Gazing into Nothing

Chloe Lankshear, Soprano
Emma Woehle, Alto
Louis Hurley, Tenor
David Greco, Baritone
Richard Tognetti AO, Curator, Violin
Satu Vänskä, Violin
Kristian Winther, Violin
Caleb Wright, Viola
Sharon Grigoryan, Cello
Donald Nicolson, Organ, Harpsichord

Chloe Lankshear | Soprano

Chloe Lankshear is a versatile soprano who made her professional operatic debut in 2018 with State Opera South Australia in their production of Brett Dean’s Hamlet. She has since been a featured soloist with some of the country’s finest organisations, including the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Haydn Ensemble, Pinchgut Opera, Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, Canberra Symphony Orchestra and most recently her debut with Sydney Symphony Orchestra at the Sydney Opera House. In 2021, Chloe was named the inaugural Taryn Fiebig Scholar with Pinchgut Opera and was featured in their film A delicate fire. In 2022, Chloe was a finalist at the Bel Canto singing competition and was awarded the Decca Prize. In 2023, she was the First Prize winner and People’s Choice Award recipient of the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Oratorio Competition.

Emma Woehle | Alto

Emma Woehle has extensive experience as an opera and concert performer, gracing stages in Australia and overseas. Her expansive career of over 25 years has been filled with various roles including the title role of Tancredi to critical acclaim in the Australian premiere of the Rossini opera with the Australian Opera Studio. She has also performed internationally as Hänsel (Hänsel und Gretel), Suzuki (Madama Butterfly), Cherubino (Le Nozze di Figaro), Maddalena (Rigoletto), to name a few. Since returning to Australia, Emma has performed predominantly concert works, including Mozart’s Requiem, the Sorceress (Dido and Aeneas), Bach’s St John Passion, Verdi Requiem, Dvořák Stabat Mater and Duruflé Requiem. Emma performs regularly with the Adelaide Cantata Band and and is a core member of the Adelaide Chamber Singers. Emma is also performing in Stravinsky’s The Nightingale and other Fables at the 2024 Adelaide Festival.

Louis Hurley | Tenor

Tenor Louis Hurley’s repertorie spans the Baroque through to the 21st Century and is currently Pinchgut Opera’s inaugural Humanity Foundation Taryn Fiebig Scholar, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Louis has most recently appeared with the Sydney and Mellbourne Symphony orchestras, Melbourne Opera, the Song Company, Castalia Vocal Consort, Vocal Detour, and Cantillation. Whilst studying at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Louis was a member of the Guildhall Consort under Eamonn Dougan.

David Greco | Baritone

Internationally regarded for his recordings of Schubert lieder and the cantatas of J.S Bach, ARIA Award-nominated baritone David Greco was the first Australian singer in 2012 to be appointed a position with the Sistine Chapel Choir in the Vatican, Rome. Now an acclaimed interpreter of opera and concert work, he appears regularly with Australia’s finest orchestras, most recently in Britten’s War Requiem with Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and in Verdi’s Requiem with Sydney Philharmonia Choirs at the Sydney Opera House. David’s PhD in 19th century Historical Voice led to ABC Classics recordings of Schubert’s Winterreise and Die schöne Müllerin with early keyboardist Erin Helyard. David is a Lecturer in Voice and Opera at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

Richard Tognetti AO | Curator, Violin

Richard Tognetti is Artistic Director and Lead Violin of the Australian Chamber Orchestra. He performs on period, modern and electric instruments and has appeared with many of the world’s leading orchestras as director or soloist. He was Artistic Director of Slovenia’s Festival Maribor from 2008 to 2015 and was the first Artist-in-Residence at the Barbican Centre’s Milton Court in 2016. He has created and co-composed scores for films including Peter Weir’s Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World and collaborated with director Jennifer Peedom to create the films Mountain and River.

Satu Vänskä | Violin

Born to a Finnish family in Japan, violinist Satu Vänskä has developed an international profile through her role as Principal Violin with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, a position that she has held for the past twenty years. Satu is also successfully developing solo violin projects reflecting her desire to continually evolve as a musician and to courageously embrace new musical challenges. This season, she will appear with the Melbourne and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras in addition to recitals at Melbourne Recital and UKARIA Cultural Centre amongst other highlights.

Kristian Winther | Violin

Kristian Winther is widely recognized for his ability to perform as a virtuosic violin soloist and as an energetic and brilliant chamber musician, seeking musical challenges performing classic, contemporary and rare works.  As a violin soloist, Kristian has appeared with Australia’s leading orchestras and as a devoted chamber Kristian has collaborated with some of the world’s leading artists including Anthony Romaniuk, Daniel de Borah, Anne Sophie von Otter, Angela Hewitt, Steven Osborne, Anna Goldsworthy, Richard Tognetti, Satu Vanska, Brett and Paul Dean, and Konstantin Shamray.

Caleb Wright | Viola

Caleb Wright is the Principal violist of the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. He began his studies in Adelaide with Keith Crellin, Melbourne with Alice Waten and Berlin with Wilfried Strehle. Caleb began his professional career in the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Following this he began roles as principal, holding positions in the West Australian Symphony, Adelaide Symphony and Malaysian Philharmonic. He is a passionate Chamber musician and teacher. 

Sharon Grigoryan | Cello

Sharon Grigoryan was with the Australian String Quartet from 2013-2020. Prior to this, she was a member of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, and has been guest principal cellist of many Australian orchestras. From 2011 Sharon toured regularly with the ACO, and has also toured with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. She has performed with the Australian World Orchestra since 2015, and plays in a duo with guitarist Slava Grigoryan. She is currently Associate Principal cellist with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. 

Donald Nicolson | Organ, Harpsichord

Listed among Australia’s best classical performers by the ABC in 2019, harpsichordist, synth artist, organist, composer and arranger, Donald Nicolson is a prominent figure in performance and research of the music of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Europe. A PhD in Musicology at the University of Melbourne in 2018, an avid reader of the classics Donald teaches historically-informed performance practice at the University of Melbourne. Donald is equally at home in front of the harpsichord, synthesizer, or looper, with an extensive discography ranging from William Byrd to the Balkans to John Psathas.