Coursework

Master of Music (Orchestral Performance)

  • CRICOS code: 094859D

The experience

Overview

Lauren Gorman, Master of Music (Orchestral Performance)

After completing my Bachelor of Music (Honours) at the Conservatorium in 2014, I spent some time freelancing in Melbourne before travelling to Germany and Austria to undertake private study. I had just been offered a place at the Anton Bruckner Privatuniversität in Linz when I heard the Conservatorium had appointed a new Chief Conductor, Associate Professor Richard Davis. I knew it was the beginning of a really exciting time there.

The cohort is amazing. I didn’t really know anybody in the course prior to this year – there are a couple of musicians who also completed their undergraduate studies at the Conservatorium but we didn’t really cross paths as we graduated in different years.

This year, I’m studying with both Richard Davis and MSO Principal Flute Prudence Davis. These sessions have been incredibly enriching, enjoyable and inspiring. I love the way my mentors think about music and who they are as individuals. They have a wonderful sense of integrity, passion and humility for music, and are a constant encouragement.

I feel incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to work closely with Prue, who has been my idol ever since I started learning the flute and came to watch my first MSO concert in Hamer Hall back in 2005. We have worked on a lot of repertoire, including the Mozart Flute Concerto in G major that I’ll be performing in a concert with the University of Melbourne Philharmonic Orchestra on 21 May.

There are lots of different personalities, which makes for interesting discussion. We all get along really well and we’re also super-supportive of one another. We come from all over Australia, and also from overseas, including Venezuela and Denmark. Everybody is rich in experience and brings their own creative perspective.

One of the major challenges of being a musician is that it’s a lifestyle as well as a job. You can’t just work, come home, relax and switch off. Being a musician is so tightly interwoven into our sense of purpose and identity – so at times when we feel like we’re not making musical progress, it can be a challenge to separate our sense of self-worth.

You have to trust yourself, be patient and appreciate that what you’re doing now will eventually lead to opportunities for you in the future if you operate with integrity, honesty and consistency.

It’s easy to compare yourself to others and be engulfed in the competitive nature of the profession, but at the end of the day, nobody else is you. When I come across people who are self-driven, self-motivated and focused on their own journey, that inspires me. That’s the type of musician I aspire to be.

Lauren Gorman