Radford College' Director of Ensambles, Ms Olivia Faletoese, is not only a dedicated educator, but also an award-winning musician. She forms part of a band Archie that recently won the award for "Best Release of the Year 2023" at The Music ACT Music Awards (MAMA's).


How long have you been a musician and which instrument do you play?

I have been playing bass guitar since I was 12 and I picked up guitar around the age of 16. I also sing and have been a professional, performing musician for the past seven years. I moved to Canberra from Bateman's Bay in 2018 to study music at ANU.

Tell us a little about Archie and how you got involved with playing in this band.

I met Grant (vocals/guitar), Xandy (drums) and Geromy (guitar/synth) at ANU and we started jamming in 2018. We formed the band naming ourselves 'Archie' after Xandy's dog and we began writing originals and have been playing gigs ever since. Some of our most notable performances have been alongside Benee, Ball Park Music, Lime Cordiale, The Rubens, as well as other Canberra artists, SAFIA, Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers, Sesame Girl, Citizen Kay and Lucy Sugerman. We also played at Radford Rocks 2023, and we were able to teach and encourage our Contemporary Ensembles as a band.

Archie won a major award for Lowtide. Tell us a bit more about this.

Lowtide is an indie rock feel-good tune about having a great time with your friends, released as a single in September last year. We were lucky enough to receive a grant from ArtsACT to go to The Grove Studios in Gosford to record our EP Tell the people you love that you love them which features Lowtide. In December of 2023 we won the MAMAs award for "Best Release of the Year 2023" and we are so thankful to our community for voting for us.

How long have you been at Radford College and what do you enjoy most about your current role?

I have been Director of Ensembles at Radford since July 2022. We provide a space and assistance for students to pursue the contemporary music they are passionate about and sometimes their own originals. I love this role as I get to see students choose and develop their sound as a band. My favourite time of the year is when the ensembles perform and get an understanding of how fun and rewarding a gig can be.

How does being a performing artist influence the way you approach your role as Director of Ensembles?

As a performing artist I am able to teach students using my own personal experience. I have a Bachelor's Degree in Music, yet I have learnt the most through gigging and performances. I want to be able to show students with a passion for music that it is possible to be a professional gigging musician and it's highly rewarding.