About the artists

Fran Griffin (flutes) is enthusiastic about all things flute - both contemporary and historical flutes - and composing (she started composing from the age of seven). Her journey started at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Australia, with renowned teachers Margaret Crawford and Michael Scott. While at the Conservatorium in the late 1970s, she became interested in 'early music performance practice', studying baroque flute and recorder with Howard Oberg.

After a number of years working as a freelance musician, she returned to study, completing M.Sc. (Hons) in mathematics at Macquarie University, Sydney in 1999. Here she remained on staff until 2012, when she left Sydney to live in country NSW. This move renewed her passion for the musician's life: teaching flute, clarinet and bassoon and performing once again with early music ensemble Nouvelles Réflexions and flute quartet Eclectix.

Her many compositions spanning her career include arrangements and new works for flute quartet, flute duo, and other chamber combinations with flute, bassoon duo, clarinet ensemble, string trio, symphonic winds, and choral works. Additionally, she has produced many arrangements and original works for students, community concert bands and choir.

She has been the recipient of several awards for composition, and her works have been published in Australia, Portugal, Belgium and USA. 

Keith Griffin (flutes) studied flute with Michael Scott, Margaret Crawford and baroque performance (flutes, recorders) with Howard Oberg at the NSW Conservatorium of Music, graduating (B Mus) with The Student the Year Award. Following graduation he joined the staff of the Conservatorium as a flute teacher.

Keith has always enjoyed performing in chamber ensembles such as Kurrajong Ensemble, Eclectix (one of Australia's few professional flute quartets) and Nouvelles Réflexions (baroque trio-sonata group using period instruments), has been a member of The Renaissance Players (Sydney Uni) but has also has played many performances in larger groups, special event orchestras, live to air broadcasts and recording sessions. He spent some years in the wilderness working in IT and publishing, eventually returning to The Sydney Conservatorium as Network Manager.

During his high school days Keith learned conducting from necessity and grew to enjoy it very much, later taking on conducting some local community groups. He is now well known as a conductor across the Riverina.  In recent times Keith has learned to play saxophone, but he will always have a soft spot for the flute!

Keith currently maintains a small private studio of flute students and teaches recorder at the Murray Conservatorium of Music (Albury)

Harold Gretton (classical guitar) began playing guitar at the age of 7. He first studied at the ANU in Canberra before completing a course specialising in guitar duo performance in Strasbourg (France).

He has won numerous international competitions, both as a soloist and in various chamber music combinations. He has been invited to perform concerts all over Europe, as well as in the USA, Mexico, Vietnam, and all over Australia. He has performed with orchestras in Australia and Europe, and gave the world première of Nigel Westlake's concerto Shadow Dances under the composer's baton.

He has recorded four CDs, two solo albums, an album of Australian guitar quartets with Guitar Trek, and a mixed album of guitar duos, funded by a successful crowd-funding campaign.

A dedicated pedagogue, Harold has given masterclasses in numerous guitar festivals, lectured at Universities and has participated on numerous juries in international competitions. He has held teaching positions in Stuttgart, Baden-Baden, Lichtenau (Germany) 

The Kurrajong Ensemble began informerly with a Sunday morning coffee shop performance in Wagga Wagga. Since then we have gradually started to work together more and have been forced into admitting we are now an ensemble.

They are enjoying expanding the repertoire for this somewhat unusual combination of instruments, creating new works and making imaginative arrangements of just about anything. Having multiple types of flutes available lends an extra dimension to our sound world.

https://kurrajongensemble.au

• Performance begins at 2pm (no interval). Doors open at 1:45pm

• Chat with the Fran, Keith and Harold after the concert - 'meet the artists'

• Parking (free):
  on-site for 5 cars; 
  overflow parking on-street in dedicated parking lane on Namatjira Drive;
  additional parking at Chapman Oval on Tauchert St (approx 500m).

• Public transport:
  Buses 70 & 71 (Woden-Tuggeranong via Cooleman Court); 64 (Woden-Weston Creek)
  Closest bus stops are 1269 & 1264 (on Namatjira Drive).