Rowan studied violin with Janet Davies and Miwako Abe and graduated with honours from the ANU School of Music and also studied at the Eastman School of Music, New York. Coming from a famous and formidable Australian musical family, Rowan won many awards as a violinist, percussionist and jazz drummer before deciding to turn her attention to conducting. She was former Associate Concertmaster and Principal First Violin with the Canberra Symphony Orchestra and has had extensive orchestral experience with the Eastman Virtuosi in New York, the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra and as Associate Concertmaster with the Australian production of Phantom of the Opera and Miss Saigon.

Rowan studied choral conducting with Micheal McCarthy at the Canberra School of Music and studied violin performance at the Eastman School of Music with Oleg Krysa where she also studied orchestral conducting with Donald Hunsberger.

In 2009 Rowan took part in Symphony Australia’s Conducting Development Program where she met and studied with her mentor and teacher Maestro Christopher Seaman, Arvo Volmer and Sebastien Lang-Lessing conducting the State Orchestra of Victoria, Tasmanian, Queensland, Adelaide and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras. In 2010 Rowan conducted The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra in their Tea and Symphony Series and has also conducted the Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra, the Kuringai Philharmonic on numerous occasions, she has conducted at Sydney International Harp Festival where she conducted the Australian premiere of Seavaiggers:Concerto for Fiddle, Scottish Lever Harp and Strings by Sally Beamish and featuring International soloists Catriona McKay and Chris Stout.

In 2009 Rowan was awarded the Stuart and Norma Leslie Churchill Fellowship for furthering her conducting in Graz, Austria with Johannes Fritsch with the Graz Opera and with the Rochester Philharmonic New York where she studied with and was assistant to Maestro Christopher Seaman.

Rowan has a passion for working with and educating young people and community organisations. Rowan has been Chief Conductor of Canberra Youth Orchestra and Canberra Youth Singers and Artistic Director of Canberra Youth Music in it’s heyday and with CYO Rowan conducted a broad range of repertoire including an incredibly rare performance of John Antill's Corroboree with CYO and Sydney Youth Orchestra, Beethoven 4th Symphony, Debussy’s Firebird Suite, Sculthorpe’s Irkanda for Strings and Percussion, and the Australian premiere of Kevin Puts’ Night for piano and orchestra featuring the internationally acclaimed soloist Bernadette Harvey. She also took the Canberra Youth Orchestra on two tours to Sydney and also Queensland where they participated in the Australian Youth Orchestras Festival with John Curro and Johannes Fritsch.

With the Llewellyn Choir Rowan has conducted all the major repertoire including Bach’s St Matthew Passion and St John Passion, Handel’s Messiah, Brahms Requiem,Mozart’s Requiem, Faure Requiem, Durufle Requiem, Jenkin’s The Armed Man, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Tavener’s Ikon of Light, Rheinberger’s The Star of Bethlehem, Verdi’s Requiem, Ramirez Missa Criolla, Will Todd’s Mass in Blue and Jazz Missa Brevis, Bernstein’s Mass and Chichester Psalms, as well as many other oratorio and large scale choral repertoire.

Rowan has won 3 Canberra Critics Circle awards for her work in Canberra and she is currently Head of Orchestras and Strings at Canberra Girls Grammar School, Artistic Director of the ACT Youth Orchestra, Artistic Director of ANOMALY and Music Director of The Llewellyn Choir.

Rowiepm@gmail.com

0439427167