Intinerant Music Tutors
Alan Grady
Alan has been teaching the drums for 23 years in schools around the Waikato, currently teaching here at St Paul’s, St Peter’s and Hamilton Diocesan. He has played in bands since he was 15, notably Knightshade, where the band achieved chart success with songs at 9, 14, 23 in the NZ charts, and
supported international bands Bon Jovi, Deep Purple, Guns & Roses, ZZ Top, Jimi Barnes, Steve Vai andThe Angels.
Alison Hepburn
The talented Alison teaches the violin for us here at school. She has played for 27 years, in that time playing in many orchestras and achieving many of her own personal and professional musical goals. Alison has played for the Waikato Symphony Orchestra, Opus Chamber Orchestra and Tauranga Performing Arts Trust Orchestra. She also plays in quartets for weddings and other special occasions.
Bill Stoneham
Bill began playing the trumpet at the age of 8 under the guidance of his father. He studied under members of the Ulster Orchestra, Hallé Orchestra, London Brass and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. After completing his Bachelor of Music at the Birmingham Conservatoire, UK he came to New Zealand and in 2005 took up a position with the Royal New Zealand Navy Band. In 2006 he left the navy Band and has worked as a freelance musician and teacher in Auckland until his families’ recent more to Hamilton. Over the last 5 years Bill has worked extensively with the Auckland Philharmonia, was principal trumpet for the National Youth Orchestra and has performed as a guest player with the Southern Sinfonia, Vector Wellington orchestra and the New Zealand Opera. Bill performs regularly as a soloist both in Hamilton and the larger Waikato area and later this year will be a soloist with the Opus Orchestra. Bill is a founding member of Bold As and Waikato Brass Quintet and this year has stunned local audiences with his solo recital concerts.
Derek Shaw
Derek Shaw has been playing guitar for the last 21 years, and has been teaching guitar privately and in schools full time for the last 6 years. Derek has grade 5 in music theory, and grade 7 in classical
guitar (Trinity, London), and also teaches rock school guitar and bass, along with classical and rock
guitar. To date, he has had 100% pass rate with his private students, all passing with high marks. Derek is passionate about music, and is currently involved with three bands in the Waikato, and is a session musician for various bands and productions, recently performing in the production ‘Footloose’.
Chikako Komaki
Chikako attended Kunitachi Music High School and graduated with BA in Piano Performance from Kunitachi University of Music (Tokyo), internationally recognized as one of Japan’s leading music institutions. She subsequently taught the piano in Japan, performed extensively in Tokyo as a soloist, and toured Austria with the Tokyo Bunka Choir. Outside the university she also played synthesizer
and was a finalist in the Japan Yamaha Rock Festival. In 1992 she moved to Hamilton and has accompanied New Zealand Symphony Orchestra soloists, international flutists, Dame Malvina Major, the Hamilton Civic Choir; and has played in the Hamilton Chamber Music Series as well as the University of Waikato Lunchtime Recital Series. When not performing, she works as a private piano teacher, chamber music coach and accompanist, and teaches piano here at St Paul’s and St Peter’s School.
Melanie Hadley
Pianist Melanie Hadley Lina arrived from the United States one year ago to marry her husband, a native New Zealander. Praised for her ‘lyrical sound, refined nuances and poetic depth of performance’ she has appeared as recitalist, orchestral soloist and chamber musician across the US, as well in Russia, Germany, Eastern Europe, and Portugal. Melanie has been a prizewinner in numerous competitions, and was awarded the Presidential Scholars medallion by President Clinton, for Achievement in the Arts. Prior to moving country, she lived in Los Angeles, where she maintained a private piano studio of 35 pupils. Melanie continues to teach in New Zealand, both privately and at St Paul’s. Her 2012 season includes soloist engagements with the Hutt Valley Orchestra, Northland Sinfonia and Trust Waikato Symphony Orchestra, in addition to recitals across the North Island.
Sam Koretz
Sam was born and raised here in Hamilton, and has been studying and performing music from a young age. His musical achievements include attaining grade 8 Trinity College on trumpet and a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in music from the University of Waikato. His performing experience has ranged from playing in orchestras to playing lead guitar on stage with blues/rock icon Chris Thompson of Manfred Mann fame. Sam began teaching guitar five years ago and enjoys sharing his passion for music with his students.
Nathan Kortez
Music has been a part of his life for as long as he can remember. Some of Nathan’s earliest memories are of hearing his father play piano and sing. Since then music has established itself as his number one passion. Nathan began his formal training as a clarinettist at intermediate school and shortly after went on to sit Trinity College of London practical exams up to grade eight, all of which he achieved the highest mark of distinction. He then went on to the University of Waikato where he studied performance music under the tutelage of one of New Zealand’s most highly regarded classical musicians, Murray Khouri. More recently, in 2007, Nathan spent a year in Canada, where he worked in a session musician capacity with Scott Fairbairn, son of legendary rock producer Bruce Fairbairn (Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Van Halen). On his return to New Zealand, he was honoured to be asked to drum for Glenn Hughes (ex vocalist/bassist of Deep Purple) at his one-off concert at the G-Taranaki Festival. Nathan remains the only New Zealand drummer he has ever worked with. In 2010, Nathan was again invited to perform at the G-Taranaki Festival, this time as session drummer for American guitarist Desiree Bassett. Nathan has been a tutor of music for fifteen years now and always aims to use his performance and teaching experience to lead young musicians to discover their own passion for music.
