Pam Kershaw
Freelance Writer
ANAM Volunteer (2024-present) and Audience member
I’m one of those people who can’t sing or play but are essential to the classical music world. I LOVE listening to music, so the auditorium is one of my favourite places. When I was 18 and went to a concert with my mother, Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor was played by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, along with Sibelius’ Karelia Suite. Entranced, I rushed out, bought LP recordings, and began to explore a whole new world.
Many years later, having left New Zealand and settled in Melbourne, I discovered the exceptional training and performance opportunities ANAM offers to talented young performers. There’s something special about attending these concerts… that youthful energy, the sheer joy expressed in their playing, the camaraderie in their ensemble work.
And, of course, they’re assuring concertgoers like me that classical music does have a future — and they’re it!
A couple of years back, I was looking for a new volunteer activity and found it on the ANAM website. Volunteer usher? Attend all those recitals and concerts? Listen to inspiring music every week during term time? I’m in!
The role has turned out to be far more than I envisaged. I’ve had some great conversations with students who are running the box office when I’m ushering — where they studied before ANAM, how they got here, and where they hope to go with their careers, both here and overseas.
But the thing that stands out most is their camaraderie. Watch their faces during an ensemble piece — the exchange of quick looks and smiles, the acknowledgement of their musical partners. And they are such a supportive audience when their colleagues perform recitals. I love how they gather outside the venue to congratulate them afterwards.
Day One at ANAM, February 2025. Photo credit: Pia Johnson.
As ushers, we usually get to see the final 15–20 minutes of recital soundchecks in the Rosina Auditorium. We hear the discussions between faculty and students, and how the playing alters subtly as a result.
My favourite recital? Last year’s Soundbite Where Feathers Rest: Emily Dickinson in Sound — one of a series in which students “present concerts that capture a moment in time, reflecting their training and offering glimpses of their future selves”. The stage was set with an antique sofa and armchairs, and a beautifully choreographed performance of music, the spoken word, and movement unfolded. Brava to the curator, violist Mattea Osenk!
Another treat was a workshop with Michael Collins, the renowned clarinettist and conductor, held as part of his 2025 ANAM residency, focusing on playing and directing classical concertos. He lifted the students’ playing to another level as they directed their peers, and I left thinking how lucky they were to be exposed to such talent — and how lucky I was to witness it.
This is truly one of the best volunteer roles in Australia.
Pam Kershaw headshot supplied