My name is Anneka Celotto and I have recently moved from Brisbane this year to study honours at the University of Melbourne. Originally from Townsville, North Queensland, I began my learning of the oboe when I was 16 years old. Upon my acceptance into the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University (QCGU) in 2014 I have experienced a great diversity of musical exposure and experience. This, alongside with the tutelage I received from Eve Newsome, prompted new musical passions in Opera and Ballet orchestral playing, as well as substantially benefitting my instrumental development. In addition to the many operas I was able to play in at the QCGU, the most challenging and rewarding of my opera experiences has been the series of performances of Aida as principal oboe, alongside Opera Australia players, as a part of the Opera on the Beach program. I have also had the privilege of performing under the baton of phenomenal conductors such as Johannes Fritzsch, John Curro and Nicholas Cleoburry, in ensembles such as Queensland Youth Symphony as principal cor anglais, touring to Hong Kong, China and Germany in 2017, and Queensland Philharmonic Orchestra as principal oboe and cor anglais.

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As an avid lover of chamber music I was involved in various combinations of wind ensembles throughout my time in Brisbane. As a part of my primary ensemble, a wind quintet, we were the recipients of the inaugural Jani Hanki award at the QCGU in 2014, and the Queensland Clarinet and Saxophone Society’s (QCASS) award for wind quintet in 2015’s Crossbows Festival. As a part of both chamber and orchestral ensembles I have been able to perform in festivals including Queensland Music Festival, Queensland Youth Orchestras’ Prodigy Collective, performing with internationally renowned youth orchestras, as well as the Tyalgum music festival since 2014. In my third year at the Queensland Conservatorium, I decided it was best to further enrich my opportunities and experiences by moving to Melbourne to study Honours under the guidance of Stephen Robinson. I am very much looking forward to the year ahead, and especially to the orchestral program at VCA, as it offers a diverse range of repertoire and will be great experience to enrich my development as an orchestral musician.