert pianist Colleen has played in Australia, Malaysia, Brunei and Europe and made many recordings on CD and Radio. In Australia for many years she was a Lecturer, Accompanist and Repetiteur at the Australian National University School of Music where she was associated with many young musicians in the Wesley Scholarship programme, Opera Productions, Graduation Recitals and fund-raising Embassy concerts. Colleen has lived in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand for six years, continuing her active concert and teaching career She served as Director of Music at St Matthews Anglican Church in Hastings. She and her husband have now returned to Canberra, resuming their involvement with Wesley Uniting Church.
	Marko Sever - organist Marko was born in Canberra in 1993 and began learning the piano at two years of age. He was heavily involved in music since then. At the age of nine, he began to play the organ at St. Raphael's Parish in Queanbeyan. He joined the ACT Organ School at age 10 where he learnt from Philip Swanton and Peter Guy. At age 14, he gained his AMusA. In 2007, won 1st prize in the Junior Section of the Sydney Organ Competition, and a year later in 2008, he won 1st prize in the Intermediate Section. He is Head Organist at Canberra Grammar School and does Elective Music there. He continues to take part in the promotion of Canberra Grammar School and is grateful for their support throughout his education. He is currently a Wesley Music Scholar learning under Calvin Bowman.