Tutors

Sophie Rowell Artistic Director

Sophie Rowell is a leading Australian violinist and Artistic Director of the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra. Her career spans solo, chamber, orchestral, and teaching work in Australia and internationally.

She was Co-Concertmaster of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (2015–2022) and is Associate Professor of Violin at the University of Melbourne. A prizewinner at the ABC Young Performer Award and Salzburg Mozart Competition, she founded the Tankstream Quartet, later the Australian String Quartet, performing worldwide.

Sophie has appeared with major orchestras including the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, and leading Australian symphony orchestras, and is recognised for her dynamic leadership and musical versatility.

 

Francesca Hiew – Violin

The second youngest of seven children, Francesca Hiew grew up immersed in music, surrounded by the sounds of her older siblings playing their instruments. She began violin lessons at the age of four at the Stoliarsky School of Music in Brisbane with Mark Lakirovich and Emin Tagiev.

Francesca completed a Bachelor of Music at the Queensland Conservatorium with Michele Walsh before continuing studies at the Australian National Academy of Music under William Hennessy. During this period, she was a core member of the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra and a founding member of the Auric Quartet, finalists in the Asia Pacific Chamber Music Competition and the Trondheim International Chamber Music Competition.

In 2014, Francesca joined the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and in 2016 was appointed Second Violinist and Co-Artistic Director of the Australian String Quartet. Her work with the quartet spans performance, teaching and recording, alongside regular collaboration with leading Australian and international musicians and composers.

Francesca has a passion for teaching and regularly tutors at conservatoriums and schools across the country, as well as for the Australian Youth Orchestra and the Australian National Academy of Music. She has also served as a panellist for the Musica Viva Strike-a-Chord Competition and the Brisbane International Youth Music Competition, and regularly performs at the Music by the Springs Festival and for the Lyrebird Music Society.

Thomas Chawner – Viola

Thomas Chawner is a highly accomplished violist and founding member of the Orava Quartet. He studied at the University of Sydney and the University of Colorado, Boulder, training under members of the Takács Quartet.

With extensive chamber and orchestral experience, Thomas has performed at major festivals, including the Australian Festival of Chamber Music and Musica Viva Festival. As part of the Orava Quartet, he has recorded two albums under the Deutsche Grammophon label.

He has held principal and guest principal viola positions with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Camerata – Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra, and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, among others. His work continues to shape the Australian classical music scene through performances, recordings, and international collaborations.

 

Blair Harris – Cello

Blair Harris is considered among Australia’s leading cellists and chamber musicians.

Blair has appeared as soloist and principal cello in both the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra.

Blair joined the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra as principal cello in 2023.

Blair is also a member of Ensemble Offspring, playing a major role in the commissioning and creation of Australia’s musical future. As a passionate educator Blair holds a position at Monash University as lecturer in cello performance.

Rachael Tobin – Cello

Rachael is the Associate Principal Cellist of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. She studied at the Royal Academy of Music, London, and completed a Masters’ degree at Mannes College of Music, New York. She has performed as a soloist at the Park Lane Group’s New Year Series (London) and concertos with The London Soloists’ Chamber Orchestra and the Mannes Symphony Orchestra.

Rachael has won the Macklin Bursary, the ABRSM international undergraduate scholarship, the Elder Scholarship, a Centenary Medal for service to The Arts, and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra Cello Fellowship. She was a member of the Estonian National Opera Orchestra and worked with Philharmonia (UK), the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra and the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra.

She is also a member of the Melbourne Ensemble – a group made up of colleagues from the MSO who regularly perform chamber music together.

Laurence Matheson – Piano

One of Australia’s most exciting young musicians, Laurence Matheson is in demand across the country as a soloist, chamber musician and collaborative pianist. He studied at the Australian National Academy of Music with Timothy Young as one of their youngest ever students and became a Fellow of the Academy in 2016 after winning the Directors’ Prize, subsequently serving on the faculty.

Laurence records for Decca Classics and ABC Classic, and has appeared as soloist with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria and the Australian Ballet, as well as in recital at UKARIA, the Melbourne Recital Centre and Sydney Opera House.

Laurence has a particular passion for chamber music and has performed at festivals and recitals across Australia and internationally. He has also mentored many of Australia’s promising young musicians, including Christian Li and Edward Walton, and enjoyed collaborating with internet stars TwoSet Violin.

Aside from piano, Laurence is a keen conductor and has play-directed multiple projects from the keyboard with orchestras across Australia. He is also an accomplished harpsichordist and his compositions have been commissioned by Victorian Opera and the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra.