Meet our Conductors
All our Conductors are highly experienced to nurture and enhance the students music journey.
Timo Jarvela
MYSO 2 (Junior Strings)
Timo Jarvela has been teaching strings for Education Queensland in the Pine Rivers, Caboolture and Redcliffe districts since 1996.
During that time he has pioneered many of the strings programs in Primary and Secondary schools in the region. Timo began his own violin studies in the State Schools' instrumental Music Program before going on to study at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, from where he graduated with a Bachelor of Music.
Timo has performed with numerous ensembles and orchestras including the Queensland Youth Orchestra, Queensland Symphony Orchestra and the Queensland Philharmonic Orchestra.
His teaching experience includes a year spent teaching violin in the Kaustinen Shire of his native Finland during 1993/1994.
In 1996 Timo founded the Pine Rivers Area String Orchestra to promote strings playing in the local community. PRASO (1996-2010 -now MYSO) was central to Timo's aim of providing young strings players with performance opportunities through a variety of ensembles, ranging from Fiddle bands to chamber orchestras in 2003. Timo was awarded the Pine Rivers Shire Council's Australia Day Cultural Award for his services to music in the community.
In addition to teaching, Timo enjoys the challenge of trying to write musically engaging pieces for young strings players to perform. In recent years he has published numerous works for strings orchestras, which have been enjoyed by students throughout Australia.
Mrs. Jenni Barnard - MYSO
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Jen Barnard has had a passion for conducting from a young age, appearing in her first ever public performance as a Guest Conductor for the Pine Rivers Area String Orchestra (PRASO) at the age of 16. She went on to study music at the University of Queensland where she had the opportunity to work as the Assistant Guest Conductor for the University of Queensland’s Symphony Orchestra and Wind Ensemble, and Queensland Youth Orchestra Wind Symphony. While completing her Honours degree, Jen completed further conducting study in Sydney with Symphony Services International.
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Since graduating from university, Jen has been teaching Instrumental Music (Strings) for Education Queensland in the Moreton Bay area. During this time, she has also appeared as Guest Conductor at workshops across the North Coast Region including the Instrumental Music Excellence Program (IMEP), Bundaberg Music Fest and Moreton Bay’s Advanced Music Primary (AMPed) workshop. In 2018, her primary school ensemble was a regional finalist in Education Queensland’s Fanfare festival.
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Jen is passionate about fostering youth music within the community and has been conducting the Moreton Youth String Orchestra (MYSO) for 8 years.
Liam Thomas - Senior Brass
Liam is an experienced Brisbane musician and educator. He has conducted Moreton Youth Music Ensemble's Concert Band since the beginning of 2015.
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Since finishing his Bachelor of Music (Hons) and Graduate Diploma of Education in 2016 Liam has begun his teaching career down the Gold Coast at Southport State High School where he takes classroom and instrumental music. He maintains a busy performing schedule as a member of the Band of the First Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery along with community ensembles such as the South Brisbane Federal Band.