Sounds of Home: Programming and Conducting Australian Music for Your Ensemble with Dr Joanna Drimatis

Join us for the second inspiring professional development session, as part of SYO Summer Seminars, designed specifically for music educators and conductors working with school-aged ensembles. Whether you’re looking to refine your pedagogical approach across age groups or deepen your engagement with Australian repertoire, these practical, hands-on workshops offer valuable insights and strategies you can implement immediately in your own teaching context.

THURSDAY 15 JANUARY | 3:30–5:30pm

Sounds of Home: Programming and Conducting Australian Music for Your Ensemble with Dr Joanna Drimatis

Discover the rich landscape of Australian orchestral music and gain practical strategies for bringing these works to life with your ensemble.

Whether you’re programming Australian repertoire for the first time or looking to expand your knowledge of contemporary Australian composers, Dr Drimatis will share her expertise as one of Australia’s leading advocates for homegrown musical voices.

This session will cover:

A brief overview of Australian orchestral music: key composers and works

How to find Australian music suitable for your ensemble’s level

Practical strategies for conducting and rehearsing new Australian orchestral works – whether world premieres or pieces new to you and your ensemble

Programming considerations and building meaningful concert experiences

Participants are encouraged to bring their instrument to fully participate in the practical elements of this workshop.

MEET YOUR PRESENTER

Dr Joanna Drimatis

Dr Joanna Drimatis is a highly respected conductor renowned as a champion of Australian music, contemporary classical music, and emerging musical voices. Recognised in the 2020 Art Music Awards with the Music Luminary Award for her advocacy, programming, and performance of Australian music, Dr Drimatis currently serves as Music Director and Chief Conductor of the Beecroft Orchestra. Her extensive conducting portfolio includes previous positions with Christchurch Youth Orchestra and Adelaide Youth Sinfonia, as well as guest conducting roles with The Cooperative, Australian Doctors’ Orchestra, Sydney Youth Orchestra, NSW Doctors Orchestra, and Mosman Symphony.

As a specialist in string pedagogy, she has taught across three countries and was formerly Head of Strings at MLC School in Sydney, now serving as Music Education Specialist for the Australian Music Centre. Dr Drimatis’ recent engagements showcase her versatility and continued innovation in the field. In 2025, she conducted the professional Opera Workshop premiere of “EMERGENC/y” by Felicity Wilcox, followed by her acclaimed work with the Orange Festival of Chamber Music’s Cultured Youth Orchestra, where critics praised her ability to balance “complexity with enthusiasm” and noted her “witty baton” as “a very welcome” addition to the chamber music festival programme.

As both a performer who has played professionally with orchestras including the Boulder Philharmonic, Christchurch Symphony, and Adelaide Symphony, and an educator who has presented at international conferences including the Mid-West Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, Dr Drimatis continues to shape Australia’s classical music landscape through her multifaceted career.

WEDNESDAY 14 JANUARY | 3:30–5:30pm

Early Learners to Emerging Artists: Effective K–12 Approaches in an Educational Context with Martyn Hentschel can be booked separately - see our other events page

Contact the host of SYO Seminar - Sounds of Home: Programming and Conducting Australian Music for Your Ensemble with Dr Joanna Drimatis

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