Stefan Cassomenos (piano 2010) is a musician, whose passion, drive and versatility see him perform in multiple roles as concert pianist, composer, conductor, artistic director and educator.
Born and raised in Melbourne, as an only child to Egyptian Greek parents, young Stefan showed a passion for music from an early age. Neither of his parents were musically trained, but his father had taught himself to play popular tunes by ear on the keyboard. Stefan commenced piano lessons with Margarita Krupina through Yamaha Music from the age of four (he was eager to start earlier, but the Cassomenos family were asked to "Come back when he turns four!"), then added the violin from the age of six. By seven, Stefan had begun writing compositions for himself, and was encouraged through Yamaha to refine and continue this passion.
It was through Yamaha Music that the young Stefan received opportunities to perform his compositions overseas, even as a young boy – the parallels with a young Mozart seem apt! Stefan participated in the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s Young Composers Program aged 14, which was the first time one of his compositions was performed by an orchestra. The following year, he was selected as the Victorian winner in a composition competition by the Australian Society for Music Education (ASME). The prize was a performance of his work by the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, and thus at the age of 16, Stefan made his concerto debut performing as soloist for his own Piano Concerto.
After completing his schooling at Melbourne Grammar, Stefan commenced a combined Bachelor of Music and Law on full scholarship at the University of Melbourne in 2003. After persevering with both for three years, he soon realised he needed to focus solely on music, and dropped the law degree entirely. It was through studying at the Con with Stephen McIntyre, that he was recommended to apply for ANAM’s 2008 intake. "At the time, I had absolute trust in my teachers to guide me on the right path. Whilst I was considering overseas study, perhaps auditioning for Juilliard, I didn’t – I only auditioned for ANAM."
Stefan is the first to admit that ANAM was nothing like what he was expecting from an elite music training school. "It was an amazing time for me. There I was, expecting to spend hours upon hours honing my craft alone in the practice room. Instead, I was performing in so many crazy musical projects of all sorts of repertoire I’d never heard before."
"I was performing lots of chamber music with my ANAM colleagues, solo piano recitals and masterclasses, whilst also keeping busy outside ANAM with composing, conducting two youth orchestras and a choir, and a growing calendar of solo engagements – it was most definitely a wild ride."
Whilst at ANAM, Stefan enjoyed success as a founding member of the popular Yarra Trio – with Chris Howlett (cello 2011) and Holly Piccoli (violin 2008), and later with Jessica Ipkendanz (violin 1999), with regular engagements and tours around Australia.
Stefan’s teachers during his three years at ANAM were Ian Munro (2008) and Michael Kieran Harvey (2009-10). Both gave him different perspectives and additions to Stefan’s ever-increasing musical toolbelt. However, after completing his three years at ANAM, and with the members of Yarra Trio naturally disbanding to follow other pursuits, Stefan made a conscious decision to cut back his commitments to focus on his piano playing. "Perhaps it was reaction against Michael’s well-known anti-establishment views – he is quite anti-competitions – or perhaps it was trying to seek what I thought the ‘Juilliard experience’ might have been like. Either way, for three years I pared back my conducting engagements and most public performances except for solo recitals, concertos, and a bit of chamber music – to focus on playing the piano."
He took all the teachings from his mentors over many years, and felt for the first time, that he was maturing into an artist. "By the end of my time at ANAM, I felt confident enough to go out and make the brave move to work on my instrument, working on repertoire that I wanted to perform and master, at my own pace."
Stefan still remained close to many of his teachers during this time, and it seemed that this period of focus was paying off. He was a grand finalist in the 2012 Rhodes International Piano Competition in Greece, and closer to home, second place at the 2013 Lev Vlassenko Piano Competition, and as one of the three grand finalists for the 2013 ABC Symphony Australia Young Performers Awards.
After being selected as a participant for the 2013 International Telekom Beethoven Piano Competition in Bonn, Germany, Stefan used his industry contacts to perform as many public solo and chamber music recitals as he could throughout Australia, in preparation for the competition finals in Germany. This match-ready preparation was invaluable – Stefan was awarded Second Grand Prize and the Chamber Music Prize at one of the world’s most prestigious piano competitions.
And since that time, Stefan’s career as a self-represented piano soloist has blossomed. He has performed over forty different concerti, appearing regularly with many major Australian symphony orchestras, and overseas with Beethoven Orchestra Bonn and the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra. He has performed as a recitalist throughout Europe and the UK, China, Japan, New Zealand and of course throughout Australia. This year alone he appears as concerto soloist with the Darwin, Queensland and Adelaide Symphony Orchestras, and with the latter and Melbourne Youth Orchestra he will in August 2026 premiere Katia Beaugeais’ Piano Concerto Bells of Time, which was composed especially for him.
Throughout that period of intense introspection into his piano playing, Stefan continued to compose and play chamber music occasionally. And it was during this time that he met and began performing with his artistic and life partner, MSO violinist Monica Curro. If there was ever someone that could match Stefan’s insatiable drive to learn, perform and share music, it had to be Monica. Together, they form an artistic duo with the unique ability to bring together talented and varied artists, across many styles of music, and connect deeply with audiences with a genuine passion for sharing music they love.
In 2014, they formed the PLEXUS trio, along with Monica’s fellow MSO colleague and ANAM alum, Philip Arkinstall (clarinet 1998), which has been a driving force in championing new music. Funded exclusively by private donations, over the last decade PLEXUS have commissioned and premiered over 110 new works by Australian composers.
