Simone Lobbia - Composer

Meet the soloist: John Keene

John Keene is the Associate Principal Bass with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra. In 2015, he became the youngest player ever to be awarded the Sydney Symphony Orchestra Fellowship, and was awarded the Fellowship again in 2016. In the following year, he became an Emerging Artist with the Australian Chamber Orchestra.

John studied with Alex Henery, Principal Double Bass of Sydney Symphony Orchestra, at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music from 2015-2018. In 2015, John won the Conservatorium’s String Concerto Competition. This resulted in his performing Bottesini’s Concerto No. 2 with the Conservatorium Chamber Orchestra. In 2016 and 2017, he was a finalist in the Great Romantics Competition held at the Melbourne Recital Centre.

John is also an avid conductor and debuted with WASO in concert in 2022. He also regularly conducts and performs as soloist with the Fremantle Chamber Orchestra as well as many other ensembles in Perth. John was a participant in the Australian Conducting Academy in 2022 and the Symphony Services International Conducting Course in 2016, and as a result participated in conducting masterclasses with several Australian and New Zealand Symphony Orchestras, including WASO.

In 2018, John played with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra as Associate Principal Double Bass, and later that year on contract as Tutti Double Bass with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. John also teaches several double bass students and is a sessional teacher at the University of Western Australia. He also has a Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning from Deakin University.

"Soundscapes of Poetry" out on Dec 13:
https://music.imusician.pro/a/UpaSKfyh