Ipswich’s 30 most promising young musicians share their goals
“I was given a Dora microphone at the age of three and haven’t stopped singing since”: They each have their own flare but one thing’s for certain — music runs through the veins of Ipswich’s next big stars. READ THEIR STORIES
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Ipswich has no shortage of talented young musicians looking to take their love of music to the next level.
Some have dreams of making it to the big leagues, some wish to educate the next generation, while others have found creative ways to ensure music stays a part of their life no matter where they go.
Many are still figuring out exactly where they want to go, but every student on this list is united in their passion for a good tune.
Meet 30 of Ipswich’s most promising young stars of the stage:
The Beagles
Local band the Beagles is comprised of Ethan Mansfield, Josiah Muir, Elijah Niebling and Noah Taylor from Westside Christian College’s graduating class of 2022.
They perform a variety of covers and recently wowed a 1200-person strong audience at Riverlife Church with their rendition of Life is a Highway.
They’ve performed regularly at Westside Christian College school events, including multicultural day events and awards night.
They have also performed twice at Studio 188’s Ipswich Unearthed, and more recently at the Annual Ipswich Battle of the Bands.
Locals will be able to catch them performing live at the Ripley Valley Community Christmas Carols later this December.
Now they have graduated, the sky is the limit and you can check them out at @the.beagles._ on Instagram.
Ashleigh Benson
Ipswich State High School student Ashleigh Benson has been playing the cello since Year 4.
She takes every opportunity to perform for students at school in variety concerts and music soirees, and has busked at the Carrara Markets.
Ashleigh has developed into a talented solo performer as well as participating in the school strings ensemble.
She also plays in the Western Suburbs String Orchestra, which rehearses in Paddington and has performed at St Peters in Indooroopilly.
Ashleigh has received the school’s award for instrumental music for the last two years, and is working towards a career as a professional cello player in an orchestra.
Ella Bowmer
For Year 11 student Ella Bowmer, musical talent runs in the family.
Ella has always had an interest in music and was encouraged to pursue it by her mother, who is a musician herself.
Ella plays in Bremer State High School’s jazz band, wind ensemble, symphonic orchestra and the school student band Spine.
She has enjoyed completing an Australian Music Examinations Board (AMEB) Grade Eight with honours for alto saxophone, competing in battle of the bands and playing as principal chair at the 2022 State Honours Ensemble Program (SHEP).
Ella said she loved learning everything she could about her instrument and would like to perform at a professional level one day.
Heidi Bunter
Eleven-year-old Heidi Bunter plays piano and began her cello journey this year.
She has also sung in community and school choirs.
Heidi loves performing in Booval School of Music concerts and enjoys ensemble playing.
She is just at the beginning of her musical journey, and is looking forward to high school next year where she will have further opportunities to flourish in her music education.
Adeline Cassidy
Year 9 student Adeline Cassidy has been playing flute for six years, and has already achieved Grade Eight on AMEB.
Adeline also plays piano and is part of Bremer State High School’s Symphonic Winds, Wind Ensemble and Jazz Band.
She said she enjoys expressing herself through music and aspires to pursue music professionally.
Adeline played as first flute in the 2022 SHEP, and played piano accompaniment at Ipswich Eisteddfod.
She is also excited to have been accepted into Queensland Academics Creative Industries, which she will attend next year.
Tia Densey
Tia Densey started singing since she was seven, and has been performing and singing in school choirs ever since.
Now 16, Tia does gigs whenever she gets the opportunity, and has sung at Ipswich Unearthed and the Tivoli drive-in.
Tia said she would love to pursue a career in singing in the future.
“I always aim to improve my singing by learning new genres of music such as country and pop music,” she said.
“I will always jump at any opportunity to sing to continue to develop my stage presence.”
Jacob Fowler
West Moreton Anglican College’s 2021 Music Captain Jacob Fowler is currently pursuing a dual Bachelor of Music (Honours) in Classical Piano and Bachelor of Secondary Education.
Jacob is also the assistant accompanist of the Blackstone Ipswich Cambrian Junior and Youth Choirs, having been a member himself previously.
A triple-threat talent at piano, clarinet and voice, Jacob is a regular competitor at the Ipswich Junior Eisteddfod and Silkstone Eisteddfods.
He began learning piano at the age of six, and now aspires to become a professional musician.
Looking into the future, Jacob hopes to develop his skills in the field of classical piano and assist students to reach their potential and make a positive contribution to the arts industry.
