Head of Vocal

stephanie johnston - vocal teacher and Choir Conductor

BMus, DipMus (CQUniversity), CertPerf (Piano & Voice)

Stephanie is a soprano who has been learning and performing music since early childhood. She has spent much of the last two decades performing in solo recitals, choirs, musical theatre productions, chamber or jazz ensembles and events singing. Music has also taken her internationally, with performances and professional development in Canada, New Zealand, Malaysia and the United States.

Stephanie prioritises ongoing professional development, especially for choir singing and choral direction. Over her career, she has had the opportunity to sing under the baton of many internationally acclaimed conductors, including Carl Crossin OAM, Rollo Dillworth, Simon Halsey CBE, Paul Holley, Rowan Johnston, Mark O’Leary OAM, Drs Rosphanye and William Powell, Clare Preston, Dr Elizabeth Scott, Carrie Tennant, Johnathan Welch AM and Lyn Williams AM. These experiences have shaped her love of working with choirs and inspired her vision for future choral development in the Riverina.

As a teacher, Stephanie recognises the benefits and rewards of music education and aims to 'share the joy of music' with students of all ages in their individual musical journeys. She works with students to realise their potential and often prepares students for solo performances, HSC, AMEB/ABRSM exams, Eisteddfods and auditions (including musical theatre, Gondwana National Choral School and tertiary auditions).

Because she grew up in a regional city, Stephanie has a unique perspective on the rewards and challenges of learning music in a rural area. She is committed to increasing the good musical opportunities available for regional students in Wagga. Stephanie joined the RCM teaching team in 2022 and began her role as Head of Vocal Studies in 2026. She teaches classical and contemporary voice. Stephanie is pleased to work in such a vibrant, collaborative musical environment at the RCM and to share the goal of providing ‘quality music and performance that is accessible to all, enriching lives and communities in the Riverina.’

PETER CASEY - VOCAL TEACHER and choir conductor

Dip. Mus (Jazz Studies), B.Ed, UC.

Peter studied Jazz at the Canberra School of Music, majoring in Voice, and holds a Bachelor of Education from Canberra University.

Peter has worked as a performer, writer and accompanist in cabaret and musical theatre for over thirty years. He appeared with dozens of singers at the Queanbeyan School of Arts Café and Tilbury Hotel, Sydney, and has worked as a pit musician and Musical Director for The Really Useful Group, Sydney Theatre Company, David Atkins, The Gordon Frost Organisation , Harry M. Miller, and The Ensemble Theatre.

Peter won the Sydney Cabaret Convention with his first one-man show, Closes On Saturday Night, and has since co-written and performed three more solo shows – Alone, Renaissance Bloke, and I Am Sick to Death of Hearing About the Weimar Republic.

Peter’s composer/lyricist credits include Angry Penguins (Olympics Arts Festival), The Windows Project (Australian Theatre for Young People), Too Hot to Handle (Jigsaw Theatre Co), Tiger Look at This, The Canberra Cantata (Canberra International Music Festival), The Devil Builds a Chapel (New Opera Ventures Australia), and The Lizard of Oz (Crow Crow Productions).

Peter’s other activities have included improvising entire musicals for ACT Impro, and contributing piano and songs to ABC-TV’s Play School.

KATHERINE CHOI - vocal teacher

BMus (Music Ed), MEd (Sydney)

Katherine has completed her Bachelor of Music (Music Education) at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 2010. She is also a qualified Special Education teacher who works as a secondary teacher with the Department of Education and communities as she has also completed her Master of Education (Special and Inclusive Education) at the University of Sydney.

During her studies at the Conservatorium, she had studied piano under Lyall Duke had previously studied piano with Stephanie McCallum. Katherine has had many years of experiences teaching piano as she had been teaching since 2007. As a music teacher, she has prepared students for their exams (such as AMEB and Trinity exams) and had also prepared HSC students for the performance and written exams. She had also previously run her own piano studio and worked as a piano teacher in Sydney before moving to Wagga.

Also Katherine also specialises in voice as she had studied voice under Dallas Watts in Sydney, and was a member of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music Chamber Choir. She has also participated in performances, studio recitals and had also been in ABC live recordings in performances with the Sydney Conservatorium of Music Chamber Choir.

