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Person
ALLEN, Geoffrey
Geoffrey Allen was born in the UK in 1927. His musical education was limited to private piano lessons, and consequently he was self-taught in all other aspects of music. Allen began to compose while a teenager, but his ambitions for a career in music were thwarted by parents and teachers, who were opposed to his aspirations. Instead, he studied geography at Oxford University while continuing to compose in his spare time. The first of his acknowledged compositions dates from his university years.
After his graduation in 1951, Allen moved to Sydney, where he taught geography for two years at Trinity Grammar School. At the end of this period, he took up the first of a number of positions in Australian libraries, accepting a place on the staff of the State (then ‘Public’) Library of NSW. He was a scientific librarian with the CSIRO from 1958 until 1961, when he moved to Perth to work in the library of the University of Western Australia. He later became foundation Librarian of the WA Institute of Technology, and, when this became Curtin University in 1987, the University Librarian. Allen retired in 1992.
While in Sydney in the 1950s, Geoffrey Allen founded the Recording Society of Australia, and acted as its Secretary until 1961. During this period, the Society issued a number of LP recordings of Australian works and performers, on the Brolga label. Allen’s own music (Two Lullabies) was recorded by the Society, along with that of other Australian composers, such as Edgar Bainton, Nigel Butterley, Margaret Sutherland and Larry Sitsky.
In 1990 he established the Keys Press for the purpose of publishing contemporary Australian classical music. Between 1990 and 2014 he published over 500 separate titles by around 50 composers, including Roy Agnew, Miriam Hyde, Ann Ghandar, and Larry Sitsky.
After a lull in composing during mid-life, Allen experienced a resurgence of creative drive in the late 1980s and continued to compose for several decades. His body of work includes sixteen piano sonatas, many shorter piano pieces and numerous works for woodwinds, together with songs and a few works for strings.
Geoffrey Allen’s style was much influenced by mid-19th century British and French composers. His music is generally melody-driven, and is characterised by chromatic and frequently shifting tonalities with the rare flirtation with atonality. He eschewed serialism and minimalism and believed them to be passing fads.
In 2010s, he collaborated with David Wickham from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts and other Western Australian musicians to produce a number of CD recordings of music he had previously published, including some of his own. These CDs were released in the UK by Stone Records and the details can be viewed on their website.
Geoffrey Allen died on 24 October 2021 after a short illness, at the age of 94.
https://www.australianmusiccentre.com.au/artist/allen-geoffrey
10.4.1994
Geoffrey Allen Five Diversions for oboe, clarinet and bassoon
Jack Harrison (clarinet) Jill Mowson (bassoon) Jay Harrison (oboe)
Churchill Fellow Concert, WAAPA Music Auditorium Western Australia
Australian conductor Ron Spigelman is an honors graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, London.
Ron Spigelman conducting a WASO “Zoo” concert
He began his career in Australia in 1992 as a conductor-in-training with the West Australian Symphony, the Queensland Symphony Orchestra in 1993 and then assistant conductor of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra in 1994 – with who he recorded an album entitled Dream Children that was nominated for an ARIA award and still receives radio play on the ABC. His career moved to the United States in 1994 when he won the position of Associate Conductor of the Fort Worth Symphony (Texas) and then the Buffalo Philharmonic (New York), subsequently becoming Music Director of the Fort Worth Dallas Ballet, the San Angelo Symphony, Texas Chamber Orchestra, Springfield Symphony (Missouri), and the Lake Placid Sinfonietta (NY) where he is now conductor emeritus. He has also served as Principal Pops Conductor of the Fort Worth and Syracuse Symphonies and is now in his second season as Principal Pops Conductor of the Buffalo Philharmonic developing and conducting approximately 12 programs each season.
Guest conducting appearances have included the Atlanta, St. Louis, Baltimore, Utah, Oregon, Kansas City, Vancouver, Milwaukee, Grand Rapids, Colorado, Dallas and Nashville Symphonies, as well as the Florida Orchestra, Louisville Orchestra and the Minnesota Orchestra.
Ron Spigelman
He has conducted Symphonic, Ballet, Opera, Musical Theatre and Pops plus over 30 live-to-film productions including all eight of the Harry Potter films. Guest artists he has accompanied include Horacio Gutierrez, Rachel Barton Pine, Richard Stoltzman, Marvin Hamlisch, Peter Paul & Mary, James Taylor, Leslie Odom Jr., Vanessa Williams, Gladys Knight, Arturo Sandoval, and many others.
