Amanda is a well-established composer, performer, and teacher with extensive experience and eclectic interests. She holds a Masters’ Degree in composition and Diplomas in piano teaching and performance. Amanda’s teaching objectives are holistic: to awaken creativity, foster spontaneity and deepen artistry within her students.
She is a BodyMinded Practitioner (Alexander Technique), a certified master hypnotherapist and master coach of NLP. These areas of expertise equip her to guide students towards technical ease and mental well-being, while enhancing the optimal state for performance.
Amanda has delivered presentations at teachers’ seminars, including the Australasian Piano Pedagogy Conferences. She has lectured in harmony, analysis and composition at Western Sydney University. Her thesis Music of Balance: Circles and Squares explores the universal mandala symbol/concept as a guiding principle for composition.
As a composer, Amanda navigates the nexus of contemporary art and world music genres. Her music has been described in reviews as “hauntingly beautiful, creative, cohesive and compositionally advanced”, “engaging and evocative … seductive with a Spanish tinge, and a lot of grit”.
Amanda has released two albums of original music: Ghosts & Angels (2006) and Gardens of Stone (2012). Both attracted brilliant reviews and ABC radio airplay. She has a large catalogue of compositions published through Wirripang Pty Ltd and some of her works appear in AMEB piano publications and examination syllabi. Her commissioned works include works for a variety of chamber ensembles and solo instruments, especially for festivals and concerts.