Ian Campbell
Ian Campbell has a performing arts career to be proud of and brings his talents and experience to St Paul’s. After an international performance and teaching career, including eight years with Opera Australia and seven years in the UK, Ian returned to New Zealand in 1997. His private practice and in-school teaching has gone from strength to strength with many past pupils reaching the final of the NZ Aria contest, two of them winning the contest and one going on to win the McDonald’s Aria contest in Sydney – an internationally prestigious award. At high school level his students are consistently achieving Merit and Excellence passes at NCEA Levels 1, 2 and 3 and selected pupils sit Royal School of Music exams through to ATCL level. He has a teaching style which encourages students to pursue career paths either in music performance or to continue their music whilst studying other tertiary qualifications. Teaching the genre of classical, opera and musical theatre/show Ian provides students with a range of learning tailored to the individual student. His network of performing arts contacts provides your son or daughter with opportunities beyond their last day at school.
Ian Parsons
Born in Southampton, England, Ian studied clarinet and saxophone from an early age, taking up the bassoon in his late teens. He graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music, having studied bassoon under William Waterhouse and Charles Cracknell. Whilst there he was awarded the Hiles Medal for Orchestral Playing and performed Webber’s Bassoon Concerto with the RNCM Orchestra. Ian then went on to play as a freelance Bassoonist with several prestigious orchestras including the BBC Northern Symphony and the Halle. He also played Bassoon with “Musica Nel Chiostro” a chamber orchestra formed in Italy and conducted by Jane Glover during her early musical career. After a number of years serving as a Detective with the Hampshire Police Force, Ian returned to a career in music. Ian and his family emigrated to New Zealand in 2003 settling in the Waikato. During the past eight years, he has continued working as a freelance musician, forming his own jazz band “High Society Jazz”, as well as playing principal bassoon for the Opus Chamber Orchestra and the Trust Waikato Symphony Orchestra. He performed the Bassoon Concerto in A Minor by J. W. Hertel with the TWSO. Ian has also worked with the Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra.
Sam Trenwith
Sam has been teaching students at this school to play the drums since 2002, and has seen many go from being beginner drummers with little skill, to rock-stars performing at the Rock Quest and making music videos. Sam loves his job and takes pleasure in passing on the music gift to kids. Sam’s main passion is writing and performing music and he currently plays in Late 80s Mercedes, Radiator and
Trenwith Sons, and has performed with Dave Dobbyn, Neil Finn, Supergroove, Elemeno P and many others.
Lott Larsen
Lott Larson has been a professional, hired gun, musician for over 25 years. He has extensive live performance experience ranging from cover bands, musical theatre, jazz big band and combos, symphony orchestra to silent film accompaniment, improvised/interpretive music soundscapes and he is an original songwriter. Lott has performed at music festivals and venues all over the world including the Montreaux Jazz festival in Switzerland, the North Sea Jazz Festival in the
Netherlands, Amsterdams Uitmarkt festival, King Kong Jazz in Sarajevo, Vancouver Jazz festival and the Wellington and Tauranga Jazz festivals here in New Zealand. He has been recorded playing on over 100 cd’s including the 2011 Tui award winning New Zealand folk album of the year “Over the Moon”, contributing double bass and tenor vocal harmonies with band Wires and Wood. He is currently working on a release of his own material. He currently lives in Oparau where he cares for his 6 year old son, maintains three acres of organic vegetables, keeps bees, hosts an annual acoustic music festival, plays guitar, double bass and drums with a number of bands, records with a regular stream of songwriters and surfs when he has time and the swell is good.
Rachael Griffiths- Hughes
Rachael is a lecturer in the Music Department of the University of Waikato, where she currently teaches Music History, Baroque Performance practices, harpsichord and organ. She is also Director of Music at St Peter’s Cathedral in Hamilton and Musical Director of the Hamilton Civic Choir. Rachael is a busy performer on both harpsichord and organ, and is a frequent guest speaker at workshops and conferences.
Nathan Aish
Nathan has been working full-time as an itinerant with the Waikato itinerant music scheme. After completing his music degree at he worked with several bands the main one called ‘Mama Said’ which was near a full time job since winning the National Battle of the Bands 2000. Taking the time to record an album, shoot videos and tour was a great experience but since the band departed he has focused on teaching, predominantly as a guitar teacher. Teaching bands over the last few years has been a refreshing, new and rewarding challenge. Nathan loves interacting with students and continually growing musically and loves teaching music as a job.
Simon Kortez
Simon has been teaching the guitar since 1992. He’s worked in various New Zealand high schools where he’s taught hundreds of students in this time and built a strong rapport with each one. He’s had great success tutoring, preparing and guiding students through their NCEA performances. In 1993 the 8forty8 album ‘Edge Of Time’ composed predominantly by Simon, won The Rock FM ‘album of the year’ award. In 1998 he coached the Hamilton Girls High School group Handsome Geoffrey on to win the national final of the ‘Smoke Free Rock Quest’. Simon has vast experience as a live performance, and studio musician. In 2008 he played guitar for legendary bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes, formally of both 60’s/70’s super groups Deep Purple and Black Sabbath. Simon is a highly respected musician and experienced guitar tutor with the ability to get the best out of his pupils, and inspire them to reach their full musical potential.