Stella French
Multitalented Stella French studies voice, piano, violin and drama but loves musicals most of all.
In 2022, Stella played the Wicked Witch in Fusion Arts Inc’s production of Shrek Jr, and was a featured vocalist in their production of Once Upon A Shoe.
Stella has performed and competed on numerous occasions with Ipswich Junior Grammar School Harmonies Choir, Cambrian Junior Choir and Fusion Arts Inc.
She was selected to attend SHEP in 2020 and 2022 for voice, and has received accolades at Ipswich Junior Eisteddfod including the 10-12 years aggregate winner and Silkstone Eisteddfod memorial item winner in 2022.
At Ipswich Junior Grammar School, Stella is a member of the string ensemble, drama club and dance troupe.
Stella hopes to continue her musical studies in future, continue to play in her ensembles, and perform in more musicals.
Isabel Gehrke
Year 10 student Isabel Gehrke is just embarking on her musical career.
She recently played ukulele and sang at Studio 188’s Ipswich Unearthed and is excited for any new opportunities to perform in future.
Isabel has flourished under the tutelage of music teacher Mr Hayden Wilcox at Westside Christian College.
As she continues in her schooling journey and beyond, Isabel’s ultimate goal is to continue performing and growing as a musician.
Elizabeth Hargreaves
Fifteen-year-old Elizabeth Hargreaves studied piano and violin in primary school, and is now focused on vocals and musical theatre.
She starred in the school musical production of Annie last year, and was cast as Mysterious Host Re-enacted in this year’s school play Murder in the Knife Room.
Elizabeth also played Beast in Beauty and the Beast in IMTC juniors and is about to star as Truly Scrumptious in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
She excels in her studies of music and drama at school, and received an A+ for her Singing for Leisure Grade three AMEB exam earlier this year.
Elizabeth regularly performs with her sister Grace at school functions and variety concerts, and aspires to be an actor on stage and screen.
Payton Hartfiel
Multi-instrumentalist Payton Hartfiel’s ultimate goal is to pass on her passion for music to the next generation.
The 16-year-old started playing the violin in grade three, the clarinet in grade four, bass clarinet in grade six and guitar in grade nine.
She has played in multiple bands and ensembles throughout her schooling career, and won a performing arts award at Raceview State School.
“My goal in the future is to become a high school music teacher to give the opportunities to other children just like I had,” she said.
Bella-Maree Hartigan
Bella-Maree Hartigan, 10, has been singing in eisteddfods since she was five.
Bella loves performing in the Booval School of Music’s concerts and has obtained a school music scholarship for her talents.
She had the role of Marta in Sound of Music, which was unfortunately cancelled due to Covid, and now has the role of Jemima in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Ava Keller
Musical theatre talent Ava Keller joined the Cambrian Junior Choir at the age of seven and continues today as a member of the Cambrian Youth Choir.
She has participated in numerous eisteddfods across southeast Queensland for solo performances and has placed highly across multiple genres.
Ava has been a guest solo performer at the Raceview Carols Under the Tree and is a participant at SHEP at the Griffith Conservatorium of Music.
Ava ultimately aspires to perform on Broadway one day and otherwise pursue her love of musical theatre.
Alyssa Loughman
Sixteen-year-old Alyssa Loughman has learned to play more than 10 instruments in the last five years.
Her regional primary school didn’t have a music program, so she jumped at the chance to play music in Year 7.
Alyssa’s primary instrument is the flute, but after picking up the bass guitar a year ago, it has quickly grown to be her favourite.
She hopes to continue writing and playing music in future, but her ultimate goal is to work in speech pathology and to incorporate music into rehabilitation for speech and language.
Amy McCormick
Amy McCormick saw her first musical, Oliver, when she was five and has loved them ever since.
Now 16, Amy has been doing singing lessons since she was seven and has performed in choirs since she was eight.
Amy has sung solo at four citizenship ceremonies in Ipswich and at Peter Coombs Live 2017.
She has also performed in numerous school musicals including High School Musical (Sharpay), Beauty and the Beast (Ensemble), Once Upon A Shoe (Mother Goose), Matilda (Matilda), School of Rock (Rosalie Mullins), The Little Mermaid Junior (Carlotta) and Sound of Music (Louisa).
Amy said she was not sure she wanted to pursue music or theatre professionally, but did want to continue developing her passion by performing in community theatre shows and continuing to be involved in the local theatre community.
“Since I have such a great passion, my goal is to volunteer with events like the Ipswich Eisteddfod and possibly become a casual usher at QPAC,” she said.
