Young Achiever to play Carnegie Hall
Wednesday 4 March
Young Achiever Peter Clark plays Mozart for the Rotary Club of Melbourne in the Grand Ballroom of the Windsor Hotel.
A few weeks ago, violinist Peter Clark (3rd year Music) received two important phone calls within an hour. The first was from the Rotary Club of Melbourne telling him he was to receive one of the Club’s prestigious Young Achiever Awards. The second was from the Australian Chamber Orchestra inviting him to tour the USA with them in May, including playing in venues like Carnegie Hall, New York.
Today, at the Melbourne Rotary Club’s lunchtime meeting in the Grand Ballroom of the Windsor Hotel, the Governor of Victoria, Professor David de Kretser, presented Peter, 20, and two other outstanding young Australians, with the 2009 Young Achiever Awards.
In accepting his Award, Peter, who is the inaugural holder of the Markwell Scholarship at Trinity, appropriately quoted the College’s sixth Warden, saying, ‘In the words of Donald Markwell: “You have climbed the ladder thrown down to you, now you must throw it down to those who follow you.”
'If music has taught me anything,' he continued, 'it’s the importance of passing on its power to all people who want to experience it. This award will undoubtedly allow me to continue doing just that.’
To the Rotarians' delight, he then performed the 1st movement of the Violin Concerto in G major by Mozart, accompanied at the piano by Rotarian David Kram from the Victorian College of the Arts. His performance clearly demonstrated the prodigious talent which earned him the Award.
Peter is congratulated on his Award by the Governor of Victoria, Professor David de Kretser, following the presentation.
Peter, who comes from Hobart, has been playing violin since the age of four. While still at school he was Concert Master of the Tasmanian Youth Orchestra and studied at the University of Tasmania before coming to Melbourne. Two years ago, he participated in the Australian Youth Orchestra’s 50th Anniversary European Tour, performed as a soloist with them last year, and this year is Principal 2nd Violin. In 2008, he toured interstate with the ACO2 – the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s elite training ensemble – and was selected to join the ACO’s Emerging Artists Program in 2009. He also sings in the Choir of Trinity College.
Peter has been involved in tutoring music students in country schools, and playing for residents in homes for the elderly and disabled. ‘Being able to give back to young musicians is extremely rewarding,’ he says. ‘So, too, is watching the smiles on the faces of those in care as they listen to the music.’
In being honoured with this Rotary Club Award, Peter has become the tenth member of Trinity in the past seven years to be named a Rotary Young Achiever.
They are:
2003 – Ben Namdarian and John Dethridge
2004 – Cameron Rahles-Rahbula (also Young Victorian of the Year for 2004)
2005 – Chris Lewin (also Sir Albert Coates Award) and David Smerdon
2006 – Phyl Georgiou (also a 2005 Goldman Sachs Global Leader)
2007 – Ali Alamein (also Sir Albert Coates Award) and Joseph Clifford
(both were also 2006 Goldman Sachs Global Leaders)
2008 – Tim Foster (also Sir Albert Coates Award)
2009 – Peter Clark