Adjudicators for this year’s competition

  • Philip Green will adjudicate the Buffet Crampon Clarinet Award.
  • Chris Ondaatje will adjudicate the senior sections, and will co-adjudicate the Buffet Crampon Clarinet Award
  • Megan George will adjudicate the 10 years and under to 16 years and under sections
  • Jason Xanthoudakis will adjudicate the Duets  and Ensembles sections.

Philip Green

Philip is the Associate Principal Clarinettist in the Opera Australia Orchestra, and has also performed with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and as guest Principal in the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Phil completed his Bachelor of Music with Hons at the Sydney Conservatorium with Francesco Celata and Mark Walton and took part in the Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s Sinfonia program before moving to New Zealand in 2001, winning the audition as Co-Principal Clarinet of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. As part of the NZSO he enjoyed a number of international tours to Japan, China and Europe and appeared as soloist on recordings and on tours within New Zealand. He also toured as an artist for Chamber Music New Zealand, especially as part of the wind quintet Zephyr, whose CD Music for Winds: New Zealand Wind Quintets made the finals of the Vodafone NZ Music awards in 2016. Phil tutored at the New Zealand School of Music for 10 years and several of his former students have continued to win positions in Symphony Orchestras and the NZ Navy Band. Since returning to Australia in 2014 Phil has resumed work as a teacher and tutors at St Andrew’s Cathedral School and the Conservatorium High School.

Christopher Ondaatje

He began his clarinet studies as a child in Manchester and, after moving to Australia, continued his music studies at the Melbourne State College, taking clarinet lessons with Ian Morgan (formerly Associate Principal clarinet MSO). He has performed in master classes and lessons with the likes of Harry Sparnay (Dutch Bass clarinet virtuoso), John McCaw (formerly LPO), Hans Deinzer (formerly Munich Phil), Colin Bradbury (BBC Symph) and Pamela Weston (British Musicologist).

As a player, Chris has performed in many concerts, musicals, operettas and operas with both professional and community groups, has been an adjudicator and teacher for many years, and is a Move records artist with a recording of the music of Astor Piazzola.

Megan George     

I had the pleasure of studying clarinet and saxophone with Dr. Peter Clinch at Melbourne State College. I ventured overseas attending and playing in master classes in Europe and London. Locally I enjoyed playing in many musical theatre pit orchestras, community orchestras and was a member of the Australian Wind Symphonia.

Teaching is my passion. My teaching career has seen me working at various Government and Private Schools throughout Melbourne and I have also been employed as a sessional clarinet teacher at Melbourne University.

I have been at Eltham High School for nearly twenty years, teaching clarinet & saxophone, conducting a Concert Band and Clarinet Choir.

I worked with Ken Waterworth helping establish an outstanding Music and Concert Band Program at the school and later became the Director of Music on Ken’s departure.

I am currently teaching part time as the specialist clarinet teacher, working with students from year 7-12 and conducting the Clarinet Choir.

VCE music is an area that I am particularly interested in. I have been a panel member on numerous VCAA committees pertaining to the Prescribed List of Notated Works and VCE Music in general. I have been an assessor for VCE Music Performance – Solo and Music Investigation.

I am a founding member of the Clarinet and Saxophone Society of Victoria and spent a number of years on the Committee.

Jason Xanthoudakis

Jason studied at Melbourne University, where he graduated with a Master of Music, the Victorian College of the Arts with David Thomas, Phillip Miechel and Dr. Peter Clinch, Monash University where he studied with David Griffiths and is a graduate of the Sydney Conservatorium where he studied with Frank Celata, Mark Walton and James Nightingale. He has also studied in Paris, Amsterdam and London.

Jason has won 3MBS Performer of the Year Award as well as many prizes in various music competitions. Jason has a busy performance schedule including performances with the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, as well as frequent solo recitals and concerto appearances with orchestras and wind ensembles in Australia.

Jason has performed several live broadcasts on Australian radio, has recorded for ABC Classic FM and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. He has arranged/transcribed more than 50 works for Saxophone and Clarinet and is very active in the field of Contemporary Music, encouraging composers to write music for Saxophone and Clarinet and over 20 works have been dedicated to him.

For more information about Jason’s activities go to www.jasonxan.com