Geoffrey Clarke
ANAM Supporter
ANAM Audience Member (since 2007) and Syndicate Donor (2012-present)
When I retired in Canberra, I moved to Melbourne because I was looking for a bigger pond of activities, and I found a branch of that big pond in South Melbourne at ANAM. That was nearly twenty years ago, and I have spent many, many hours sitting on the hard steel chairs in the South Melbourne Town Hall, growing in my listening skills and knowledge and understanding of all forms of classical music. Indeed, I think I have received the equivalent of a full honours degree in music listening!
Many of the musicians I have supported have now become good friends as they settle into careers in Australian and overseas orchestras and chamber groups. An ANAM visit has always become a family occasion.
One highlight for me over the years was the afternoon when Lisa Moore, the Australian pianist from New York, led five ANAM pianists in a circle of six grand pianos at the South Melbourne Town Hall, playing Steve Reich’s Sonata for Six Pianos.
Lisa Moore performing Steve Reich's 6 Pianos with ANAM pianists, August 2015. Photo credit: Juan Camilo Castro.
Another was when William Huxtable (violin 2019, now member of WASO) ended his violin recital one afternoon and, with his mother having travelled from Perth sitting in the front row, played Elgar’s Salut d’Amour and then led the audience in singing “Happy Birthday” for her. What a mother! What a son! And only at ANAM!
Geoffrey Clarke headshot by Charlie Kinross, ANAM