You are cordially invited by The Victorian Vernier Society for Dinner on Thursday the 12th of December 7pm for 7.30pm start at The Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club, 489 Glenferrie Rd, Kooyong.
Please remember to bring cash for paying the almoners for indiscretions for which you may be responsible.
Bookings for Vernier Members will, as always, be by response to this email. Please do it now!
For Friends of Vernier and general admission guests, please book using Humantix: https://events.humanitix.com/vernier-on-december-12-2024
Charles Allen
Charles is a leadership and peacebuilding professional with over 40 years’ experience. His early experience is grounded in the security sector with Victoria Police, and over the past decade he has expanded his experience peace building in South, Southeast, and Eastern Asia, Western and Eastern Africa, MENA andOceania. His areas of specialty include process facilitation, leadership development, developing personal and community resilience, and organisational and community systems change.
He currently leads, and is the founder of, Space Melbourne; a peace building and process facilitation organisation. Formal studies include master’s in leadership and organisational change, peace building and conflict prevention, and human rights. His experience in not-for-profit Directorship includes age and disability sectors, a global think tank and service clubs.
We will also have 2 singers and Stewart Kelly
Stewart Kelly – Associate Artist
He is the founder and artistic director of Music by the Springs, which since 2018 has quickly become regarded as one of Australia’s finest chamber music festivals. In the same year he opened House of Pianos which is a hub for piano sales, music lessons and concerts and masterclasses.
As a performer, he works as a soloist and collaborator with many of Australia’s leading instrumentalists and singers at leading concert venues and festivals around the country. He has performed in many leading Australian venues, at Festivals in Tasmania, Hepburn Springs, Mackay, Townsville, Brisbane and Coramba and internationally in New Zealand, China, Italy and the USA.
His 2022 season includes directing the first Renaissance Tours Festival of Chamber Music in April, the fifth Music by the Springs, recitals at Tempo Rubato, a seventh year of Stewart Kelly and Friends at the Melbourne Recital Centre, and the Mackay Chamber Music Festival.
As a teacher and associate artist, Stewart is a casual staff member at the Melbourne Conservatorium at Melbourne University and part-time faculty at the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School.
Rachael Joyce – Soprano
Soprano Rachael Joyce has been a supported singer in Melbourne Opera’s Richard Divall Emerging Artists Programme since 2023, and was a member of Opera Scholars Australia for four seasons. A Monash University graduate, Rachael received First Class Honours after completing a Bachelor of Arts (French) and Music (Honours).
Recent roles include ‘Princess Caraboo’, ‘Mrs Dards’ & ‘Duchess of Devonshire’ in English Eccentrics, ‘La Regina dei Topi’ (cover) in Il Mago di Oz (Victorian Opera); ‘Cherubino’ in The Marriage of Figaro (Melbourne Opera); ‘Chiara’ in Biographica (Lyric Opera of Melbourne); and ‘Rosita’ in Un Mari à la Porte (BK Opera), jumping in on the day of the opening performance.
Notable accolades include First Prize in the 99th Herald Sun Aria Competition, runner-up in the Opera Scholars Australia Aria competition, Semi-Finalist at the Australian Singing Competition, and Songmakers Prize recipient, Boroondara Eisteddfod Vocal Championship Winner (2023); National Liederfest finalist (2022); Australian Music Prize (Monash University) and ‘The Talent’ Winner (3MBS Radio Station) in 2019.
Rachael’s recent concert credits include Bach’s Coffee Cantata (Melbourne Symphony Orchestra); Kouvaras’ Winter Came Early (Lyric Opera of Melbourne); Vivaldi’s Gloria (Essendon Choral Society); Forrest’s Requiem for the Living (Yarra Philharmonic Orchestra) and Dvořák’s Stabat Mater (Monash University Choral Society).
In 2024, Rachael traveled to Germany as the recipient of the Melbourne Opera and Rotary New Generations Service Exchange Scholarship, where she made her concert debut at the Bayreuth Festival Junger Künstler as well as masterclasses by Susanne Kelling, Jan Kobow and Stephan Jöris & Hans Martin Gräbner.
Mei Wah Chan – Mezzo-Soprano
Mei Wah has been performing since the age of 8 when she joined the Australian Girls’ Choir. In 2018, she received the “June Bronhill Encouragement Scholarship”, and having been an active part of the choir, performed with Hugh Jackman, Kate Cebrano and many others. In 2022 she placed 2nd in the Janet Perkins Vocal Scholarship competition and has previously studied Classical Voice with Merlyn Quaife OAM and Musical Theatre with Susan-Ann Walker.
Throughout her time at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music she was the proud recipient of the Ellinor Gertrude Bequest (2019), Murray Ormond Vagg Scholarship (2022) and the Grace Durling Encouragement Award (2022). She graduated her Bachelor of Music (Honours) in 2022 under Linda Barcan. 2022 saw her perform the role of Carmen in Bizet’s Carmen and Mustardseed in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Since 2019, she has been a Tutor with the Australian Girls’ Choir and established a choral/vocal program at Camberwell South Primary School. In 2019, she played the role of ‘Kim’ in OSMaD’s (Old Scotch Music and Drama) Miss Saigon, winning a Lyrebird award for Best Actress in a Musical.
The Vernier Promise!
At Vernier you will:
• Connect and Network with business leaders
• Associate with people who share your interests
• Gain insights and knowledge from authoritive keynote speakers
• Develop and grow your leadership and business prospects
• Promote the sustainability of the Australian manufacturing industry
