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Canberra Today 27°/30° | Tuesday, March 19, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Sheena announced as new string quartet chair

New chair, Sheena Boughen

THE Australian String Quartet has today (September 23) announced NSW south coast arts identity and cultural advocate, Sheena Boughen, as the successor to chair Nicholas Callinan, who will retire from the role at the end of the year.

Boughen, who joined the ASQ board earlier this year, has been appointed chair-elect effective immediately.

The string quartet, whose director of learning and engagement is Canberra-trained violist Stephen King, a regular visitor to Canberra and was praised in June by “CityNews” music reviewer Clinton White for its “precision and empathy” in a concert at the NGA.

As chair Callinan oversaw major changes in the quartet’s playing group, the rebuilding of its financial reserves, while also championing the Richard Divall Fund for Australian Music and the organisation’s investment in digital innovation.

Retiring chair, Nicholas Callinan

ASQ chief executive Angelina Zucco, while thanking Callinan, described Boughen’s appointment as “a real coup for us,” saying: “Her passion for people and the arts, and her global experience in strategy and culture, make her the perfect fit for our ambitious vision for the future”.

Boughen is best known to Canberra music lovers as the co-founder and long-time chair of the Four Winds Festival in Barragga Bay on the Far South Coast of NSW, where she lives.

Boughen said: “I look forward to bringing my national and regional eyes and ears to help shape the next era for the ASQ, and being chair is a leadership role I fully embrace as we seek to bring their beautiful music into people’s hearts and souls.”

She told “CityNews” this morning that once it was possible, she hopes to go on the road with the quartet to meet audiences and connect with  communities.

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Helen Musa

Helen Musa

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