Faculty

Matt is a composer, arranger, trombonist and musical director based in Melbourne.

He has established himself as a versatile arranger that has seen him working in almost every medium from T.V to the concert halls and everywhere in between. His T.V credits include Dancing with the Stars, It Takes Two, Australia’s Got Talent, The Singing Bee and Australian Idol, his movie credits include Death Defying Acts (copyist) and Corporate Animals (orchestrator).  Matt’s arrangements performed worldwide with notable groups including the Auckland Philharmonia, L.A Mambo All-Star orchestra, Miami Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne and Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Istanbul Symphony Orchestra.

As a musical director Matt runs his own 17 piece big band, he has been musical director for the Kew Festival and the Great Australian Ball which has seen him work with seasoned entertainers including Kate Cebrano, Jon Stevens, Shane Howard (Goanna), Normie Rowe, Mike Brady, Brian Cadd, Frankie J Holden, Bonnie Anderson, Wendy Matthews and Rose Tattoo (Angry Anderson).

Matt has been working in education for the past 16 years at numerous high schools and private institutions, he has presented workshops at various conferences and served as Head of Arranging and Music Production for the Victorian State School Spectacular. Matt is currently the Victorian representative on the executive board of the Music Arrangers Guild of Australia (MAGA) and has educational big band and concert band compositions publish by Brolga Music Publishing and JEA Jazz Press.

Matt holds a Bachelor of Music (Composition) from the Victorian College of the Arts, a Graduate Certificate of Education (Tertiary studies) from the University of Southern Queensland and is currently completing his Masters of Teaching and Learning while still maintain a hectic freelance and teaching schedule.

Andrew Smith is a Sydney based saxophonist who is at the forefront of classical saxophone in Australia. A highly active performer, Andrew can be frequently seen performing in chamber (Nexas Quartet, The Sax Summit) orchestral (Sydney Symphony) and solo settings.

One of the hallmarks of Andrew’s musical endeavors has been his close collaborations with a number of composers resulting in countless premiers of new works. Composers Andrew has worked with include Cyrus Meurant, Tristan Coelho, Paul Castles, Lachlan Skipworth, Mark Oliviero,  Mark Bradshaw and Matthew Hindson.

As a member of the Nexas Saxophone Quartet and the Chronology Arts core ensemble Andrew has attempted to further the repertoire of the saxophone through initiating a number of commissions and transcriptions, as well as exploring a number of collaborations with associate artists and cross art collaborations.

Notable festival performances include the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, Adelaide Cabaret, Sydney Festival, Aurora Festival, International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM), and World Saxophone Congress. International performances have seen travels to Scotland, France, Hong Kong and China. Andrew has also been involved in a number of live to air radio broadcasts for ABC Classic FM and Fine Music 2MBS. CD releases include: "Ballads of a Pleasant Life" Nexas Quartet/Peter Coleman-Wright (ABC Classics) and "Current" (Nexas Quartet). Through performances with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra Andrew has also had the pleasure to perform solos with pop artists including Natalie Cole, Ben Folds and Conchita Wurst. Andrew has also recorded for a number of soundtracks including the recent HBO/BBC production "Top of the Lake: China Girl" with music by Mark Bradshaw.

In his saxophone study Andrew was awarded both a B.Mus (Hons) and M.Mus from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. The study of the latter was undertaken with the assistance of the prestigious Henderson Postgraduate Award. Throughout his tertiary study Andrew won numerous competitions and received a number of scholarships as well as furthering his studies with numerous European sojourns.

Dr. Annie Wong is an active pedagogue, soloist, chamber musician, and collaborative pianist. Her performances have been described as “imaginative and evocative” and audiences are thrilled by her “powerhouse” exuberance. She has performed across Canada and the United States, with highlights including concerts at Lincoln Center, Koerner Hall, Mazzoleni Hall, and The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts.

Annie received her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Shenandoah University on a full scholarship, studying with esteemed pianist Dr. John O'Conor, and graduating with The Outstanding Performance in Piano Award. She was twice the recipient of the prestigious Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges Award in recognition of her exceptional academic achievements. She received her Master of Music degree along with the Dean’s Award from the Mannes School of Music as a student of Professor Irina Morozova, and her Bachelor of Music degree from the University of British Columbia as a student of Professor Jane Coop and Dr. Terence Dawson, graduating at the top of her class.

