Multi-award winner Brieley Cutting (alum 2005, piano) has established herself as one of Australia’s leading collaborative pianists. Originally hailing from the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Brieley moved to Melbourne in 2002 at the tender age of 18 to commence her studies at the Australian National Academy of Music, after completing her Bachelor with First Class Honours from the Queensland Conservatorium.
“It was a leap of faith, but an exciting opportunity,” reflects Brieley. She had won all the piano performance prizes available at the Con, but without financial support to study overseas, ANAM was the perfect place to further her education and career. Although she admits, these early years were stimulating but challenging. “The initial opening hours for the Town Hall were limited…closed on weekends! You can imagine how awkward this was for a pianist!” And after two intense and successful years of study, Brieley found herself burnt out, and without the appropriate wellbeing support for the demanding level of performance. ANAM recognised the need for this support and Brieley returned in 2004 part-time, mentored by Rita Reichman and Timothy Young, and completed her final year full-time in 2005. “The four years were quite a journey, and I gained so much knowledge and lived experience which has been especially useful to me not only as a practising musician, but also for my work in the role of mentor and piano teacher.”
During her time at ANAM, Brieley was a winner of ANAM’s Concerto Competition not once, but twice, which gave her the opportunity to perform with the Nizhny Novgorod Philharmonic at the 2002 International Festival ‘Musici Artis’ in Brussels, and with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in 2005. The former was Brieley’s first performance overseas, and facilitated by ANAM she returned to Europe in 2003 to perform in the Summer Festival in Salzburg, and solo in a gala concert at the Mozarteum University. “These experiences helped me grow as a person and musician, and it was truly wonderful that they allowed me to feel more connected to the history and tradition behind the artform.”
“I am very thankful to all of the teachers and guest artists who offered me tuition and advice during my time at ANAM. To be able to be amongst like-minded young people was an opportunity not to be found anywhere else in Australia.”
Shortly after completing her time at ANAM, Brieley was awarded Keyboard Winner and a grand finalist of the ABC Young Performers Awards in 2006, performing Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto no. 3 with the Melbourne and Adelaide Symphony Orchestras. The prize money from this award, as well as support from the David Paul Landa Scholarship opened up the opportunity for overseas study. After completing her Master of Music at Queensland Conservatorium with Natasha Vlassenko, Brieley completed a Postgraduate Diploma of Performance with Distinction at the Royal College of Music in London with Ruth Nye in 2008-09. Highlights from this whirlwind year include many solo and chamber music performances across London’s iconic venues – Royal Academy of Arts, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and St George’s Hanover Square.
Upon returning to Australia, Brieley won second prize in the 2010 Kerikeri International Piano Competition in New Zealand, and began to establish herself as a collaborative pianist across a wide range of repertoire. “I feel that working in a wide variety of performance spaces, covering all sorts of repertoire, and communicating with different audiences makes me feel relevant as an Australian classical pianist in the twenty-first century.” Brieley takes particular pride in working with rural and regional communities, and she founded DeClassified Music (DCM) in 2013, her platform for showcasing her latest projects and collaborations. Her performance credits are extensive. “I have explored home-grown and international new music, and been part of edgy, innovative happenings, as well as perform loved, canonical repertoire.” Through DCM, Brieley created innovative events in accessible, colourful venues throughout Brisbane, and collaborators included the Australian Piano Quartet, Trichotomy, Syzygy Ensemble, Ensemble Offspring, violinists Kristian Winther and Brendan Joyce, cellists Rachel Johnston and Patrick Murphy, percussionists Vanessa Tomlinson and Claire Edwardes, and pianists Sonya Lifschitz and Daniel de Borah.
In 2013, Brieley was awarded a Fellowship through the Winston Churchill Trust, which allowed her to expand her knowledge in the areas of historically informed practice, new music, and academic research. She travelled to London, Amsterdam and New York, where she met with pianists such as Susan Tomes, Kathron Sturrock, Roy Howat, Jan Willem Nelleke, David Kuijken, fortepianist Bart van Oort, and new music pianists David Friend and Vicky Chow. This trip also sewed the foundations for her doctoral studies, which explored the skills required by pianists working in small ensembles, which she completed at Griffith University in 2016.
Brieley relocated to Sydney in 2020 to commence a position as Lecturer in Classical Piano at the Australian Institute of Music. Throughout her extensive career, teaching has remained a constant and important aspect of Brieley’s output. “My teaching definitely informs my performance career, and vice versa. I like being able to assist young students right through to postgraduate students and professionals, and the best part is getting to know their individual stories and different aims whilst I offer what I can to enhance their unique talents and abilities.”
“Both teaching and performing are necessary to my life as a musician, and currently make for me a triangle of happiness when grouped with some swimming in the ocean and strength-training.”
Brieley relaunched DeClassifed Music in Sydney in 2023 with performances of Electro Lieder created with composer Mark Oliveiro, which was nominated for Best in Music at the 2023 Sydney Fringe Festival. Future projects include collaborations with saxophonist Andrew Smith, and regional touring through Musica Viva with Kristian Winther in 2025.
When asked what advice she would give ANAM pianists, particularly those seeking a career in collaborative, chamber music performance, Brieley replies, “Be a musician as well as a pianist – discover your unique strengths, enjoy them and play to these. And seek out like-minded artists who you can trust, and feel on the same page with, both artistically and ethically.”
Words by Laura Panther, Senior Alumni Coordinator (August 2024)
Photo credit: Dan Lopez, Rue Arts