Kathy Pingel - Director, Macquarie Conservatorium, NSW.

Love of music driving force



30/06/2008

The megawatt smile says it all for Kathy Pingel, the recently appointed director of Macquarie Conservatorium.

Oozing enthusiasm, the highly skilled pianist and educator is passionate about promoting excellence in music.

Happily settling into a new home and job, she’s looking forward to nurturing and fostering links with the community and is already planning a range of exciting programs and initiatives to augment the already

well established offerings of the Macquarie Conservatorium.

Ms Pingel relocated to Dubbo from Toowoomba where she spent the past 12 years working in the department of music at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ), holding various positions including lecturer and head of the department of music, pedagogy program administrator and program co-ordinator of general studies and arts combined degrees.

Music has been a driving force for Ms Pingel since age five when she began formal piano lessons.

“From a very tender age, I always knew I would become a piano teacher and that ultimate career goal never faded or wavered,’’ she said

“I was committed to piano lessons throughout my schooling and tertiary study was the next logical step. I was drawn to USQ because of its excellent reputation, professional and distinguished teachers, outstanding program offerings and opportunities available to students.’’

Ms Pingel completed a Bachelor of Creative Arts (Music), a Graduate Diploma of Arts, a Graduate Diploma of Music and a Master of Music, majoring in Piano and Pedagogy (the art of teaching) under distinguished pianist, Wendy Lorenz.

As part of her requirements for the Masters program she prepared a dissertation entitled ‘The Intermediate and Advanced Piano Music of Dmitry Kabalevsky: Pedagogical Implications’.

In 1998, Ms Pingel was awarded a Winston Churchill Memorial Fellowship which enabled her to observe current trends in piano pedagogy in the UK and USA.

Music lovers will be in for a treat when Ms Pingel presents a solo piano recital at Macquarie Conservatorium later this year. The funds from her debut performance in Dubbo will go towards scholarships at the conservatorium.

Plans for a 2009 inaugural Macquarie Conservatorium concert series, featuring visiting artists and staff and students of the conservatorium are also under way with details to be released shortly.

Ms Pingel praised Di Pascoe for her wonderful work as acting director of Macquarie Conservatorium for the first part of the year.

She looks forward to working with the board, staff members, students and parents of the conservatorium and the wider community.

“It’s wonderful to have a job that you really love,’’ Ms Pingel said. “For me, music is an escape to another world. It’s absolutely magical.

“I encourage people to become involved, either actively or passively, in all forms of cultural activities including music, as this is an ideal way to enrich one’s life.’’

NOTE:
Kathy Pingel Graduated from USQ with a Bachelor of Arts (Creative)in 1994; a Graduate Diploma of Arts in 1995; a Master of Music in 2000 and a Graduate Diploma of Music in 2001.