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Stefan’s years at ANAM straddled the infamous ‘Peter Garrett Fax’, where ANAM was informed it had just six weeks before the Federal Arts Minister would close down the institution from the end of 2008. After much public outcry, and lobbying of government by Australian and international musicians fighting for ANAM to remain open, ANAM was successfully reborn in 2009, with Artistic Director Brett Dean and General Manager Nick Bailey at the helm of the new Academy.
With the new ANAM, it needed a new, outward-facing public performance program. "Reflecting on that time, I deeply admired Brett Dean’s compositions which we got to perform at ANAM, and the skill in which Brett and Nick formed the ANAM artistic program. We performed such a wide variety of works, with many different guest artists, and in brilliant programmatic combinations." ANAM 2.0 was built to serve its young musicians, first and foremost, but to ensure its future in the Australian artistic ecosystem, it needed to stay relevant by championing new Australian works, and presenting bold programs of chamber and orchestral works that traditional ensembles wouldn’t dare risk presenting.
When asked in 2007, just before commencing ANAM, if he would try his hand at programming a festival in the Yarra Valley, just north of Melbourne, Stefan gave it a shot. "When you’re young, and particularly whilst in your formative training, you shouldn’t say ‘no’ to anything. Be open to new experiences and continued development. Aspire to do whatever it is that the industry calls upon you to do." And his years at ANAM gave Stefan the inspiration to continue flexing the skills of concert and festival curation, relaunching the Piano Landmarks Festival in 2009, previously run by Stephen McIntyre.
Fast-forward to 2018, Monica and Stefan were invited to apply to become joint Artistic Directors of the Port Fairy Spring Music Festival. Their skills of programming festivals and chamber music performances over many years, and their track record with philanthropy and championing new music with PLEXUS, were key to their successful appointment. Monica and Stefan programmed their first Port Fairy Spring Music Festival in October 2019, and each year the Festival has grown from strength to strength.
Some of Stefan’s proudest achievements have been through the Festival, or subsequent opportunities that have arisen from the Festival, such as the Find Your Voice Collective (FYVC, formerly the Find Your Voice Choir), which unites 250 people from regional Southwest Victoria from all backgrounds, giving allyship to those experiencing lived experience of disability. From humble beginnings in 2018, the FYVC performed with the Port Fairy Spring Music Festival Chamber Orchestra directed by Stefan in 2022, and in 2026 they performed alongside the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in a performance featuring original works written by d/Deaf and Disabled artists, many of which were arranged by Stefan for choir and orchestra.
Another such example was working with Wiradjuri vocalist and composer Shauntai Abdul-Rahman on commissions for the Opening and Closing gala concerts for the 2019 Port Fairy Festival. So successful and rewarding were these works, she was engaged for further commissions for the 2024 Festival, as well as a commission for Opera Australia, and a residency at Melbourne International Jazz Festival.
And at last year’s Port Fairy Spring Music Festival, Stefan premiered his four-act opera Eva, written to a libretto by Mary-Jane Gething – a locally significant story of the Loch Ard shipwreck of 1878, of which there were only two survivors, passenger Eva Carmichael and midshipman Thomas Pearce. The performance involved a vast array of professional and community musicians coming together to give voice to this deeply Australian story.
This year’s Festival is shaping to be the biggest yet, with over 30 performances and events across four days, featuring over 100 artists from across Australia, as well as from the local Southwest Victorian region. And as usual, Stefan will be busy performing in nine of these performances, including two programs for two pianos – with his long-time mentor Stephen McIntyre, and with Alex Raineri (piano 2015); Hollywood classics with singer Demby McKenzie; the world premiere of a new Flute Sonata Last Flight to Mars written by Richard Tognetti for Stefan and Sally Walker (flute 1996); and of course the epic Opening and Closing Gala concerts, the latter featuring the world premiere of a new work led by Stefan co-composed with local artists and school children. The theme of this year’s festival is SUPERHUMAN – celebrating the immense superpower of musical creativity, particularly at a time where AI threatens to enhance and replace many human skills.
I ask Stefan about how he finds inspiration in programming the Festival in particular. "It’s about understanding the community – the communities of audiences attending the festival, the broader community of South West Victoria, the communities of artists both locally and across the country working in our industry. Ultimately, the Festival has to serve all these communities – connecting human beings with each other through music."
"In seeking new collaborators, Monica and I keep our eyes and ears open, try to keep up-to-date with projects fellow musicians are working on, and most importantly, we grow both musical and interpersonal relationships with all the artists we perform with. We find common goals and aspirations in our music, no matter what the genre or style of music or backgrounds we come from. This shared philosophy unites us, bonded by our shared ideas and place, and gives us a strong foundation to program a festival that people can connect with and enjoy."
We conclude by considering what the future holds for Stefan – will we see him more as a director / curator, or more compositions, or more solo performances, in the coming years? It seems impossible for Stefan split his musical output in this way.
"I don’t see myself as a pianist first, composer second, or any streams of my work separate from each other."
"I see it all as simply being a musician who serves – serving my colleagues, audiences, and the broader community. It’s about building the ecosystem from the grassroots, performing for and with people from all walks of life, with all sorts of stories to share, and fighting for the future of our artform."
Words by Laura Panther, Alumni Manager July 2026
Photos supplied by the artist
For more information about Stefan’s upcoming performances visit cassomenos.com
For more information about the Port Fairy Spring Music Festival, visit portfairyspringfest.com.au
Hear Stefan perform Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21 with the ANAM Orchestra at our Mostly Mozart concert, Thursday 29 October 2026 at 11am, at the Melbourne Recital Centre.