Katherine is a passionate teacher, who is able to teach all types of learners

Rosemary De battista - Vocal Teacher

Rosemary is a singer, vocal teacher, and choir conductor, currently completing her final year of a Bachelor of Music at Central Queensland University (CQU) where she has enjoyed learning about sound engineering and the technology of music along with honing her vocal technique. Rosemary began learning music at a young age, beginning piano at age 5 and learning to sing throughout her early childhood into her high school years. Rosemary began studying at the Riverina Conservatorium of Music while undertaking her HSC, where she became fully immersed in the community and culture of the RCM. She joined the choir at Saint Michael’s Cathedral at the age of 8, where she is now the Musical Director, leading the choir’s weekly Sunday Mass and Christmas and Easter performances. Rosemary loves singing and performing, and has been involved in many local community theatre productions, including Pirates of Penzance and the Sound of Music, and has competed in the Wagga Wagga Eisteddfod.

Rosemary joined the Riverina Conservatorium of Music staff as a vocal teacher in 2024. She loves working with younger students who are just starting out on their musical journeys. Her favourite part about teaching singing is nurturing young students to improve their musical abilities, supporting students in every step of their musical development. Rosemary strives to provide an entertaining learning environment, spreading the joy of music to her students and choir members.

Alexandra Nugent - Vocal Teacher

Alexandra began her vocal training at the Riverina Conservatorium of Music in 2003. In 2007, she was selected for its student tutor programme, where she developed skills in teaching and vocal development. She is delighted to return to the Conservatorium as a contemporary vocal teacher.

Alexandra has performed locally since 2007 in various duos and bands, at events and venues throughout the region. Her musical theatre experience includes Legally Blonde the Musical (2015) and Wicked (2017), and she has performed as a backing vocalist for Wagga Wagga Takes Two every year since 2018. Her experience as a Kindermusik educator strengthened her enthusiasm for music education and for nurturing students’ confidence, creativity and enjoyment of music. Alexandra brings warmth, energy and patience to her teaching and is passionate about helping students discover their abilities and experience the satisfaction of making progress.

Her teaching combines technical foundations with interpretation and performance, helping students develop their voices and communicate with confidence and authenticity. She values exploring a range of styles, including contemporary music, jazz, musical theatre and country, and tailors repertoire to students’ interests, abilities and goals while encouraging them to embrace new challenges. Alexandra is preparing to begin a Master of Secondary Education and hopes to pursue further study in music and vocal pedagogy. She is committed to ongoing professional development to strengthen her teaching and provide informed, supportive vocal training.

Noemi Gagliano - Vocal Teacher

AFAM (Vocal Chamber Music)

Noemi Gagliano graduated with top honors from the “Giulio Briccialdi” Conservatory in Terni, one of Italy's most prestigious music institutions. She has taught vocal students of all ages all over the world.

She has performed on renowned stages in Italy and abroad, including the National Theatre of Jerusalem, the Italian Embassy, and the State Jewish Theatre in Bucharest.

Her repertoire spans from opera to folk and contemporary music, with appearances at the Jerusalem Opera Festival and the Yiddish Festival Distinguished for her elegance and expressive artistry, she is frequently invited by major cultural institutions such as the Italian Cultural Institute and the National Library of Bucharest

judy FERGUSON - murrumbidgee magic choir director

GradDipEd (Primary), Certified Director (Sweet Adelines International)

Judy Ferguson is the musical director of Murrumbidgee Magic Chorus. Her unstinting effort and enthusiasm keeps the chorus working hard while having a worthwhile educational experience and a lot of fun besides.

In her role Judy has directed performances at the Opera House Sydney, Entertainment Centres in Brisbane, Perth and Hobart as well as venues throughout the British Isles and Nordlingen, Germany.

Judy has been a member of Murrumbidgee Magic since 1995, serving as Assistant Director until 2017 when she became Director,

She has been involved with music in the schools for many years, directing the Wagga Wagga Combined Primary Schools Senior Choir for many years as well as co-directing the Riverina Central Choir.

Judy is also the director of Wagga City Rugby Male Choir, a group of 80 members who sing a repertoire from traditional male voiced music to contempory.

In addition to individual and group learning opportunities, the RCM vocal Department also offers both students and community musicians with access to many different ensembles including: