ABOUT FIONA SARGEANT

Fiona Sargeant is a classical musician known for her exceptional talent as a viola player. She discovered her love for music performance while studying at the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School. Fiona's further studies included chamber music and viola performance under Hermann Voss, Melos Quartet at the Hochschule für Musik und Dartstellende Kunst in Stuttgart

Fiona has had the privilege of studying under Ulrich Koch, Wolfram Christ, and Gérard Caussé. During her time in Germany, Fiona achieved the distinction of being a Finalist at the Maurice Vieux International Viola Competition.

Throughout her career, Fiona has held esteemed positions, including Principal Violist of the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne and the Det Jyske Ensemble in Denmark, as well as Associate Principal Violist of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Additionally, she was honoured to be a founding member of the viola section of the Australian World Orchestra, collaborating with renowned conductors such as Zubin Mehta, Simone Young, Sir Simon Rattle, and Alex Briger. Fiona's chamber music endeavours have seen her perform alongside esteemed musicians such as Emmanuel Ax and James Ehnes at the Melbourne Recital Centre. Notable festival appearances include performances with the Australian String Quartet and Seraphim Trio at the Port Fairy Festival, where she also showcased her talent in performing 'Harold in Italy' with pianist Piers Lane. Fiona has also participated in festivals such as the Schwetzingen Festspiele, the Oberstdorf Music Festival joining the Melos Quartet, and the Pablo Casals Festival in Puerto Rico.

Fiona's repertoire as a solo viola performer encompasses a wide range of works, including concertos by Bartók and Hoffmeister, as well as the Hummel Fantasy, Schubert Arpeggione, and Max Bruch's double concerto for viola and clarinet, which she has performed with orchestras in Stuttgart, Melbourne, including the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne and Baden Baden Philharmonic. In addition to her performance career, Fiona has held various teaching positions at esteemed institutions such as the Australian National Academy of Music and the University of Melbourne.

ABOUT LEIGH HARROLD

Leigh Harrold enjoys a reputation as a “musician of rare talent and intelligence”, and is one of Australia’s busiest and most sought-after pianists. He has performed extensively throughout Europe, North America, Africa and Australia as both soloist and chamber musician, including concerts at Australia House in London, the Royal Academy of Music, the Mozarteum in Salzburg, the Harare International Festival of Arts, and concerto engagements with many Australian orchestras.

His international reputation as an associate artist has led to collaborations with such luminaries as Thomas Reibl, lecturer in viola at the Salzburg Mozarteum; Michael Cox, principal flautist with the BBC Symphony Orchestra; Daniel Gaede, ex-concertmaster of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra; London flautist Wissam Boustany; New York violinist Charles Castleman; Swedish soprano Camilla Tilling; and British pianist Mark Gasser, to name just a few. Other significant international collaborations have included performance and studies with Andrew Ball at the London Royal College of Music; Sophie Cherrier at the Paris Conservatoire; New York-based pianist Lisa Moore and English composer Peter Maxwell Davies. He has twice been awarded the Geoffrey Parsons Award for Associate Artists, and in 2014 was the recipient of the pianist’s prize in the Mietta Song Competition.