People

Gabriella Smart
Artistic Director

Gabriella Smart - Artistic Director

Concert pianist, Festival Director, and lecturer in Piano at Elder Conservatorium, Gabriella received a Churchill Fellowship in 2010, and a prestigious Helpmann Award for Best Chamber and Instrumental Music Concert in 2009 in collaboration with the Adelaide Festival Centre.

In 2002 she was awarded a Creative Fellowship from the South Australian Government through Arts SA. She is Artistic Director of the Soundstream Adelaide New Music Festival, which received a Ruby Award for Best Event in South Australia in 2009.

Gabriella is a passionate exponent of contemporary music, and has given award-winning premieres of Australian compositions. In 2003 she performed solo recitals at the Melbourne International Festival and at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris. She was invited to perform in the 2004 Ten Days on the Island Festival in Tasmania after her critically acclaimed performances during the 2002 Festival.

Gabriella studied with Eleonora Sivan at the Elder Conservatorium in Adelaide, and is grateful for Eleonora’s continued inspiration and guidance. Gabriella is the recipient of various awards and fellowships. Her 1998 solo debut at the International Barossa Music Festival won a Sounds Australia award for best performance of an Australian work, and she has since enjoyed repeat appearances at the festival.

Gabriella has performed widely throughout Australia, Europe and China. She has given international premieres of works by eminent composers Michael Nyman and Tan Dun and continues to collaborate with many Australian composers, commissioning and premiering their works. She has given numerous live and recorded broadcasts for ABC Classic FM and recently represented South Australia at the 2010 World Expo, giving recitals in Shanghai.

Her specialisation in contemporary music has seen her perform with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, the Australian Dance Theatre, Leigh Warren and Dancers, State Theatre of South Australia and Ihos Experimental Theatre Troupe.
As an extension of her role of teaching piano at the Elder Conservatorium of Music, Gabriella examines for the Australian Music Examinations Board and has given master classes in the UK at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, in Sweden at the Royal Academy of Music, Stockholm, and nationally.

Douglas Furby
Business Manager 

Douglas Furby - Business Manager

Professional engineer, project manager and educator, Douglas has a broad range of technical and management skills developed through first hand experience at a senior level, in Australia and overseas, that spans many types of endeavours.

Through intensive experience as a production engineer, project manager, business executive and management consultant, in mining, transport infrastructure, chemical and defence industries, education and training, software development, public sector enterprise and overseas aid projects, Douglas has developed a skill set that enhances Soundstream’s ability to develop, promote and deliver new music projects on time, within budget and without compromising artistic integrity.

In the background, Douglas is responsible for developing and controlling budgets, administering performers’ contracts, and managing performance schedules. All the background activities are carried out within the ‘earned value’ framework, using a performing arts-centred cost and schedule status reporting system.

In the foreground, Douglas provides the people management skills to coordinate the interaction with sponsors, performers, technicians, allied arts organisations and Soundstream’s audience.

Supported by the Soundstream Collective Advisory Committee and the Adelaide Contemporary Music Festival Management Committee, Gabriella and Douglas work together as a highly effective team committed to delivering new music experiences of unparalleled excellence.