Originally published at: https://www.adelaide.edu.au/adelaidean/issues/12741/news12763.html

Elder Conservatorium of Music Senior Lecturer, Elizabeth Koch, has been awarded an Order of Australia (OAM) medal for music education and her role in mentoring young musicians.

Ms Koch, Head of Woodwind and Senior Lecturer in Flute at the University of Adelaide, was awarded the medal in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List last month.

“It’s an amazing honour to be awarded such a prestigious medal for doing something that I am passionate about,” Ms Koch told the Adelaidean.

“I love what I do and I thoroughly enjoy mentoring young musicians. I hope that in the process of teaching and performing that I can be a good role model and perhaps a catalyst for many of them to go on to the highest level in their field of music.”

The accomplished flautist joined the University’s academic staff in 2002, after 27 years as a member of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra.

Ms Koch started her Bachelor of Music degree as a pianist and only took up the flute at age 20, studying with Professor David Cubbin. She graduated with First Class Honours in both flute and piano and subsequently completed her Masters in Flute Performance.

She joined the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra in 1974 and has appeared as a soloist with the Adelaide Chamber Orchestra, the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra.

In 1976 Ms Koch was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to study with Maxence Larrieu in Paris in 1976. In the course of her career she also performed in master classes with Sir James Galway, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Alain Marion, Andras Adorjan, Susan Milan and William Bennett.

A passionate teacher and educator, Ms Koch has led several study tours to Europe with her tertiary students, receiving wide critical acclaim. Many of her former students also play professionally throughout Australia and overseas.

Since 1993 she has directed seven summer schools and this month will direct her eighth State Music Camp at St Peter’s College, Adelaide.

In addition to her duties as Head of Woodwind Studies at the Elder Conservatorium of Music, Ms Koch is involved in promoting flute pedagogy and will be presenting a paper at the Royal Northern College, Manchester this July. She is also preparing a CD of previously unrecorded flute and piano repertoire.

Story by Candy Gibson