Talking With Teachers

Associate Professor Goetz Richter returns to present this series of masterclasses and discussions with notable pedagogues throughout 2024. Each evening brings together Associate Professor Dr. Richter and one of his learned colleagues for an evening of open discussion surrounding string playing, pedagogy, performance, and culture. This is a rare opportunity to connect and learn with celebrated teachers and performers who are not normally available to the general public. Each evening will feature 3 students performing in a practical workshop as our guests demonstrate and contextualise the application of their ideas, their pedagogy, and their philosophies.

These events are for students, performers, teachers, supporters of students, and anyone else who is interested in musical teaching and learning at the highest levels. Come with questions, queries and insights to share and discuss with these fascinating pedagogues and the attending audience. Tickets allow either attendance at the event, or a link to view the event anywhere in the world.

Seminar 1- 6:30pm (Tuesday 2 April) - Guest Timothy Kantor
Seminar 2 - 6:30pm (Tuesday 25 June) - Guest TBA
Seminar 3 - 6:30pm (Tuesday 24 September) - Guest TBA
Seminar 4 - 6:30pm (Tuesday 19 November) - Guest TBA

Seminar 1 - Timothy Kantor

Dr. Goetz Richter AM, Associate Professor at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and President of AUSTA (NSW) talks with performer and teacher Timothy Kantor, recently appointed to the Sydney Conservatorium of Music string faculty, about central pedagogical topics. Talking with Teachers covers topics of instrumental learning and teaching, details of technique and development, practice and performance and the role of parents and schools in the development of string players. There will be opportunity for engaged discussion with the audience, teachers, parents and students. The discussion will be contextualised by a practical workshop when Timothy Kantor will work with performance students in a masterclass setting.

An inspired teacher and dedicated coach, Mr. Kantor will take up a new appointment at the Sydney Conservatorium in July 2024. Timothy Kantor was previously Associate Professor of Violin at the University of Arizona’s School of Music and comes to the Sydney Conservatorium with extensive pedagogical knowledge and experience in all areas of interpretation and performance teaching.

Timothy Kantor has performed extensively as a member of the Afiara Quartet in Toronto and contributed to the development of many innovative projects. Mr. Kantor has performed hundreds of concerts and helped to develop several innovative projects. One of the quartet’s projects, Spin Cycle with DJ Skratch Bastid, culminated with a Juno Award-nominated album and a solo performance with the Toronto Symphony. Collaborations include those with such varied artists as scratch DJ Kid Koala, Academy Award-nominated producer KK Barrett, and jazz virtuoso Uri Caine.

Before joining the Afiara Quartet, Mr. Kantor was concertmaster of the Evansville (Indiana) Philharmonic and a founding member of the Larchmere String Quartet, in residence at the University of Evansville. He has performed as a member of the Kuttner String Quartet in residence at Indiana University, the chamber music and Quartet in the Community residencies at the Banff Centre, the Juilliard String Quartet Seminar and the St. Lawrence String Quartet Chamber Music Seminar. He has also performed chamber works with many of today’s leading musicians, including Joshua Bell, Jaime Laredo, Sharon Robinson, Atar Arad, William Preucil, Alexander Kerr, Mark Steinberg, and the Pacifica Quartet. Mr. Kantor has been featured as an artist on American Public Media’s “Performance Today”, CBC Radio, and local classical radio stations in Cleveland, Toronto, and Tucson. He is devoted to the performance of new music and has participated as soloist, concertmaster and chamber musician with the new music ensembles at the Cleveland Institute of Music and Indiana University.

A dedicated teacher and coach, Mr. Kantor is the Associate Professor of Violin at the University of Arizona’s Fred Fox School of Music. Mr. Kantor also teaches at the Kinhaven Music School in Vermont and the Programa Gabriel del Orbe in Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic). He graduated with honours from Bowdoin College, earned a Master of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music, and pursued doctoral studies at Indiana University. His former teachers include Jaime Laredo, Paul Kantor, Stephen Kecskemethy, Andrew Jennings, and Mark Kaplan. Off the clock, Mr. Kantor enjoys auto racing and basketball.