“I’m also interested in taking more classes and workshops to further my abilities but also for my own personal enjoyment.”
Dalitso Mtunga
Dalitso Mtunga, 16, is a talented pianist from St Peter Claver College and performer in the College Rock Band Upper Management.
He started playing piano in Year 4, but his love for it truly sparked four years later after few years’ hiatus.
Dalitso said his biggest achievement in music so far was performing in Battle of the Rock Bands at Clairvaux MacKillop College.
He hoped to learn piano professionally and potentially join a band if he can in the future.
“While I do have high prospects in terms of becoming a big artist, I understand that it is not possible for everyone because ‘The Arts’ are so competitive and underfunded,” said Dalitso.
“It saddens me, because I've met people with amazing talents who are put off by the idea of becoming an artist simply because it’s not stable work.
“If there is anything I want out of a music career, it is to inspire others to strive for what they love rather than compromise for stability. The world needs artists, so let our creativity flow.”
Georgia O’Neill
Twelve-year-old Georgia O’Neill’s love of music was sparked when she started playing guitar in 2019.
She started singing lessons soon after, and moved to Booval School of Music that same year.
In 2021, Georgia joined Fusion Arts Inc to explore her interest in Musical Theatre where she has performed in two Musicals Once Upon a Shoe and Shrek Jnr.
In 2022, Georgia continues to explore her love of music and performing.
She is working towards gaining a lead role in future musical theatre productions and looks forward to further success at next year’s Eisteddfod.
Levi Podlich
Levi Podlich, 15, started playing piano at a young age but wasn’t particularly interested in music until 2020, when he taught himself how to play drums via YouTube lessons.
Levi discovered a passion for rock music soon after, finding inspiration in bands like System of a Down and Nirvana.
In 2021, Levi learned the basics of bass before he decided to swap to the guitar and started lessons.
He joined College Rock Bank Upper Management later that year and enjoyed competing with them at Battle of the Rock Bands at Clairvaux MacKillop College.
He has since formed a punk band The Distained with two friends from outside of school and has created half an album of original songs with them. They can be found @the_distained_band on Instagram.
Levi hopes to complete their first original album, which currently consists of a mix of purely pop punk songs and songs with pop punk and thrash elements.
“Once my band has grown, I would like to have live performance gigs at various performance venues,” said Levi.
“I would especially like to perform at venues such as Goleby’s Basement and Studio 188 or other similar venues in the area.”
Sascha Rosal
Sascha Rosal, 15, says she creates music as a form of inner healing.
Sascha is an exceptional guitar and piano player, and also has experience playing the viola and singing.
“As a singer, my main goal in the music industry is to create music that focuses on growth, healing and love,” said Sascha.
“I want to highlight all the struggles we go through as a major part of us growing as people.”
Billy Smith
Bremer State High School year eight student Billy Smith has been playing tenor saxophone for five years now.
He participates in two regular school bands plus the Bremer Blues and Ipswich RSL Junior, Senior and Stage Bands.
Billy said his goal in music was to reach level 10 in his instrument and empower others to involve themselves with music.
He got into music through the encouragement of his music teachers and continues to be inspired by his current teachers Ms Seipel and Ms Comber, as well as his past music teacher Mrs Salemenesa.
Billy has enjoyed learning from other talented musicians when playing in adult level bands and performing solos in school Jazz Band and the RSL Senior and Stage Band.
“I love forming a community through playing, and finding similar interests with them thanks to the help of music,” said Billy.
Estelle “Stelle” Synnott
Estelle Synnott, stage name “Stelle”, is an emerging singer-songwriter and St Mary’s College student.
“I was given a Dora microphone at the age of three and haven’t stopped singing since,” she said.
Stelle said she started writing songs at age six and, now 17, she strives to “inspire others to be open to a new world” through her music.
She has written a multitude of original music, some of which was released on all streaming platforms under the name “Stelle” when she was just 16.
“My originals are written in an attempt to relate to what the audience, and anyone around the world, could experience and feel,” said Stelle.
Stelle has done a range of performances from open nights at St Mary’s College, the Kalbar sunflower festival, Kalbar Country day with over 5000 people, busking at markets, and gigs at Studio 188 Ipswich.
“I am so excited to continue performing and making music after school and share more of my talent with the world. I am already planning my next songs to be recorded in 2023,” she said.
Anna Treloar
Alto sax talent Anna Treloar said she loved to challenge herself and have fun with music.
