Sydney violinist Phoebe Gardner will take up the Australian National Academy of Music Eva Besen Scholarship at the prestigious Karajan Academy, the training organisation of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.
Gardner is the latest to tread a path from ANAM to Berlin, following violinists Harry Bennetts (2016), currently SSO Associate Concertmaster, Riley Skevington (2018), WASO Associate Concertmaster, and Harry Ward (2020), who was recently appointed First Violin in the Berlin Philharmonic.
“My entire musical life I’ve looked up to and treasured recordings of Berlin Philharmonic, so to have the opportunity to live in the beautiful city of Berlin and to attend the Karajan Academy is a dream come true,” said Gardner, whose training will include mentorship from Berlin Philharmonic Concertmaster Noah Bendix-Balgley.
Gardner completed her training at ANAM in 2021 before undertaking a Masters at the Julliard School in New York City and working with conductors David Robertson, Nicholas Carter and Giancarlo Guerrero. That was Gardner’s second bite at the Big Apple: aged 15, she attended the Perlman Music Program Summer Music School, studying with Itzhak Perlman, Catherine Cho and Li Lin.
While at ANAM, Gardner took part in ANAM’s national tour with the Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO) and was a member of the ACO’s 2020 Emerging Artist Program.
Currently based in London, Gardner has performed widely, including at Wigmore Hall, City Recital Hall, Sydney, Sydney Opera House, Melbourne Recital Centre and for Australian Digital Concert Hall. Orchestral highlights have included performances with Juilliard Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, serving as Associate Concertmaster of Juilliard Orchestra, and an Australian national tour with the Australian Chamber Orchestra in an all-Beethoven program in 2020. She has also performed as Principal Violin of ANAM Orchestra and Ensemble Apex in Australia.
