RSM LEGACY
Home of the first Conservatorium of Music Melbourne, 1898
A NAME
Named after our founder and Artistic Director, James Robert Taylor, RSM honours a distinguished musical lineage spanning more than a century.
The academy proudly carries forward the legacy of his great-great-grandfather, Albert Parkes, and great-grandfather, Cecil (Rob) Parkes, widely recognised as Australia’s first violin prodigy.
This heritage reflects not only a family history of exceptional musical achievement, but a deep and enduring commitment to artistry, education, and the transmission of knowledge from one generation to the next.
A Living Tradition
Albert Parkes (1868–1948) began violin studies at the age of seven and later trained at the Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London. As a teenager, he moved to Covent Garden, where he pursued professional fellowship and concert work with the Royal Ballet and Opera, establishing himself as both a respected performer and educator.
In 1898, Albert emigrated to Melbourne, Australia with his wife and two children to continue his work in music education. He joined the Marshall-Hall Conservatorium of Music (later the Conservatorium of Music Melbourne) as part of its inaugural string faculty, and was a core member of the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Orchestra—an ensemble with which James Robert Taylor has also been a member.
Albert’s influence extended well beyond his own career. Both his son and granddaughter later taught at the Conservatorium, cementing a multigenerational contribution to Australia’s musical foundations.
Australia's First Prodigy
Cecil Parkes (1902–1981) began the violin at just four years of age, primarily under the guidance of his father, Albert. By the age of nine, he was performing publicly at both Conservatorium Hall and Melbourne Town Hall.
Cecil’s extraordinary talent came to the attention of Dame Nellie Melba, who introduced him to visiting professors from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. By the age of eleven, arrangements were made for Cecil to travel to the United States to study violin under Eugène Ysaÿe. In 1917, Melba took the young violinist on an extensive world tour through the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia, where he performed on stage alongside her before returning to Melbourne.
Cecil went on to enjoy a distinguished international career as a soloist, performing regularly with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Royal Melbourne Philharmonic, and Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. He was a founding member of the Strad Trio, worked extensively as a performing artist with ABC Radio, and toured Australia and New Zealand regularly.
In 1932, Cecil appeared in Australia’s first music film, premiered at the Regent Theatre. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, he continued his work as a Professor of Violin at the Conservatorium of Music, Melbourne, and held guest lecturing positions at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and the USC Thornton School of Music, as well as a professorship at the Royal College of Music, London.
RSM TODAY
A NEW GENERATION
Margaret Griffiths OAM (née Parkes, 1929–2023), like her father before her, began violin studies at the age of four. While not labelled a prodigy, she was a gifted and highly musical violinist who began performing on the ABC Young Talent Time radio program by the age of twelve, and regularly appeared alongside her father at Melbourne Town Hall.
Margaret studied with Gertrude Healey at the Melba Memorial Conservatorium (formerly the Marshall-Hall Conservatorium, Conservatorium of Music Melbourne, and later the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music). At just nineteen, she successfully won a position as tutti first violin with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and began teaching at the Conservatorium the following year.
She later held tenure with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and taught at the Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music. Following her retirement from the Conservatorium in 2002, Margaret served as Head of Strings at Loreto Mandeville Hall and St Kevin’s College.
In 2014, she was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for her outstanding service to music education and the community.
Today, RSM stands as a continuation of this legacy—a place where tradition meets innovation, and where young musicians are nurtured with the same depth of care, excellence, and artistic integrity that has defined the Parkes lineage for generations.
Under the expert guidance of Artistic Director James Robert Taylor and Co-Director, concert pianist Le Chen, RSM has established itself as Sydney’s premier music academy for both instruction and opportunity, offering a level of training shaped by international standards and lived professional experience.
This legacy is carried forward through the Young Talents School and the Parkes Collection, which provide gifted young musicians with the guidance, resources, and performance opportunities essential for the strongest possible foundation in a professional musical career.
THE ACADEMY
WHERE TO FIND US...
ADDRESS
227 COMMONWEALTH STREET
SURRY HILLS NSW 2010
PHONE
+61 438 233 965
