About the Berky Music Academy
Established in 1986
The Berky Music Academy has been providing high-quality music education since 1986, offering first-class tuition in performance and musicology from internationally renowned musicians and teachers.
Students are welcomed from beginner through to advanced levels. Our comprehensive tuition and masterclass programs cater for all levels of musicianship, from recreational music-making through to formal examinations, competitions and concert-standard performance.
The Berky Music Academy specialises in expert tuition in:
♦ Flute
♦ Recorder
♦ Oboe
♦ Clarinet
♦ Saxophone
♦ Music History
♦ Harmony
♦ Melody
♦ Aural Training
♦ Rhythm
♦ Music Theory
♦ Musicianship
Both Albin Berky and Julia Fekete-Berky are accredited teachers through the Sydney University Conservatorium of Music and have extensive performance and teaching experience in Europe and Australia.
Our teaching approach is progressive and individually tailored, enabling students to develop from learning simple melodies and popular music through to advanced repertoire, including 12-bar blues, major sonatas and concertos.
Advanced Repertoire
Clarinet
Repertoire includes major sonatas and concertos by composers such as Mozart, Weber, Nelson and Françaix.
Saxophone
Advanced repertoire includes sonatas and concertos by Glazunov, Ibert and Milhaud.
Oboe
Students may study repertoire ranging from the sonatas and concertos of Vivaldi and Mozart through to works by Strauss, Martinů, Ibert and Hidas.
Flute
Flute repertoire extends from Vivaldi, Quantz and Mozart through to Ibert, Nielsen, Boulez and Stockhausen.
Recorder
Students explore works such as Vivaldi's concertos, with particular emphasis on historical style, musical phrasing, articulation and the development of a distinctive and expressive sound.
Julia Fekete Berky
Dip.Mus.Perf, Dip.Mus.Educ.
(Bratislava Conservatorium of Music)
Julia Fekete-Berky, Director of the Berky Music Academy, was born in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia, and became an Australian citizen in 1981.
Julia graduated from the Bratislava State Conservatorium of Music, where she completed six years of study, followed by three years at university. Her principal study was flute, complemented by studies in music theory, music history and piano.
For more than six years, Julia served as Principal Flautist with the National Orchestra of Czechoslovakia, touring extensively throughout Czechoslovakia, France, Germany, Austria, Cuba and Africa. She also performed as a soloist in the USSR and Sweden.
Julia's professional experience encompasses orchestral performance, solo performance, chamber music, television and radio broadcasting, as well as popular and dance music. While still a student, she performed with the Radio Symphony Orchestra and Television Orchestra in Bratislava, appearing in numerous television and radio broadcasts.
She also performed as a solo flute artist in a documentary film about the life and work of Johann Nepomuk Hummel.
Awards and Competitions
In 1975, Julia was awarded First Prize in the Conservatorium Flute Competition. In 1977, she received Second Prize in the same competition and was also awarded First Prize in a university-wide competition open to all instruments.
In 1981, Julia participated in the prestigious International Competition at the Prague Spring Festival.
Career in Australia
After arriving in Australia in 1981, Julia joined the Riverina College of Advanced Education, now Charles Sturt University, where she lectured in music. She also became a member of the Riverina Trio.
She performed extensively as a soloist and chamber musician, including numerous ABC Radio broadcasts and public recitals throughout Sydney, Canberra, Newcastle and regional New South Wales and the ACT.
In 1982, Julia won First Prize in the Newcastle Mattara Festival Concerto Competition, performing Jacques Ibert's Flute Concerto with orchestra.
In 1985, she returned to Europe and participated in a flute competition broadcast by Radio Munich in the Federal Republic of Germany, performing a broad selection of the flute repertoire and becoming a finalist.
In 1987, Julia was appointed Principal Flautist with the Sydney Opera Ensemble Orchestra.
From 1989–1991, Julia served as a Specialist Flute Examiner for the Australian Music Examinations Board.
Since 1986, she has been Director of the Berky Music Academy, while continuing her career as a freelance soloist and flautist with The Berky Trio.
From 1993–1995, and again in 2000, Julia was a Flute Lecturer at the Australian International Conservatorium of Music.
Teaching Achievements
Throughout her teaching career, Julia has helped develop musicians who have gone on to become professional orchestral flautists, soloists and flute teachers both in Australia and internationally.
Her students have achieved approximately 150 awards and prizes in NSW Eisteddfods and music competitions, across a wide range of categories.