Annie has taught master classes, presented workshops, coached chamber ensembles, and adjudicated festivals and auditions. She has served as instructor of Piano and Music Theory at Shenandoah University and was on faculty at the Shenandoah Conservatory Arts Academy. She is currently on faculty at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Canada and is a member of the College of Examiners. Many of her students have achieved success at the RCM examinations in both practical and theoretical subjects, auditions, festivals, and competitions.

Scott Saunders has had a remarkable 40 year musical career as a composer, performer, musical director, producer and educator.

Best known as the founder of dig (aka Direction in Groove) a band that enjoyed success locally and internationally playing at major venues and festivals including, Montreux Jazz and The North Sea Jazz Festival .He received a Gold Record, a MO, two APRA awards and, several ARIA Nominations. dig remain highly respected for their unique contribution to Australian musical culture.

Scott has composed for screen and theatre, including, Dying to Leave (Logie best documentary) and Bondi Rescue, and has been Composer/Musical Director on Large-scale community musical works for the Queensland Music Festival and  Festival of Sydney.

In 2016 Scott arranged and produced backing tracks for Dave Mason’s “karaoke” show Dark for the VIVID festival in Sydney.

Scott is a Master of Philosophy (Music) with his thesis on “The Aesthetics of Groove”.

He is happiest behind a grand piano or on a vintage keyboard locking into the groove or a swinging jazz improvisation.

In his role as Program Leader for Specialisation Scott is very excited to be working with students on the passion that drives them and forms the core of their studies. Whether that means the desire to be a singer, musician, actor, composer, technician or manager, it is this motivation that brings students to AIM and will sustain them through their professional careers when they leave.

After completing her B-Mus in 2008, Sam Walton moved from Sydney to London and launched her music career. While there, she was mentored by one of the UK’s most highly regarded vocal coaches, Joshua Alamu (Little Mix, Fleur East, Joss Stone, The Voice UK, Pop Idol) and performed at numerous venues across the UK and Europe. 

Sam performs as one half of duo ‘Sam & Andy’ alongside husband Andy Walton, and in 2010 they were invited by Combined Services Entertainment (CSE) to entertain military personnel in Cyprus, Oman, Dubai, Jordan, Belize, Germany and Afghanistan. They soon became a crowd favourite and travelled the globe boosting morale and providing outstanding, memorable shows – from performing in FOBs on the frontline in Afghanistan to entertaining thousands alongside first-class international comedians in large production shows in Camp Bastion, Kandahar and Kabul. 

Sam soon became a ‘forces sweetheart’ as audiences fell in love with her captivating stage presence and vocal ability, while Andy quickly developed a rapport with the soldiers, who would invariably be on their feet, arms around each other, singing their hearts out at every show. 

In 2014, Sam & Andy were both presented with Operational Service Medals by Her Majesty’s Armed Forces for their time spent entertaining the troops in Afghanistan. 

Sam is a passionate and dedicated educator, committed to breaking down walls surrounding the mystery of the voice. Having delivered vocal seminars in London and Malta, her knowledge of voice technique and style and strong theoretical background provides versatility in her teaching approach. Always excited to work with new vocalists, her spirited approach to music is infectious and a constant source of inspiration to her students. Sam also plays piano and bass, performing regularly in bands alongside some of Sydney's most prominent session musicians.

Margaret has more than twenty years of experience working in tertiary and performing arts education including the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), The Actors College of Theatre & Television (ACTT), Bond University and for the past nine years at AIM.  Her background prior to education was in performing arts and major events administration including roles at the Marian Street Theatre, the Footbridge Theatre (for the Gordon Frost Organisation), large events including World Expo in Brisbane and the Sydney Festival. 

Margaret set up AIM’s Internship Program for the Bachelor of Entertainment Management and Bachelor of Music (Arts Management) in 2010 and the Program has achieved outstanding success, both with the internships that students have available to them but also with the high rates of graduate employment, either as a direct or indirect result of the internships completed.

Margaret is a passionate advocate of lifelong learning and her recent professional development has focussed on using social media tools to create effective communication channels in the delivery of mentoring and coaching resources to students.

Margaret has a Masters degree in Communication Management, a Bachelor of Arts (Asian Studies) and a Diploma of Educational Studies.