Welcome Dinner - Sunday 18 September 2011

Christine Anu

Christine was born in Cairns, North Queensland, of Torres Strait Island descent. She studied at the National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development Association (NAISDA) and graduated with an associate diploma of dance in 1992.

1995 saw the release of Christine's debut album, Stylin'Up, which remained in the top 100 charts for over a year and included the hits Party, Island Home and Monkey & The Turtle. The album went platinum in Australia.

Her version of Island Home won the 1995 Australian Performing Rights Association (APRA) award for song of the year for Neil Murray. In 1996 Christine was awarded best female artist at the Australasian Recording Industry Awards (ARIAs) and best female artist at the Deadly Sounds National Aboriginal & Islander Music Awards.

She then worked on the track Now Until The Break Of Day with Baz Luhrmann for the album Something For Everybody. This track was released as a single & the video won Best Video at the ARIA Awards.

1997 saw Christine starring in the musical Little Shop Of Horrors followed by a year in the hit musical Rent in 1998/99 to outstanding critical acclaim. Her role as Mimi in Rent led to her being invited to perform the role in the Broadway version - an invitation she had to decline due to work being in progress on her next album.

The end of 1999 through to now has seen Christine madly working on every facet of her career.

Annual National Dinner - Monday 19 September 2011

Oliver She

In 2010, Oliver was the ABC Symphony Australia Young Performer of the Year and recipient of the David Paul Landa scholarship. He currently studies with Max Olding and Pamela Page at the University of Queensland, School of Music, where he is undertaking a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance.

Oliver started playing the piano at the age of 4. He has performed with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, the West Australian Symphony Orchestra and the St Lucia Orchestra in Brisbane.

In 2009 Oliver won 3rd prize in the Lev Vlassenko Piano Competition in Brisbane, and was a prize-winner at the Southern Highlands International Piano Competition; in both events he was awarded prizes for the best performance of an Australian composition. He reached the quarter finals of the 2008 Seoul International Music Competition and was a participant in the 2009 Hamamatsu International Piano Competition. Other awards include first prize at the 2003 and 2005 Yamaha Australian Youth Piano Competition (junior and intermediate divisions) and first prize in the ASKM Gold Coast Open Piano Competition in 2008.