Career highlights include the world premiere of Pegasus by Lowell Liebermann with the Dallas Symphony, his Carnegie Hall debut with the Buffalo Philharmonic in 2004, and the world premiere recording of Sylvan by Michael Torke with the Lake Placid Sinfonietta for their centennial season in 2017.
Ron lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma with his wife Laura, and they have a combined 6 children. He is board president of Harmony Project Tulsa, bringing instrumental instruction to underserved youth in collaboration with the Tulsa Public Schools and he is a frequent conductor of the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra. In 2024 he graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in Family and Human Development at Arizona State University receiving the dean’s medal for academic excellence and in May of 2026 completed his Master of Liberal Studies degree – also from ASU – graduating with academic distinction. His applied project was a graduate course for conductors in the vital communication, leadership and social skills needed to become a resonant leader and effective music director on and off the podium.
1994 WASO clarinet section: Allan Meyer, Lorna Cook, Jon Craven
Person
PALLAGI, Benjamin
Hungarian/Australian clarinettist Benjamin Pallagi was born in Perth in 1994. He completed his Bachelor of Music in Perth with Allan Meyer and in Hobart with Frank Celata. A Master of Music Performance at the Franz Liszt Music Academy in Budapest, Hungary followed this, where he studied with Zsolt Szatmári and Csaba Pálfi. He then completed two more Master degrees between 2018 and 2022 in the class of François Benda in Basel, Switzerland.
In Australia Benjamin has played with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra and the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Australian Youth Orchestra, the Australian International Symphony Orchestra Institute and the Western Australian Youth Orchestra. Living in Europe since 2015, Benjamin has performed with the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra, the Hungarian National Opera Orchestra, the Dohnányi Symphony Orchestra, the Basel Symphony Orchestra, the St. Gallen Symphony Orchestra, CHAARTS Ensemble, Ensemble Phoenix, Swiss Orchestra and with Neues Orchester Basel.
In the 2022/23 season, Benjamin took part in the Bern Symphony Orchestra’s academy program. Subsequently, he was contracted by the orchestra to play 2nd clarinet with bass clarinet for half the 2023/24 season. Following this, in the 2024/25 and 2025/26 seasons he was again contracted to play in Bern, primarily playing bass clarinet.
Winner of the Woodside Concerto Competition in Perth in 2013, Benjamin was selected in 2019 for the prestigious ARD Music Competition in Munich, Germany.Recently, Benjamin has also become interested in conducting, has completed a two-year postgraduate degree in wind band conducting with Bjørn Sagstad at the Music Academy in Basel and is conducting two community wind bands in Switzerland. He is currently undertaking another postgraduate degree, this time in orchestral conducting at the Zurich Academy of the Arts, studying with Christof Brunner. Benjamin has been living in Switzerland for just over 8 years now and is based in Basel. He aims to find a good balance between working as a freelance clarinettist, as well as a conductor. A keen sportsman too, he is a member of a triathlon club in Basel and enjoys hiking and cycling with his partner in the Swiss mountains.
Allan Meyer was born in 1959 to Bruce Douglas Meyer and Elsie Willis “Willa” Sanders and grew up with his three sisters and brother at 10 South Road Shoalwater, two streets from Safety Bay Road opposite Penguin Island. His father built the house from scratch, hand sawing the jarrah and asbestos.
Allan attended primary school in Safety Bay and learnt the piano from his grandmother, Elsie Maley.
In 1972, thanks to his sister Sue’s suggestion to apply, Allan won a music scholarship to Churchlands Senior High School as part of the inaugural state initiative to bring music to high schools (IMSS). Allan was very anxious about telling his Shoalwater mates he was going up to Perth for high school, especially as the school had the word “Church” in it.
Allan was initially offered the tuba. His father vigorously argued with Churchlands that Allan was “small enough to fit in to a tuba” and suggested instead the clarinet as “Stranger on the Shore” by Acker Bilk was one of Bruce’s favourite records.
Churchlands segregated the music students and they attended virtually all their classes together, making it challenging to make non musical friends and shake the slightly nerdy reputation of being a “muso”.
In a group class of 6 beginner students, Allan initially learnt from Peter Clinch for one year. Peter left the responsibility of Allan’s clarinet playing future to Ted Lewis.
Allan going off to Vienna
Allan was leader of the Western Australian Schools’ Concert Band overseas tour from June 23 to July 1976 performing in London, Vienna, Innsbruck, Lucerne, Montreux and Zurich as part of the Fifth International Festival of youth and Music and the Twelth International Conference of the International Society for Music Education.
The band was conducted by Ted Lewis and John Embleton and consisted of an amalgamation of largely Perth Modern School and Churchlands music scholarship students and a handful of representatives from other schools.
