Our Committee
President
Janet Agostino
Janet is a Life Member of the Classical Guitar Society and has been involved in organizing the annual Sydney Guitar Summer School over the last two decades.
As a founding member of the Sydney Guitar Quartet, Sydney Guitar Trio and Duo Agostino (with husband, Raffaele), Janet has a special interest in guitar ensemble music, having played with numerous Sydney ensembles and orchestras.
Janet holds the Fellowship from the Trinity College of London, has degrees in Special Education and Gifted Education, and a PhD on transcriptions of music for classical guitar ensembles.
Janet is proud to be the CGS President since 2024 and aims to bring a diverse range of stimulating playing experiences to the members. She is director of the Sydney Guitar Collective as well as guest conductor of the Classical Guitar Society Orchestra. Janet aspires to have more free time, in which to play viola with Kuring-gai Philharmonic Orchestra.
Vice President
Dan Sharkey
Artistic Director
Raffaele Agostino
Raffaele Agostino is a founding member and Life Member of the CGS. He is a freelance musician, teacher and an examiner for the A.M.E.B and holds a Fellowship from Trinity College of London.
Raffaele is a founding member of the Sydney Guitar Quartet (1981), the Sydney Guitar Trio (1996) and has performed with various prominent Australian musicians. He has appeared at numerous Guitar Festivals, including the Darwin International Guitar Festival, Taranaki Summer School (NZ), Dillington and the West Dean Guitar Festivals (UK) and Classical Guitar Corner (USA). He has recorded several CDs including solo, Duo Agostino, Sydney Guitar Trio and most recently with Duo Agostino and Rachel Scott (cello).
Raffaele has a special interest in ensemble playing. As Artistic Director of the Classical Guitar Society Sydney, his main ambition is to provide various opportunities for Society members to experience the unique excitement that comes with rehearsing and performing in an ensemble. He has been the driving force in organizing the annual Sydney Summer School for almost three decades.
Raffaele’s hobbies include tennis and reading.
Secretary
Bob Talbot
Bob Talbot is a retired Electrical Engineer. He is an inaugural member of the Classical Guitar Society Inc and Life Member and the Secretary/Public Officer. He is a regular playing member of the CGS orchestra and members ensembles. Bob is passionate to uphold the Societies charter and has organised benefit concerts at Anglicare, Castle Hill, Sydney for more than 20 years.
Bob is also an artist with works recorded in the NRAA (Nat. Reg. Aust. Art & Artist), a member of Hornsby Art Society and exhibits at bluethumb art gallery. He believes practising art and classical guitar are complementary. Bob was a member with Australian Toastmasters (public speaking) for 15 years and is a keen club competition golfer.
Treasurer
John Huff
Originally from the UK, John came to Australia with his partner in 1998 and joined the Society at it’s 10th anniversary party in 2001. He has been a frequent member of the CGS Orchestra. He became Treasurer in 2017.
John retired at the end of 2025, having worked in IT at the University of Sydney.
He is a long term student with the Early Dance Consort at North Sydney.
Committee Member
Andrew Blanch
Andrew is one of Australia's leading professional classical guitarists very active on the concert circuit here and overseas. He has had a long association with the Society having studied guitar in his early years with former president Christopher Keane, attended his first Sydney Guitar Summer School in 200?(Trying to track this down!), and entered the Society sponsored guitar events at the Sydney Eisteddfod many times throughout his formative years.
He values the opportunity to give back to a community that he felt gave so much to him over the years, and in his free time can often be found playing tennis (occasionally with certain other committee members!), cycling, and going to theatre/music/art shows around Sydney.
Committee Member
Manuel Diewald
Manuel is a professional guitarist and teacher based in Sydney with a B.Mus (Hons) first class in music pedagogy. He has been involved with the Society since 2014, studying the classical guitar from Artistic Director, Raffaele Agostino. Manuel performs in a duo with Flutist Rachel Woolley.
Manuel has always valued the education he received from his teachers which has inspired him to give back to the Society and the community.
In his free time, Manuel enjoys going for bush walks, hikes, going to the beach, and has recently gotten into the art of Bonsai.
Committee Member
Bob Harrison
Bob Harrison is a retired Physicist who has had a life-long interest and enjoyment of many forms of music. He initially studied piano (from age 8) but moved to guitar at around age 15 after hearing a recording of Segovia playing the Bach Chaconne.
He has maintained his interest as an amateur musician through involvement in the Society and regular playing of solos and with other guitars and other instruments.
Committee Member
Sue McCreadie
Sue McCreadie is an arts and film policy advisor. She studied guitar at various stages with Antonio Losada, John Duarte and Raffaele Agostino. Early in her career she worked for Guitar Magazine in London and edited the Classical Guitar Companion for New Musical Services.
After studying at the London School of Economics she moved into policy and research work but later returned to music study at Sydney Uni, graduating with first class honours in musicology.
Sue has been involved with the society since the early nineties and has presented the Classical Guitar Society program on 2MBS Sydney since its inception in 1998. She enjoys jazz clubs, new music concerts and relaxing with a nice shiraz.
Committee Member
Jacob Wielgosz
Jacob Wielgosz is a classical guitarist and music director based in Western Sydney. He has been involved with the Sydney Classical Guitar Society since 2009, and has also founded and facilitated monthly meetings of the Penrith Classical Guitar Club since 2014. Jacob studied at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music with many tutors, including Raffaele Agostino.
He teaches at the Penrith Conservatorium and from his studio Rooty Hill, and is Music Director at Good Shepherd Parish, Plumpton.
Jacob has always maintained an interest in luthiery, having built many fine classical guitars. Current musical projects include arranging and publishing the works of Joe Hisaishi for guitar. Hobbies include cycling, running, and The Legend of Zelda.
Committee Member
Giuseppe Zangari
Giuseppe Zangari is an active teacher and performer on the classical guitar and has been associated with the Classical Guitar Society of Sydney for many years. The society has a great supportive community of guitarists and he feels to give back to the community that has supported him through the years.
Giuseppe has been a tutor at the annual Summer School and participated in various concerts and events over the years. He will continue to publicise and emphasise the importance of any activities and events of the society.
Giuseppe sees the importance of maintaining musical connections with members whilst providing a link to promoting and nurturing the future generations of guitarists.
Giuseppe has performed throughout Australia and Internationally with many local and international artists and was Lecturer in Guitar at University of Newcastle, Conservatorium and the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. He is also an A.M.E.B. examiner in Guitar.
Giuseppe is the principal of Sydney Guitar School, a specialist guitar school with a dedicated team of teachers with locations in Five Dock, Kirribilli and the Sydney CBD. In his spare time, Giuseppe likes to ‘play more guitar’