The Performers

Colin Forbes, piano

On graduating from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Colin Forbes became Lecturer in Piano at the Conservatorium as well as pianist and percussionist with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. He later joined the Australian Opera as a repetiteur and has also worked with other leading concert organisations including the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Synergy and the Australia Ensemble. A study tour of Germany took Colin to the Essen Hochschule to study piano with Paul Badura Skoda. Colin subsequently taught and performed in Germany. On returning to Australia he became Head of Keyboard at Ascham School in Sydney, later moving to Canberra in 1992 to take up the position of repetiteur at the Canberra School of Music. Colin gave sonata recitals with the violinist Erich Binder (Concert Master of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra) on both of his visits to Australia.

In 1997 Colin helped to establish the Canberra Academy of Music and Related Arts, where he is currently Artistic Director and principal piano teacher. Under CAMRA's auspices, Colin has performed the complete piano sonatas of Mozart, prepared the music and staging of award winning productions of several Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, The Beggar's Opera, the liturgical opera Ordo Virtutum by Hildegard von Bingen, and Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro.

Colin has given many concerts in Canberra as both soloist and accompanist. In association with St Philip's, he has prepared and conducted numerous orchestral masses and directed performances of Handel's Messiah and Bach's St John Passion.

Kent McIntosh, tenor

Born in New Zealand, Kent McIntosh began his professional musical life as a French horn player in the RNZ Navy Band. He studied music in NZ, Sydney and Canberra, where he graduated M.Mus. in 2001. He has been a chorister with Opera Australia for 10 years.

Kent has sung a wide variety of operatic roles including Tamino/Monostatos/Armoured Man in The Magic Flute, the title role in Albert Herring, Quint in The Turn of the Screw and Don Basilio in The Marriage of Figaro.

Mr Intosh has been a soloist in Messiah, the St John Passion, the Monteverdi Vespers, the Bach B minor Mass, Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 and numerous other works. He has given numerous song recitals in Sydney, Canberra, regional NSW, Melbourne and New Zealand and live broadcasts on ABC Classic FM.

Maartje Sevenster, mezzo soprano

Maartje Sevenster graduated as a BMus in the Netherlands, studying with Roberta Alexander, Frans Huyts and Connie de Jongh. She participated in master classes, including with Evelyn Tubb and Carolyn Watkinson, and was a member of the renowned Holland Bach Choir [Bachkoor Holland]. Back in Canberra since mid 2011, Maartje has performed with Canberra Opera Workshop, CAMRA, Coro Canberra, the Resonants and Melbourne Opera Canberra Chorus. She enjoys coaching sessions with Colin Forbes, Louise Page and Susan Ellis.