The year eight student plays in the Bremer Jazz Band, Ipswich RSL Concert Band and Ipswich RSL Stage Band.
Anna said she started learning piano when she was younger because she wanted to play alongside her mum, but later found her true calling in the alto saxophone.
Her mother remains a big inspiration for her today, and she has enjoyed playing in school music tours and performing at the Music Under the Stars Concert.
Caleb Treloar
Year 11 student Caleb Treloar said he was also inspired by his parents and loved how music encouraged him to challenge himself.
Caleb has been playing trombone for eight years and is now part of the Ipswich RSL Concert and Stage Bands along with the Bremer Symphonic Winds, Wind Ensemble and Jazz Band.
He said his goal with music is to give himself a challenge different to what he normally does in school.
Caleb has played with the RSL Youth and Community Bands for three years and has performed at a variety of locations including the Aviation Heritage Centre.
Eve Tynan
Eve Tynan is a talented guitar player and vocalist and set to be Westside Christian College’s School Captain of 2023.
She has improved her craft as part of the Westside Christian College music program, and recently performed on the same bill as Jem Cassar-Daley at Studio 188 in Ipswich, as an Ipswich Unearthed alumni.
Her beautiful voice and gentle guitar playing entrances audiences as she continues to grow as a musician, with an undoubtedly bright future ahead of her.
Olivia Weston
Olivia Weston has been singing in local competitions since the age of three.
About to head into year nine at West Moreton Anglican College, Olivia enjoys being part of the Ipswich music community.
She performs with the Cambrian Junior and Youth Choirs and Ipswich Musical Theatre Company Juniors, and has sung in local eisteddfods, the Ipswich Show and Cabanda Care family Christmas events.
She has been a member of the Australian Girls Choir for seven years, is currently a Choir Leader of the Brisbane Camerata Level, and has attended the State Honors Ensemble Program at the Conservatorium over several years.
On top of her impressive singing prowess, Olivia plays piano and percussion, has been involved in various ensembles and choirs in the WestMAC music program.
She has performed in Harvest Rain’s Wizard of Oz, WestMAC’s Wicked, IMTC Juniors’ Beauty and the Beast (lead role of Belle), cast in Ipswich Civic Centre’s The Sound of Music (Brigitta) and currently preparing for IMTC Juniors’ Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (lead role of Truly Scrumptious).
Although Olivia is unsure of exactly where she will take her music talents at this stage, she is sure that community music activities will always be part of her life.
Maliha Williams
At 13 years old, Maliha Williams already plays three different instruments on top of her vocal talents.
Maliha has immersed herself in anything and everything musical in her first year of high school this year and loves performing whenever she can.
Along with playing piano, Maliha plays clarinet in the Combined Colleges Concert Band, cello in the Combined Colleges String Ensemble and sings in the Combined Colleges Choir.
Maliha also performed solo at her school cultural day, and is excited to continue her love of performing in the future.
Maddie Wood
Maddie Wood is Peter Claver College’s 2022 School Music Captain and hopes to keep participating in music after her graduation.
She has been in school choirs since year one, concert bands since year five, and percussion ensembles since year seven.
Maddie has also been in five school musicals since primary school.
She is part of College Rock Band Upper Management, and also played in the RSL Youth and Community bands this year.
“My current goal for my future in the music industry is to get involved with any opportunities that come up and keep participating in music after high school,” said Maddie.
Charlotte Wright
Eighteen-year-old Charlotte Wright said her family has always stressed the importance of music to her, along with the life it brings.
“Music became part of my life from the minute I was born,” she said.
Charlotte was in multiple music groups in primary school, and wanted to continue pursuing her passion when she made the transition to secondary school.
She said being a part of the College Rock Band Upper Management has greatly impacted her music experience.
“I learned how to be part of a team, share creative ideas and created bonds and memories that has left a mark on my music heart forever,” she said.
Although Charlotte graduated this year, she hoped to ‘keep her music flame alive’.
“I hope to continue my music pathway during my tertiary studies and by doing so, I hope to make new friends and continue to encourage other musicians to share ideas and their talents,” she said.
Maddison Yasso
Sixteen-year-old Maddison Yasso said her passion of music was “sporadic” as she grew up listening to so many different genres of music.
Maddison is a talented instrumentalist, solo performer and songwriter.
She has been awarded as a Classroom Music Award recipient at Bellbird Park State Secondary College.
“My goal’s to be one day be a person who just makes the instrumentals,” she said.
“I wish to one day be successful in the music industry as a composer and contemporary pianist.”
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