ARTIST BIOS

We are five young professionals, friends and colleagues, who enjoy playing chamber music together.

Our ensemble comprises of musicians based both locally as well as interstate, connected through

tertiary studies, orchestral work, world travels, chance encounters and long-standing friendships. We

are united by both our personal connections and a collective musical spirit.

Both Jonathan Henderson and Nicola Bell forged their careers in Europe. Jonathan studied in

Brisbane, Freiburg and Geneva, and from 2012 – 2019 held the position of Principal Flute of the

Estonian National Opera Orchestra, having also performed with the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra

(Finland), Aldeburgh World Orchestra (England), Australian Chamber Orchestra and Luzern Festival

Academy (Switzerland). Upon returning to Australia, he was appointed flute soloist with the Southern

Cross Solists (Brisbane).

Nicola studied in Sydney, Gothenburg, Lyon and Munich, performing as principal oboe with such

esteemed orchestras as the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales,

Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra and Munich Symphony

Orchestra. She is currently based in Sydney where she is on staff at the Sydney Conservatorium of

Music and freelances with the Opera Australia and Sydney Symphony Orchestras.

Melissa Woodroffe and Heather Lindsay represent some of our country's finest freelance musicians.

Heather has studied in Sydney, Freiburg and Manchester and has worked with the Auckland

Philharmonia Orchestra, Opera Australia Orchestra and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Melissa

trained in Brisbane, at the Australian National Academy of Music in Melbourne and finally in Sydney

where she was accepted to the Sydney Symphony Fellowship Program. She has worked regularly

with the Opera Australia Orchestra, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Sydney, Melbourne, Queensland

and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras.

Alexander (Alex) Morris hails from Bundaberg in regional Queensland. He graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree in Advanced Performance from the Queensland Conservatorium, where he studied with Paul Dean and Floyd Williams, before attending the Australian National Academy of Music in Melbourne as a student of David Thomas. His studies also took him to Los Angeles, where he studied at the Colburn Conservatory with Yehuda Gilad.

Before joining the Sydney Symphony Orchestra as Principal Bass Clarinet in 2018, he was Assistant Principal Clarinet and Bass Clarinet of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (2016–2018). In addition to his work in Vancouver, he has performed as guest principal clarinet with the Sydney, Melbourne, and Tasmanian symphony orchestras, as well as the Malaysian Philharmonic, Auckland Philharmonia, Opera Australia Orchestra and Orchestra Victoria. As a concerto soloist he has appeared with the Aspen Music Festival, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria and the South Melbourne Symphony.

Melissa Woodroffe is highly sought after as one of our country's finest freelance bassoonists. Melissa trained in Brisbane, at the Australian National Academy of Music in Melbourne and finally in Sydney where she was accepted to the Sydney Symphony Fellowship Program. She works regularly with the Opera Australia Orchestra, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Sydney, Melbourne, Queensland and

Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras.