ABOUT US

Caitlin Morris

Founder and Creative Director of Wairarapa Youth Orchestra

Violin 

Scholarship Tutor

MFA Music

Caitlin began learning the cello aged fifteen under the tuition of Anna Hyland in Blenheim. She completed Grade 8 with distinction studying under Lissa Cowie in Nelson and then studied at Victoria University of Wellington: New Zealand School of Music under the tuition of Inbal Megiddo and Rolf Gjelsten. During her time at the NZSM, she received the Victoria University Excellence Scholarship, the Roy Jack Prize for merit in string playing, the Body/Harris Prize for best performance of a New Zealand work and the MFA Fine Arts  Scholarship.  

Caitlin is also passionate about composition and completed a Masters in Fine Arts in Music in 2018. This led her to compose and record music for theatre and film productions in Wellington, and she has also written a musical, “Heaven Help Me”, words by Valerie Franklin.  Caitlin has also performed as a cello soloist with the  Nelson Symphony Orchestra, The Marlborough Civic  

Orchestra, Tawa Orchestra, Wairarapa Community  Orchestra and most recently performed the Dvorak Cello Concerto with the Marlborough Civic Orchestra in August of 2023, as soloist.  In addition, she has been involved in professional orchestral recording sessions for New Zealand  films “Kiwi Christmas”, “She Shears”, and “The Meek.” 

Caitlin teaches string instruments throughout the Wairarapa to all ages, bringing her passion for  string instruments to rural communities with the ambition to continue to grow music education in  the Wairarapa. Through the Wairarapa Youth Orchestra Caitlin aspires to bring further  performance and educational opportunities to all secondary and primary school students of the  Wairarapa, promoting orchestral instrument learning.

Andrew Atkins

Founder and Musical Director of Wairarapa Youth Orchestra

Orchestra Conductor

MMA Classical Performance Piano, MFA (CP) Film  Orchestration, GDip Conducting. 

Andrew is a graduate of Victoria University of Wellington:  New Zealand School of Music. During his time there, he  completed a Masters of Musical Arts in Classical  Performance (2016) piano under the esteemed tuition of Dr  Jian Liu and Richard Mapp. He competed in the inaugural  Wallace National Piano Competition (2013) and was a  finalist in the Royal Overseas League Chamber Music  Competition (2014) with his Piano and Cello Duo Duo  Cecilia. Andrew has also performed Grieg’s Piano Concerto  with Tawa Orchestra (2014), Beethoven’s 2nd Piano  Concerto (2013), Rachmaninoff’s 2nd Piano Concerto  (2019), and Beethoven’s 5th Piano Concerto (2021) with the  Manawatu Sinfonia and Beethoven’s 5th Piano Concerto  conducted from the piano with Wellington Chamber  Orchestra (2020). Andrew also completed his Graduate Diploma in  Conducting (2017) under the tuition of Kenneth Young and  has gone on to develop a love and passion for conducting  that gained him the position of Assistant Conductor to  Orchestra Wellington (2017-2018). He has also conducted  the Manawatu Sinfonia, Kapiti Concert Orchestra, the New  Zealand School of Music Orchestra. He is the current Musical Director of the Wairarapa Singers,  with which he presented a successful performance of Haydn’s Creation in 2019. He has also had  the pleasure of presenting four music programmes as conductor with Wellington Chamber  Orchestra over the past five years.  Andrew is delighted to be the conductor of the Wairarapa Youth Orchestra since is inception in  2021. He is passionate about developing orchestral large ensemble playing and promoting  classical music and learning for Wairarapa students. 

Kathryn Seagrave

Cello

LTCL, Dip Tchng 

Scholarship Tutor

Scholarship Coordinator

Kathryn has been a professional musician for over forty years.  Full time cellist with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra,  contract player for tv and radio recording sessions, contract  player for backing groups for international touring acts and  twenty five years with The Savoy Trio. The trio provided music  for public, private and State events around Auckland. Always interested in teaching, Kathryn had a large cello  teaching practise and was involved in developing young  players’ string groups and orchestras. Kathryn moved to South Wairarapa five years ago and as  there was no one teaching strings at Wairarapa schools,  started to fill that gap. She was delighted when Caitlin Morris  moved in to the Wairarapa and was able to take over that  role. The Wairarapa Youth Orchestra fills another real need and  Kathryn is looking forward to tutoring again in 2023.

Dean Major

Violin 

LTCL and LRSM performance diplomas

Dean Major was born and educated in Wellington. He studied the violin with Bill Davies, Zillah Castle and Franco Domaneschi. He joined the Schola Musica of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in 1975, and successfully auditioned for the NZSO in 1978.

He was a foundation member of the NZ Chamber Orchestra.  In March 2021, Dean retired from the NZSO after 42 years, and moved with his wife, Rosemary, and son, Alex, to Greytown, in South Wairarapa. During his time in the NZSO, Dean taught the violin privately for over 20 years and tutored the violin sections of the Wellington Youth Orchestra, the Wellington Youth Sinfonietta, and the Kapiti Youth Orchestra. Since arriving in the Wairarapa he has thoroughly enjoyed being a tutor with the Wairarapa Youth Orchestra and is of the opinion that this organisation is absolutely vital to both the growth and to the teaching of music in the Wairarapa. 

