Chen is the third violinist this year to be taken on as a permanent ACO member
Australian violinist Anna da Silva Chen has become a permanent member of the Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO). Chen became an ACO Emerging Artist in 2022. This follows news of two other violinists (Thibaud Pavlovic-Hobba and Tim Yu) joining the ensemble as full-time members earlier this year.
Born in Sydney and raised in Wollongong, Chen is an alumna of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. She studied with Dr Robin Wilson and Alice Waten in Sydney, as well as Mihaela Martin in Cologne, Germany. She has also taken lessons from Eberhard Feltz, Ilya Gringolts, Johannes Meissl, Maxim Vengerov, Barnabás Kelemen and Boris Kuschnir.
Chen received first place at the Kendall National Violin Competition, Australia’s National Youth Concerto Competition, KPO’s NSW Concerto Competition, the Sydney Conservatorium’s Concerto Competition, and other competitions and prizes. She has also been a frequent finalist in the ABC Young Performers Awards. Internationally, she was a semi-finalist in the Menuhin International Violin Competition, a laureate at the Vienna and Gisborne international music competitions and was selected to compete in the Carl Nielsen International Competition.
As a soloist, Chen has performed with major Australian orchestras such as the Sydney, Adelaide, Queensland, Tasmanian and Canberra symphony orchestras as well as various regional, youth and community orchestras. She made her German debut in 2020 with the Göttingen Symphony Orchestra, toured Spain as a soloist with the SCM Wind Symphony Orchestra, performed several concerts and tutored chamber ensembles at the 2022 Orlando Festival, and led a performance of Ligeti’s Melodien at the 2024 Chigiana International Festival in Italy.
Chen is a founding member of the Alma Moodie Quartet and has performed as a guest violinist in chamber groups such as the Australia Ensemble, Omega Ensemble, Australia Piano Quartet, Ensemble Q, and Selby & Friends, and has featured as soloist, guest director, and concertmaster of Ensemble Apex. She has also performed as a festival artist in the Canberra International, Tasmanian, Brycefield Estate, and Newcastle music festivals.
The ACO is one of the world’s leading chamber ensembles, and is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. It has been under the artistic directorship of its leader, Australian violinist Richard Tognetti, since 1990.
Read: New full-time violinist joins Australian Chamber Orchestra
Read: Australian Chamber Orchestra brings in new full-time violinist
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