Symphony Orchestras

Symphony Orchestras

The Symphony Orchestras stream at the 2025 Summer School offers a week of inspiring orchestral experience for advanced woodwind, brass, string and percussion musicians aged 12 years and older. The 2025 Summer School features two orchestras, the Philharmonic Orchestra and Symphony Orchestra.

The Philharmonic Orchestra is designed for advanced musicians to further develop their technique and ensemble playing skills in an orchestral setting. Philharmonic is a great ensemble to introduce advanced musicians with some ensemble experience to playing in a symphony orchestra.

The Symphony Orchestra is designed for advanced musicians to continue to develop their skills in an orchestral setting. The Summer School Symphony Orchestra provides opportunity for these musicians who may already have multiple years of ensemble and orchestral experience to continue to expand their orchestral skills under the tutelage of dynamic Australian conductor Jen Winley (WASO).

AGE: 12 years +

INSTRUMENTS: Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon, French Horn, Trumpet, Trombone, Tuba, Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass, Percussion, Harp and Piano

Suitable for more advanced musicians with prior ensemble experience, Approximately AMEB Grade 7+, or equivalent (required).

To be considered for this stream in the 2025 MYO Summer School, please apply for the SYMPHONY ORCHESTRAS stream in your application.

Jen Winley
Conductor - Symphony Orchestra
Jen began her music career as a percussionist and timpanist, working principally with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and regularly with Orchestra Victoria and the West Australian Symphony Orchestra (WASO). She …
Jen began her music career as a percussionist and timpanist, working principally with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and regularly with Orchestra Victoria and the West Australian Symphony Orchestra (WASO). She then spent over a decade as a classroom music educator and loves combining her passion for music and education when working with young people.
Jen made her professional conducting debut in 2020 with several orchestras in Perth, including WASO and PSO. 2021 saw repeat engagements, including her film conducting debut of Home Alone with WASO and the Petrushka project with Paul Rissmann. Jen is a highly versatile conductor and 2022 featured several WASO engagements including subscription series, Side-by-Side and Outreach projects, regional tours, contemporary and recording projects, and mainstage Education and Family Concerts. Jen is passionate about working in youth music and has conducted the Western Australian Youth Orchestra since 2019.
Jen made her debut as conductor with the West Australian Opera, Queensland Symphony Orchestra and Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in 2023 in addition to continued conducting engagements with Western Australia Symphony Orchestra.

David Le Guen
Conductor - Philharmonic Orchestra
Canberra-born violinist and conductor David Le Guen began his conducting studies under the guidance of Max McBride, and Myer Fredman. He recently completed a Masters of Conducting at the Elder …
Canberra-born violinist and conductor David Le Guen began his conducting studies under the guidance of Max McBride, and Myer Fredman. He recently completed a Masters of Conducting at the Elder Conservatorium in Adelaide studying with Dr Luke Dollman. During his degree, David had the privilege of assisting Maestros Mark Wigglesworth, Douglas Boyd and Andrew Litton with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. David has conducted the Tasmanian, Adelaide and Canberra Youth Orchestras, the Derwent Symphony Orchestra and since moving to Melbourne he has worked with the Kooyong Chamber Players, the Nicholas Chamber Orchestra and the Frankston Symphony Orchestra. In the past two years David has participated in conducting workshops and master classes overseas with, Donald Schleicher, Farkhad Khudyev and Charles Olivieri–Munroe. In 2024, he furthered his studies in Galicia, Spain collaborating with Maestros Cristóbal Soler and Boris Perrenoud through the Centro Superior de Música’s promotion program. As part of the program David was given the opportunity to serve as guest conductor in concerts with the Vidin Sinfonietta and Pazardzhik Symphony in Bulgaria.
As a violinist, David holds the position of concertmaster with the Australian Discovery Orchestra. He has also performed with the Canberra Symphony Orchestra. As a student, he played with the Australian Youth Orchestra and was Concertmaster of the Canberra Youth Orchestra. His violin teachers have included the late Professor Jan Sedivka, Len Dommet, Peter Tanfield and Tor Fromhyr. He holds music degrees from the Australian National University (Bachelor of Music) and the University of Tasmania (Masters of Performance) where he was awarded the Jan Sedivka Scholarship in Music. He completed a PhD in violin performance at UTAS in 2007 and was awarded the Dean’s Commendation Award for an Outstanding Doctoral Thesis for his doctoral research: “The Development of the French Romantic Violin Sonata (1860-1910)”.
David is a passionate music educator having held the positions of Co-Head of Music at Ballarat Clarendon College and that of Head of Strings at Geelong Grammar School, Presbyterian Ladies College (Melbourne) and Brighton Grammar. He is currently the conductor of the Melbourne Youth Chamber Strings, the Melbourne Youth Orchestras’ senior string ensemble, a position he has held for the past nine years.