Julia's teaching philosophy combines rigorous technical development with musical expression, encouraging students to develop not only their performance skills but also their understanding, interpretation and appreciation of music.
Dr. Albin Berky
PhD (UK) Honoris Causa, Dip.Mus.Perf, Dip.Mus.Ed. (Bratislava Conservatorium of Music)
Dr Albin Berky, Director of the Berky Music Academy, is an accomplished musician, educator, woodwind specialist and musicologist with an extensive career spanning Europe and Australia.
He is the son of Prof. Albin Berky Snr., the internationally renowned cellist and distinguished music educator. Albin Jnr. was born in Czechoslovakia and commenced his musical studies at an early age.
In 1968–1969, Albin studied violin at the Royal Academy of Music in Dublin, while his father was serving as Visiting Professor of Cello at the Academy.
Albin became an Australian citizen in 1981.
Musical Education and Early Career
From 1970 to 1977, Albin undertook seven years of study at the State Conservatorium of Music in Bratislava, specialising in oboe and undertaking additional studies in music history, music theory, piano and conducting.
His broad musical interests and expertise extend across numerous areas, including woodwind pedagogy, arranging, composition and performance. His instrumental studies and performance experience include recorder, flute, oboe, clarinet and saxophone, as well as classical percussion and guitar.
Albin has performed across a wide range of musical genres, including classical, jazz-rock, popular, dance and folk music, giving him an unusually broad perspective as both a performer and educator.
Several of his original compositions and arrangements have been performed and broadcast on radio and television in Bratislava.
In 1975, Albin was awarded a prize in the Conservatorium Oboe Competition. Following this achievement, he toured extensively throughout Europe as a freelance musician, performing with orchestras and chamber ensembles. He also taught at the Bratislava School of Music in Slovakia.
Career in Australia
Albin arrived in Australia in 1980, beginning his teaching career in Sydney and joining the Australian Chamber Orchestra.
From 1981, he lectured at the Riverina College of Advanced Education, now Charles Sturt University, as part of the Associate Diploma of Arts program. During this period, he established woodwind teaching programs at Conservatorium Centres in Wagga Wagga and Albury, as well as at the community-based School of Music in Griffith.
Throughout his teaching career, Albin has developed and mentored numerous musicians who have gone on to become professional music teachers, orchestral musicians and soloists in Australia and internationally.
His students have collectively achieved approximately 150 awards and prizes in NSW Eisteddfods and music competitions, across a range of instrumental categories including oboe, clarinet, recorder and saxophone.
Performance and Broadcasting
Albin was instrumental in establishing the Riverina Trio and served as its leader until 1986.
As a member of the Trio and as a soloist, he has performed extensively throughout New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, giving numerous public recitals and appearing in broadcasts on ABC Radio.
His extensive contribution to music and the wider community has been recognised through inclusion in international biographical publications, including Who's Who in the World and Outstanding People of the 20th Century.
Professional Appointments and Achievements
1986
♦ President of the Slovak Art Association Sydney.
♦ Appointed Woodwind Lecturer at Sydney College of Advanced Education, now part of the University of Sydney.
♦ Established the Berky Music Academy, where he continues as Director.
♦ Continued his career as a freelance musician, woodwind specialist and oboist with The Berky Trio.
1993 – 2000
♦ Woodwind Lecturer at the Australian International Conservatorium of Music.
1995
♦ Project Manager and Liaison for the Slovak Cultural Mission Australia Tour '95 and the Bratislava Conservatorium Chamber Choir.
♦ Coordinated a major program of 17 recitals presented in Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne.
2003
♦ Awarded a Doctor of Music, Honoris Causa, from Ansted University, British Virgin Islands, in recognition of his contribution to music and music education, his dedication to the development of woodwind pedagogy and musicology, and his application of these disciplines in music education.
Contribution to Music Education
Dr Albin Berky's career reflects a lifelong commitment to music performance, education, woodwind pedagogy and the development of emerging musicians.
His teaching encompasses both technical excellence and a broad understanding of music, incorporating instrumental performance, music theory, history, musicianship and the practical application of these disciplines.
Through the Berky Music Academy and his earlier academic and professional appointments, Dr Berky has contributed to the development of generations of musicians in Australia and overseas. His former students continue to work across the profession as performers, educators, orchestral musicians and soloists.
His extensive experience as a performer across classical, contemporary and popular musical genres, together with his academic background and international career, provides the foundation for a comprehensive and highly individual approach to music education.
Albin & Julia are certified for Working with Children by NSW Commission for Children