They made the highly sought after album “Live in Vienna”.
During high school, Allan lived with his sisters in Perth and went down to Shoalwater on the weekends when he would often go sailing with his father. He learnt to surf.
Sue Rowbottam and Allan Meyer
Allan’s sister Sue Rowbottam is a professional accompanist.
Towards the end of high school, Allan enjoyed a few clarinet lessons with Alan Rule.
All Allan’s applications to tertiary institutions were musical ones, save his last, which was dentistry.
1977 Allan Meyer
Allan was accepted into the University of Western Australia School of Music (now Conservatorium of Music) in 1977 and completed a four year Honours degree on clarinet performance under the guidance of the Principal Clarinet of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Jack Harrison.
During his University years, Allan performed with the W.A. Arts Orchestra and augmented with the WASO. He won the Margaret Bellos prize for chamber music performing with Kim Harrison (trumpet), Nigel Crocker (trombone) and Marie Bertinazzo (harp).
He attended the Australian Youth Orchestra, National Music Camps and Camp Quaranup Music Camp in his holidays. He befriended cellist Charles Reynolds, with whom he shared a house in Charles Street Leederville, and started running, playing squash, learnt scuba diving and water skiing.
The West Australian Saturday March 1 1980 page 23
1985 Allan Meyer and Jack Harrison
Meyer completed a two year Master of Music (Performance) at the University of Western Australia before travelling to London for postgraduate study London having lessons with with John McCaw, Antony Pay and Jack Brymer.
Following his studies, in 1982 Meyer won the the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra job on second clarinet doubling bass.
The second clarinet chair in Adelaide Symphony Orchestra was filled by Canadian Diane Gingras.
In 1984, Allan filled in on Principal Clarinet when Greg Blackman filled in for Don Westlake in the Canberra Wind Soloists.
Allan Meyer, Diane Gingras and Greg Blackman – Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
Allan renovated his house in Largs Bay, learnt woodwork, how to cook and played squash.
Peter Whish-Wilson (tuba), David (trumpet), Allan Meyer, Grant Scobie (bassoon), Bob Hutchinson (timpani)
Greg Blackman and Allan Meyer
After 7 years with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Allan returned to Perth as Principal Clarinet.
Allan Meyer Adelaide 1989
In 1990 Meyer was appointed Principal Clarinet of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, succeeding his mentor Jack Harrison who stepped down to bass clarinet toward the end of his retirement in 1993.
1990: Allan Meyer, Lorna Cook, Jack Harrison1990 WASO: Jack Harrison on bass, Lorna Cook, Allan Meyer
Allan has remained Section Principal Clarinet with WASO ever since, becoming one of the orchestra’s longest-serving principal players.
Allan has appeared as soloist in the Masters and Classics Series, Mostly Mozart Series, Symphony under the Stars and WASO Chamber Players. He has been Guest Principal Clarinet with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
2003 Allan on WASO Boardleft footer
Allan was appointed the player representative on the WASO Board when Catherine Ferrari was C.E.O.
He was also on the WASO footy team.
WASO football team
In 1997 and again in 1999 Allan initiated the inaugural player job swap for WASO with American clarinettist Michael Sussman.
Allan taught and performed at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. During these visits he also appeared at the Musicorda Festival, Mohawk Trail Concerts and Williamstown Chamber Music Festival.
1994 WASO clarinet section: Allan Meyer, Lorna Cook, Jon Craven1995 Mozart Sinfonia Concertante for Four Winds: WASO with soloists Allan Meyer, Heidi Kepper, Joel Marangella, Anne Henderson1997 WASO clarinets: Allan Meyer, Lorna Cook and Alex Millier
EChO
Allan has performed with the WASO’s Education Chamber Orchestra and toured the Kimberley with them in 2002.
EChO: Allan Meyer and Libby Hammer
In 2001 he toured with the ensemble to Sydney to participate in Education workshops with Matthew Barley. He was mugged in Wooloomooloo on his way to the hotel and his clarinets were ripped from his shoulder and stolen. The Kings Cross Police Station retrieved the case from a street sweeper and luckily, aside from his precious mouthpieces, his clarinets were intact.
SOLOIST
Allan has appeared as soloist with WASO on multiple occasions.
Allan has enjoyed performing the Mozart Concerto many times with WASO mostly on basset clarinet. The basset clarinet extension was made for him by well known woodwind technician & woodwind maker Tony Ward in Adelaide.
Most recently Allan performed this conducted by his former student Chris Dragon who is now Resident Conductor of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra and Music Director of the Wyomong and Greensboro Symphony Orchestras.
