Piano Teacher/Director of Lina Music School
M.Mus (Hons), B. Music, MMTA
Lina Petkova has more than 40 years of experience in the field of music education. Upon the completion of her Bachelor of Music degree, she was offered a Masters Scholarship at the State Academy of Music in Sofia. During her studies, Lina has won multiple national and international piano competitions. After graduating from the State Academy of Music, she participated in numerous Chamber music and Orchestral concert performances, conducting choirs and orchestras in Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, and Norway.
From 1982 to 2000, Lina forged her career as a well-recognised and respected piano teacher and examiner at the Sofia Conservatorium of Music. For the past 14 years, Lina has committed herself to music education and musical talent development here in Australia. As an accredited educator, she has established an excellent reputation through both method and result. Lina is currently an elected representative of Private Music Teachers on the Australian Music Examinations Board (NSW).
Lina Petkova
Vatche Jambazian
Vatche Jambazian is an emerging international concert pianist. He made his international debut at the age of 16 in Yerevan, Armenia, performing a televised recital as part of the Independence Day celebrations.
Recent performances have taken Vatche to Handel House in London, performing works of Handel and Bach, solo recitals in the Foundling Museum, 1901 Arts Club South London Concert Series, the Royal College of Music in London, and as guest performer, adjudicator and Professor at teh Piano Institute in Surabaya, Indonesia.
Vatche has also performed in venues such as City Recital Hall Angel Place, the Great Hall at University of Sydney, the Independent Theatre, Shepparton Performing Arts Centre, Sydney Conservatorium of Music, La Petit Trianon in San Jose, Museum Kranenburgh in Holland and St Croix Paris. Vatche has been featured on the ABC Classic FM and Fine Music 102.5.
Emily-Rose Sarkova is one of Australia’s most dynamic young musicians. In 2010 she graduated from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music as a classical piano major, having previously completed her Diploma in piano performance with honours, undertaken master classes in France and studied at the Freiburg Hochschule für Music, Germany for a year on scholarship.
Emily-Rose is also skilled in Piano accordion and Harpsichord. As a teacher, Emily-Rose has a wealth of knowledge and experience teaching for the last 10 years. She has been teaching at Lina Music School since 2010. Equally comfortable with classical, jazz, folk and world, she is able to teach students any style with confidence and excellent results.
Emily-Rose Sarkova
Jackie McCaughan has been teaching violin, piano and music theory privately and in schools since 2005 in both Australia and New Zealand and loves every aspect of it. She has completed two music degrees in violin: a Bachelors degree from the New Zealand School of Music studying with Dr. Martin Riseley and a Masters degree through the Sydney Conservatorium under the tutelage of Professor Ole Böhn.
Sharing her knowledge, enthusiasm and love of music with aspiring musicians whilst instilling music appreciation and interest amongst the students is her ultimate goal. Her teaching, much like her own education, is based on technique and musicality incorporating fun elements like musical games and ensemble playing. She is able to adapt to each student differently as she knows we do not all learn the same way, and by introducing new concepts she hopes to see her students flourish into the artists they are destined to be.
Jacqueline McCaughan
Susie Bishop is a highly versatile multi-instrumentalist and vocalist. She initially began performing as a violinist and joined and toured with the SYO between 2001- 2003. After completing a BCA in Music and Theatre at Wollongong University, she won a scholarship to continue her studies in the UK where she completed an MMus at the Royal North College of Music in 2010.
She has been fortunate enough to perform with such inspiring and acclaimed artists as Jane Rutter, David Helfgott, Robin Blaze and has been under the masterful direction of Nicholas Kraemer, Peter Wiegold and Rachel McDonald amongst many others.
Since returning to Australia her classical engagements have included soloist Soprano with the Parsons Affayre and the Marais Ensemble, guest performances with St. James Choir, and a regular recital series at the Independent Theatre with pianist Emily-Rose Sarkova.
Susannah Bishop
Susannah Bishop
A finalist in the 2014 Australian Cello Awards, Ruben Palma studied cello with Lindy Reksten, Julian Smiles, Howard Penny and Nicolas Alstaedt in Canberra, Melbourne and Germany. Concert highlights have included, amongst others, his 2011 performance of Bach’s 5th cello suite (later broadcast on ABC Classic FM). Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations at the Melbourne Town Hall, a tour of Morton Feldman’s Patterns in a Chromatic Field throughout Germany, and solo performances at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Ruben is the 2015 Australian Chamber Orchestra Emerging Artist, and is currently studying a Doctor of Musical Arts at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.