Advisory Committee

Tim Munro

Tim Munro is a Brisbane-based, triple-Grammy-winning musician. He is Associate Professor of Music at the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University.

Tim was the flautist and co-Artistic Director of Eighth Blackbird from 2006-2015. He toured the US and internationally, premiering more than 100 works, co-curating festivals, playing as a concerto soloist, collaborating with artists and winning three Grammy Awards.

As a teacher, Tim brings students into collaborative environments, giving them agency. He has worked at music schools in more than forty American states, including the Curtis Institute, the University of Michigan, Manhattan School of Music, University of Southern California and Oberlin College. In Australia, he was the inaugural Kinnane Musician in Residence at the University of Queensland and led a two-week residency at the Australian National Academy of Music.

Tim’s playing has been called “captivating,” “bravura” and “charismatic” (The New York Times). His album, Liminal Highway, with music by Pulitzer Prize finalist Christopher Cerrone, exploited Tim’s “expansive artistry” (The Wire).

Tim lives in Brisbane with his wife Julie, an innovative theatre artist, and their son Ellis.

Julia Grenfell, piccolo

Julia Grenfell

Julia Grenfell has been Principal Piccolo of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra since 2001. Prior to that she completed a Master of Music studying with Walfrid Kujala at Northwestern University in Chicago, and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Flute Performance at Rice University in Houston, studying with Leone Buyse.

Julia has held positions with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, the San Antonio Symphony, and participated in a number of Summer festivals including Verbier, Tanglewood, and Music Academy of the West.   She undertook a year’s job exchange in 2018-19 as Principal Piccolo with the Gothenburg Opera Orchestra in Sweden, and her year in Sweden included a tour to Japan, as well as an opportunity to play in the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra.

Julia has appeared as piccolo soloist with the ASO on a number of occasions, including for a co-commissioned Piccolo Concerto by Australian composer Paul Stanhope in 2013. She has been a guest artist at the biennial Australian Flute Festival several times and has been active as a teacher in Adelaide in more recent years. In August 2022, Julia performed her piccolo trio Piccolo Ridicolo (published by Presser) at the 50th Annual National Flute Association convention in Chicago.

James Kortum

James Kortum is Lecturer in Flute at the Sydney Conservatorium.  James studied flute at DePaul University, Chicago, with Donald Peck, Principal Flute Emeritus of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and former Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra flutist, Philip Sieburg.  At the completion of his studies, James was offered the position of Principal Flute with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra and has subsequently been Principal Flute with the Opera AustraliaOrchestra and Second Flute with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. He has also been guest flutist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, Australian Chamber Orchestra,Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra, Hunter Sinfonia and Pacific Opera Orchestra. Prior to his current position, James was Lecturer in Flute at the University of Newcastle Conservatorium of Music.

Paula Rae

Paula is a Melbourne based flute player and teacher who currently plays regularly with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra on a casual basis, has been a 30-year member of Elision Ensemble and held the position of Associate Principal Flute in Orchestra Victoria for 16 years. Paula is a member of the Victorian Music Teachers’ Association and is President of the Victorian Flute Guild.

Paula holds Bachelor of Arts with Distinction majoring in flute and a Graduate Diploma of Arts from the Victorian College of the Arts where she studied with Thomas Pinschof and Margaret Crawford. Further, Paula studied in Europe at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena with Aurele Nicolet, with Alain Marion in France and in England with William Bennett.

Paula is an experienced performer, educator and recording artist, accomplished across a wide range of musical styles. Paula’s recording discography includes NMC, Etcetera, Ricordi, BMG , HCR and ABC Classics.

Mary-Anne is the Associate Principal Flute with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra and has held that position since 1998. 

She is originally from Adelaide where she studied with Elizabeth Koch before moving to the Canberra School of Music where she studied with Vernon Hill. 

Mary-Anne then had the privilege of studying with William Bennett at the Royal Academy of Music in London for 2 years. 

She has performed with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Australian Chamber Orchestra and also played the musicals 'Les Miserable' and 'Phantom of the Opera' in Sydney and Adelaide. She performed with 'Les Mis' in a 6 month tour of South-East Asia in 1996. 

Mary-Anne enjoys playing chamber music but has mainly had an orchestral focus in her career. 

She teaches flute performance at the University of Western Australia. 

Photo credit: WASO by Daniel Grant

Mary-Anne Blades