In 2013 he performed the Copland Clarinet Concerto, a work premiered in Australia by Jack Harrison, who sadly never got to hear him play it, passing away just a month before on 1st April 2013.
Jack Harrison passing the Copland Clarinet score to Allan Meyer
PREMIERES
Among Allan Meyer’s notable premieres are:
the Australian premiere of Richard Mills‘ Concerto for Clarinet and Violin
the world premiere of James Ledger’s Clarinet Quintet – Rashomon confessions for clarinet quintet (First performance 13 December 2009, Utzon Room, Sydney Opera House WASO Chamber Players (Allan Meyer – clarinet) . Commissioned by Sydney Opera House with funds provided by Regina Ridge Trust.
Alongside his orchestral career, Meyer has been an active chamber musician. In 2012 Allan collaborated with the internationally acclaimed Escher String Quartet and has regularly appeared in chamber music festivals and recital series throughout Australia and overseas. His performances encompass the major works of the classical repertoire, particularly those by Mozart, Brahms and French composers, while also embracing newly commissioned Australian works.
Teacher and mentor
Allan Meyer and Christine Reitzenstein in a Healthway sponsorship promotionCatherine Cahill and Allan Meyer
Meyer has had an equally important impact as an educator and has taught at the University of Western Australia Conservatorium of Music and the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts.
Many of his students have gone on to professional orchestral careers throughout Australia and overseas, including:
Liam Kinson – is in TAK ensemble in New York:Liam Kinson was born in Perth, Western Australia, in 1988, and began playing the clarinet at the age of 12. He studied at the University of Western Australia, where he holds a Bachelor in Music, Australian National Academy in Melbourne, and Manhattan School of Music where he received his Masters in Contemporary Music. Liam has performed with Wet Ink, International Contemporary Ensemble, Ecce Ensemble, and is a founding member of TAK ensemble. He has collaborated with dancers and actors and artists alike, and thrives on exploring new methods of expression through interdisciplinary means.
Jarrad Linke A clarinettist originally from Perth, Jarrad is an active freelance musician currently based in Melbourne. He completed a Bachelor of Music in Performance at the Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University prior to three years of study at the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM). He has studied with renowned Australian clarinettists David Thomas, Paul Dean and Allan Meyer and performed in masterclasses with international soloists Michael Collins, Sabine Meyer and Julian Bliss. Jarrad has performed with the West Australian, Queensland and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras, as well as numerous Opera Australia productions with Orchestra Victoria including The Phantom of the Opera, Tosca and Lohengrin. Jarrad also took part in Opera Australia’s 2022 National Tour of The Barber of Seville. When Jarrad is not playing his clarinet, you’ll find him studying his Bachelor of Nursing or strolling around with a vintage film camera in his hands.
Matthew Kidd – freelance orchestral and chamber musician who has performed with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, West Australian Symphony Orchestra and Perth Symphony Orchestra.
Geoff Bourgault – freelance orchestral and chamber musician who has performed with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, West Australian Symphony Orchestra and Perth Symphony Orchestra.
Beyond performance and teaching, Meyer has played an important role in fostering the clarinet community in Western Australia.
Allan Meyer CASSWA
Since its establishment in 2009 he has served as Chairperson of the Clarinet and Saxophone Society of Western Australia. Under his voluntary leadership the organisation has promoted performance opportunities, masterclasses, educational projects and professional networking for clarinettists and saxophonists across the state. https://www.casswa.com/
Allan plays on Buffet Crampon R13 Prestige & RC Prestige clarinets. His preferred mouthpieces are a customised Dan Johnston ‘J’ facing and a Gleichweit 10-2 facing.
Allan has a black tip in Tae kwon-do, enjoys running, swimming, skiing, going to the gym, playing terrible golf and reading. He’s handy around the house and loves gardening, particularly knowledgable about Australian natives and his organic vegetable patch.
Allan attended primary school in Safety Bay and learnt the piano from his grandmother, Elsie Maley. 
In a group class of 6 beginner students, Allan initially learnt from 
Allan’s sister Sue Rowbottam is a professional accompanist.
During his University years, Allan performed with the W.A. Arts Orchestra and augmented with the WASO. He won the Margaret Bellos prize for chamber music performing with Kim Harrison (trumpet), Nigel Crocker (trombone) and Marie Bertinazzo (harp). 
He attended the Australian Youth Orchestra, National Music Camps and Camp Quaranup Music Camp in his holidays. He befriended cellist Charles Reynolds, with whom he shared a house in Charles Street Leederville, and started running, playing squash, learnt scuba diving and water skiing.
Following his studies, in 1982 Meyer won the the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra job on second clarinet doubling bass.
SOLOIST