Elizabeth Patchett

Violin 

Elizabeth Patchett started violin tuition in Hamilton at the age of nine. One of her weekly highlights was being a member of the Waikato Youth Orchestra which rehearsed very Friday evening. During her teenage years Elizabeth successfully auditioned to attend several National Secondary Schools Orchestra and National Youth Orchestra courses. After completing a performance music degree at Auckland University, Elizabeth joined the Auckland Philharmonia and five years later became a full time member of the NZSO which is still her main occupation. Elizabeth has always been an active music educator. As well as private teaching Elizabeth is part of the NZSO specialist education team. Elizabeth was delighted to be invited to join the dedicated group of tutors at the Wairarapa Youth Orchestra and looks forward to being part of the WYO team in the years to come.

Victoria Jones

Double Bass 

Scholarship Tutor

Victoria was born in  Christchurch. After graduating from VUW,  majoring in languages and cello performance she exchanged her  cello for the double bass. 

Victoria joined the NZSO’s orchestral trainee scheme in 1978,  and successfully auditioned for the NZSO in 1979, where she  remained as a permanent player (from 1993 as sub-principal  bass), until 2012. Victoria subsequently freelanced with both the NZSO and  Orchestra Wellington, while teaching piano, cello and double  bass in the Wairarapa.  She taught bass for many years at VUW/NZSM,  and tutored Youth Orchestra bass sections. Victoria has been a tutor for the Wairarapa Youth Orchestra since its  launch in 2021. Victoria firmly believes that the continued existence of our Wairarapa Youth  Orchestra will benefit the Wairarapa community enormously in the long term. 

Kate Marshall

Flute

Scholarship Tutor

B.Mus (perf) Piano

Kate Marshall has been involved in music education since she started teaching friends piano at the age of 12. She has now been a full-time itinerant teacher of piano and flute in the Wairarapa for 15 years. She completed a B.Mus (perf) in piano at Auckland University and then went over to the Northern College in Manchester and gained a PG Diploma in piano accompaniment. As well playing piano she has been a member of many choirs including the New Zealand National Youth Choir, played violin and flute in various community orchestras and jazz bands and now indulges her love of improvisation playing accordion/flute/violin in the the duo Bob and Kate and the band Raven Mavens.

She has loved being involved in flute tutoring for the Wairarapa Youth Orchestra and seeing the enjoyment and progression of skills that the students derive from the sessions.

Ed Allen

French Horn

Edward Allen was born in Washington State, USA, Edward was  Section Principal Horn of the NZSO from 1984 to 2011. Prior to  this he was a member of the Utah Symphony Orchestra (USA)  for over 19 years. He also has been guest principal horn with  many orchestras in New Zealand and Australia. As a  soloist he performed with the NZSO, NZ Chamber Orchestra  

and most of the regional orchestras in New Zealand. In 2012 he  was awarded MNZM for services to music. 

As well as performing, he has taught music at several  

secondary and tertiary institutions. 

When not performing or teaching he is a member of the  

Martinborough Community Choir and enjoys cycling and  

gardening. Edward has been the Brass tutor in the Wairarapa  

Youth Orchestra from the beginning and is looking forward to  continuing to grow and develop the brass section.

Dave Heath

Percussion 

Dave started drumming at the age of five in England and was  

taught at the Royal Marine Music School in Kent, UK as a  

drumming cadet. He has always had a passion for music, and has been in many bands in both London and New Zealand as a drummer. 

Dave Is also a valued member of the Wairarapa Community Orchestra as percussionist.

Dave has been teaching drumming in local secondary and primary schools since 2002. He aims to  encourage and bring out students’ talents so that they become skilled and confident  performers. 

Dave takes great pleasure in his involvement  with the Wairarapa Youth Orchestra and believes the orchestra gives excellent opportunities to young musicians to share their passion and talent in music with others, and to perform for the community.

Robert Carew

Scholarship Tutor - Clarinet

LTCL Clarinet Performance

Robert started playing the clarinet at 15 at Hutt Valley High School and very soon joined the school's 'evening orchestra', now the Hutt Valley Orchestra, and the Wellington Youth Orchestra. While studying maths and music at Victoria University he learnt from NZSO clarinetists Frank Gurr and Ron Weatherburn and gained LTCL in clarinet performance. He also played clarinet and bass clarinet in the University orchestra, the National Youth Orchestra and various chamber music ensembles. During his studies he established a busy sideline as an itinerant teacher in many Wellington schools and took on a number of private pupils.  Since moving to the Wairarapa several years ago he has been playing in several orchestras and chamber music ensembles, and every year plays at the Waitaki Summer Music Camp in Oamaru. He has lessons with Debbie Rawson, the former Head of Woodwind at the New Zealand School of Music, and together they pursue their interest in clarinet pedagogy. Robert relishes the opportunity to share his knowledge of, and passion for the clarinet with the Wairarapa Youth Orchestra.