Violin, Viola
Dr Nicole Hammill was appointed Strings Coordinator at the Mitchell Conservatorium in Bathurst in October 2018. For the previous 25 years, she lived in Queensland, performing with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, as soloist, concertmaster and Acting Principal First Violin. Her primary teaching appointment while there was at the Queensland Conservatorium, and she also lectured at the Queensland University of Technology and the University of Southern Queensland.
Born in Sydney, Nicole travelled to the USA in 1983 to study violin, on scholarship, attaining three degrees in performance, including a Master of Music with High Distinction from Indiana University and a Doctor of Musical Arts from Louisiana State University. She subsequently lectured at universities in Louisiana and West Virginia, and in 1994, returned to Australia to take up the violin lectureship at James Cook University in Townsville, before moving to Brisbane in 1999.
As a soloist and chamber musician, she has performed nationally and internationally, including ABC FM Live broadcasts, the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, the QSO Chamber Players, the Southern Cross Soloists and the Bangalow Music Festival. She is currently Leader of Mitchell String Theory at the Conservatorium and has been invited to perform with the Sydney-based Robinia Ensemble.
An AMEB QLD examiner since 2002, she was appointed Senior Examiner there in 2018 and is now a NSW Examiner, as well as writing the AMEB Series 8 Violin Handbooks (Level 2). Also trained in counselling and psychology, her main interest lies in personality theory and its application to teaching.
Peter joined Mitchell Conservatorium, Lithgow as a violin teacher in 2008.
He started playing violin at age 6 and began his early violin studies at Lismore, Bangalow and Byron Bay convents. Peter later studied with W. J. Gallaher, Gallaher School of Music and with Georgina McLean, Sydney Conservatorium of Music. He played in the Sydney-based National Youth Orchestra in the late 60s, Ars Nova Orchestra in the 80s and since 1999 with Lithgow Community Orchestra. Peter played violin and double bass with Shiloh a folk gospel trio and violin with the Bunyip Boys Bush Band. He was a string tutor at Cooerwull Public School in the 70s and 80s, and again since 2008.
His love for a wide range of musical styles is evident when he performs with his wife Gaye in a violin & double bass/guitar vocal duo. Peter combines aspects of the Suzuki method with the AMEB syllabus in teaching violin.
