Meet Bridget O'Donnell

As much as we love hearing the very top echelon of Australia’s established musicians, we are always pleased to welcome talented young performers to our concert stage. In next week’s Verbrugghen Ensemble concert (Friday 19 August 2016), one of the performers will be Bridget O’Donnell, a violinist with a great future. Young artists like Bridget are the future of music, the people who will keep chamber music alive, fresh  and vibrant.

 

                                          Bridget Odonnell with violin

                        Photo courtesy of Sydney Symphony Orchestra Fellowship

 

Bridget moved from Canberra to Sydney at the age of 15 to study with Alice Waten. She held the Ted & Susan Meller Violin Scholarship at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music where she completed her Bachelor of Music (Performance) degree, graduating at the end of 2014. She also began post graduate studies there, shortly before accepting the 2016 Sydney Symphony Fellowship position. 

Bridget was the recipient of the 2014 Ernst V. Llewellyn Traveling Scholarship, which supported her travels to the U.S where she undertook lessons with prominent violin teachers. She held the Joan McKenzie Violin Scholarship for the Sydney Sinfonia during 2015.

Bridget was a part of numerous Australian Youth Orchestra programs from 2009-2015, including the 2014 international tour of Europe with violinist Joshua Bell. She has been principle 2nd violin of the Sydney Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra and Opera Orchestra, and the Sydney Camerata.

She was the founding 2nd violinist of the Hillel Quartet, touring and performing with them from 2012-2016 throughout Australia and Europe. During her time with Hillel, she studied at ProQuartet In Paris, under the guidance of Paul Katz as well as spending time in Verona, Italy, at the inaugural Estivo Chamber Music Festival.

In 2016, Bridget has been kept busy as a Sydney Symphony Fellow with highlights including performing Schubert's 'Trout Quintet' for pianist Lang Lang, as well as master classes with concert violinists Christian Tetzlaff, Vadim Gluzman and Caroline Widmann. Recently, she performed the Prokofiev Oboe Quintet for Fine Music's 'Live from the Joan' broadcasted concert. Bridget recently won the 2017 Fellowship violin position and is looking forward to continuing her time with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

What does Bridget think of Mozart’s music? In an ABC interview  Bridget explained, modestly for such a fine musician, that while other composers demand deliberation and intent, Mozart almost plays itself "It's accessible and such beautiful music to play. It has such a purity in the sound that when you perform it, it's a complete work, you don't have to put that much into it; it plays itself."

We are looking forward to seeing Bridget perform  with the Verbrugghen Ensemble. She is  the youngest performer invited to become a member of this prestigious  group.

 

                                                                                                                   Charmain Boyakovsky

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted on Friday, 12 August 2016 at 11am