The Advisory Council will provide strategic insight and expert guidance to strengthen music education across the state. Comprising leading educators, practitioners, and advocates, the Council will help shape policy, drive innovation, and support MTANSW’s mission to uphold the highest standards in music teaching.
As we enter this critical phase for arts education, the Advisory Council will ensure MTANSW remains at the forefront of advocating for quality, access, and excellence in music education across all settings.
Click here to read the Advisory Council Charter
Professor Anna Reid
B.Mus (Perf) USyd M.Ed.Admin UNE PhD UTS
Head of School and Dean
An alumna of the Sydney Conservatorium, Professor Anna Reid joined the Con in 2010 as Head of School and Associate Dean (teaching and learning). Her practical and research interests in social equity and professional preparation have led to the creation of internship programs and ‘buddy’ relationships with regional conservatoria, freeing up the music curriculum to deliver greater student choice, enhancing student engagement with musical studies, and fostering equity programs for the University’s music faculty. Read more...
Caron Chan
Caron Chan is the former Chief Strings Examiner for the Australian Music Examinations Board (NSW) and has taught in tertiary and pre-tertiary programs at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. She is in demand as a teacher, adjudicator and presenter on violin pedagogy throughout Australasia. Her students have been prizewinners in International and National competitions including the Leonid Kogan Competition, Kendall National Violin Competition and the Kuring-gai Concerto Competition. Caron performs with the Opera Australia Orchestra and has been a guest musician with Orchestra Victoria and the Tasmanian, New Zealand and Sydney Symphony Orchestras. Caron currently teaches the violin and chamber music at the Conservatorium High School and from her private studio.
Dr Harold Gretton
An alumnus of the ANU School of Music and the Conservatoire de Strasbourg, classical guitarist Harold Gretton commenced employment at the Riverina Conservatorium of Music in 2018. He has been the Associate Director at the RCM since 2020.
A dedicated pedagogue, Harold has given masterclasses in numerous guitar festivals and Universities and has participated on numerous juries in international competitions. He has held private and municipal teaching positions in Stuttgart, Baden-Baden, Lichtenau (Germany), Saint-Louis (France) and Canberra. As a performer, he has won numerous international competitions. He has been invited to perform concerts all over Europe, as well as in the USA, Mexico, Vietnam, and all over Australia. Read more...
Jacinta Adamson
Jacinta Adamson has been working on the Amadeus Music Education Program since its inception in 2019, when she was invited to contribute to the project proposal. She has led the planning and implementation of the program from its first note in 2021 as a pilot in Sydney's Southwest, to a large-scale offering for more than 35,000 students in 2025. Prior to the Amadeus program, she was the Leader of Learning: CAPA and Director of the On the Block Band Program at St Vincent’s College, Ashfield. Jacinta is a passionate advocate for music education and music ministry as key tools for students’ musical and faith formation.
Karen Carey OAM
Bio
Ass. Professor Paul Evans
Paul Evans, PhD is an Associate Professor of Educational Psychology in the School of Education at UNSW Sydney. His research on musicians’ motivation, practice, and performance spans all stages—from children beginning to learn an instrument, to young adults pursuing careers in music performance. His research with schools, universities, and music programs is published in a range of internationally renowned journals and edited volumes. Paul supervises a team of research students and convenes the Cognitive Load and Motivation Lab at UNSW, which applies learnings from music to other domains of study in school classrooms and beyond. He also teaches educational psychology in undergraduate, postgraduate, and research degree programs. Read more...
Tony Lee
Sydney born pianist and educator, Tony Lee, has gained a reputation as one of Australia's finest young pianists, who seeks to transmit the essence of music and his understanding of it, through his performances and teaching. Tony was an artist in residence at the Chapelle Musicale Reine Elisabeth in Belgium and worked closely with the renowned Portuguese Swiss pianist, Maria-João Pires between 2014-2019.
In 2023, served on the Piano Faculty at the Zhejiang Normal University and Emporia State University Undergraduate Joint Program. After relocating to Sydney in late 2024, Tony now holds the position of Artistic Advisor for the Rising Stars Program at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, The Read more...