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OUR 2023 TEAM

The Marimbafest Australia team is a non-profit organisation of volunteers from around the world

 who aim to deliver a world class marimba festival experience in Perth

THE MISSION

Marimbafest Australia is a non-profit organisation dedicated to the growth and promotion of education in the percussive arts across Australia.   

Founded in 2018 by Perth percussionist and YouTuber Adam Tan, the Marimbafest Australia organisation aims to provide a platform for percussion performance and education for all percussionists, with an emphasis on representation, diversity and inclusion of new voices in the Australian percussion world and beyond.

Marimbafest Australia's most popular event is the annual Marimbafest marimba festival and competition. With its inception in 2019, this world-class event provides an opportunity for local and international percussionists to interact with and learn from international and Australian faculty members, while also showcasing their own performance abilities in a real-world concert environment. There have been three Marimbafest festivals now, with over 100 participants who have enjoyed the Marimbafest experience and shared their percussion journeys with us in 2019, 2021 and 2022.

Marimbafest Australia also hosts other programs throughout the year to encourage the growth of percussion in Western Australia, including Percussion All-Stars.
 
Percussion All-Stars is a bi-annual concert series aimed at giving emerging percussionists the opportunity to perform in a live venue with high-quality instruments and a receptive audience. Percussion All-Stars has seen over 150 pieces performed by over 100 students since 2018. This series also gives local educators a chance to showcase their work with their students.

Percussion All-Stars concerts include Percussion All-Stars (2018), Percussion All-Stars Season 2 (2019), Percussion All-Stars Season 3 (2019), Percussion All-Stars 4: Spring 2020 (2020), Percussion All-Stars 5: Road To Marimbafest 2021 (2021), Percussion All-Stars 6: Comeback Stage (2021), Percussion All-Stars 7: Culmination (2022) and Percussion All-Stars 8: Road To PASIC 2022 (2022).

 

THE MARIMBAFEST 2023 STAFF TEAM

Marimbafest's 2023 team is made up of a diverse team of enthusiastic people from across Australia, bringing years of experience to the organisation.
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ADAM TAN

Founder, Executive Director

Marimbafest Executive Committee

Perth, Australia

Adam Tan (he/him) is a percussionist, composer and educator from Perth, Western Australia. He is a content creator for his YouTube show about percussion, THE STUDIO. Adam has performed and presented across the world, and his compositions are performed by thousands around the world annually. Adam is a Marimba One Premier Artist, Encore Mallets Signature Artist with the Adam Tan series of mallets, Salyers Percussion Concert Artist and Soundbrenner Artist. Adam's compositions are published by Edition Svitzer. Adam has been Executive Director of Marimbafest Australia since its inception in 2018.

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MADDIE COLVIN

General Manager

Marimbafest Management and Operations Committee

Perth, Australia

Maddie Colvin (she/her) is a portfolio career percussionist working as multi-disciplinary artist and performer having just graduated from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. Amongst her work as a percussion teacher in local Perth schools, Maddie also plays with the Perth Thundercorps and has been General Manager of Marimbafest Australia since 2021.

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GABBY LEE

Operations Officer

Marimbafest Management and Operations Committee

Perth, Australia

Gabby Lee (she/her) is a percussion educator, freelance percussionist and composer based in Perth, Western Australia. From her studies at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts in the Bachelor of Music Honours, Gabby holds a wide range of skills from percussion, composition, electronic music production and events. Along with performances, she has been providing percussion workshop services to holiday school programs around Perth.

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TIM WHITE (OAM)

Artistic Advisor

Marimbafest Advisory Committee

Perth, Australia

Tim White OAM (he/him) is the Co-ordinator of Classical Music and Senior Lecturer in Music at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) at Edith Cowan University, where he leads WAAPA's classical music and percussion programmes.Tim has over thirty years full-time experience as an orchestral and solo percussionist, including Principal Percussionist of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra for 28 years,  Principal Percussionist of the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, and has performed with all ten of Australia’s professional symphony and theatre orchestras. Tim joins the team in 2022 as Artistic Advisor.

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JACKSON VICKERY

Operations Officer - Legacy

Marimbafest Management and Operations Committee

Perth, Australia

Jackson Vickery (he/him) is a percussionist from Perth, Western Australia. Jackson specialises in contemporary and world percussion and has studied and performed internationally with several world-class musicians including Steve Schick, Sō Percussion, Keita Ogawa, Marcelo Woloski and Paulo Stagnaro, to name a few. Jackson was an Operations Officer for Marimbafest 2019 and 2021.

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EUPHINA YAP

Operations Officer - Legacy

Marimbafest Management and Operations Committee

Perth, Australia

Euphina Yap (she/her) is a percussionist from Perth, Western Australia. Euphina has studied and toured extensively around the world, completing her Masters degree at the prestigious Boston Conservatory in the United States, and was a graduate of both the University of Western Australia Conservatorium of Music and the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. Euphina was an Operations Officer for Marimbafest Australia for 2021.

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CARISSA SOARES

Associate Director

Marimbafest Executive Committee

Perth, Australia

Carissa Soares (she/her) is a percussionist and educator from Perth, Western Australia. Carissa was the 1st Prize winner of Marimbafest 2019's Marimba Competition and also received the people's choice award that year. Carissa is also a casual percussionist at the West Australian Symphony Orchestra and performs with Kaboom Percussion. Carissa has been Associate Director at Marimbafest Australia since 2022.

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JOEY ENG

Operations Manager

Marimbafest Management and Operations Committee

Perth, Australia

Joey Eng (he/him) is a freelance percussionist and composer based in Perth, Western Australia. As a soloist, Joey won 2nd Prize in Marimbafest 2021's Open Class solo division, was a semi-finalist in the 2020 WAAPA Warana Concerto Competition and a semi-finalist in the inaugural 2019 Marimbafest solo marimba competition. Joey is a Marimba One Discovery Artist. Joey has been the Operations Manager for Marimbafest Australia.since 2022.

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ROBERT OETOMO

Principal Artistic Advisor / Composer-In-Residence

Marimbafest Advisory Committee

Sydney, Australia

Robert Oetomo (he/him) is a renowned Australian marimba soloist and composer whose artistic practice sees him performing around the world on a regular basis. His compositions are some of the most popular works in the marimba repertory. Robert is a Marimba One Premier Artist, has a signature line of mallets with Encore Mallets Inc. and endorses Sabian Cymbals. Robert's works are published by Edition Svitzer and Tapspace. Robert has been Principal Artistic Advisor for Marimbafest Australia since 2019.

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LI-JENE GAN

Operations Officer - Legacy

Marimbafest Management and Operations Committee

Perth, Australia

Li-Jene Gan (she/her) is a classical pianist from Perth, Western Australia. Li-Jene is a current student of the University of Western Australia Conservatorium of Music, and is involved in many causes, including serving as President of Rotex D9455. Li-Jene was an Operations Officer for Marimbafest Australia.for 2021-2022.

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WILSON NG

Finance Director - Legacy

Marimbafest Executive Committee

Perth, Australia

Wilson Ng's (he/him) insight and knowledge as an M&A Associate Director allows him to assist the Marimbafest team in financial modelling and valuation responsibilities. Wilson was the Finance Director of Marimbafest Australia for 2019 to 2021.

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