“It was an honour to be the Artistic Director of the Inaugural ASPIRE International Youth Music Festival. The very high calibre of the industry and tertiary adjudicators and clinicians helped to make it an extra special music experience for the young musicians participating. The combination of competition and learning and development ensured for a highly enjoyable and worthwhile experience for students and teachers alike.
ASPIRE 2017 was a great success. I am confident in the team at ASPIRE to build on this success and present a truly international youth music festival in 2019, attracting some of the very best school music talent to Brisbane from around the world.”
Peter Luff – ASPIRE Artistic Director 2017
Associate Professor Peter Luff is an Associate Professor and Deputy Director (Performance and Engagement) at Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University (QCGU). He holds the position of Associate Principal Horn with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra and is Vice President of the International Horn Society.
In 1987, after completing his Bachelor of Music in Performance at Adelaide University’s Elder Conservatorium, Peter moved to Brisbane to join the Horn section of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra. He has since completed a Master of Music degree in conducting at Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University.
As a professional horn player he has performed with many Orchestras and ensembles, including the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Symphony, Australian World Orchestra, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Queensland Philharmonic Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic, and the Queensland Wind Soloists. He was also a founding member and solo horn of the internationally acclaimed chamber ensemble the Southern Cross Soloists who have performed in America, Canada, Japan, China, Korea and New Zealand. He has broadcast and recorded extensively with ABC classic FM and 4MBS FM.
Peter has conducted many ensembles and orchestras, including the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra’s Brass Ensemble, Bangalow Festival Orchestra, Macgregor Summer School Symphony Orchestra and the Queensland Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra, Wind Orchestra and Brass Ensemble.
Peter is in great demand as a Horn teacher. Many of his Horn graduates have secured permanent playing positions in national and international professional symphony orchestras. He has tutored for the Australian Youth Orchestra, Queensland Youth Orchestra, Australian National Academy of Music, University of Arkansas (USA), Korean National University and Shandong University (China). In 2010 Peter was the host of the 42nd International Horn Symposium, held for the first time in Australia. It was at this Symposium that the Advisory Council of the International Horn Society (IHS) presented him with the prestigious “Punto Award” to recognise his major contribution at a national level to the art of horn playing.
Peter currently lectures in Horn and brass studies at Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University and continues to pursue a busy career performing, teaching and conducting.