Stefanie Farrands

Australian Hometown: Melbourne
Education: Australian National Academy of Music; Hochschule für Musik, Berlin

PROFESSIONAL BIOGRAPHY
Violist Stefanie Farrands held the position of Principal Violist with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra 2015 to 2020, after living and studying in Berlin from 2010 with renowned Violist Tabea Zimmermann at the Hochschule für Musik, Hanns Eisler Berlin. Prior to Berlin she was the recipient of the Georgina Grosvenor Scholarship at ANAM studying with Roger Bennedict and Alice Waten in Melbourne. She is currently a member of the Viola Faculty at the Conservatorium of Music in Hobart and has tutored Australian Youth Orchestra Programs, and the Melbourne and Tasmanian Youth Orchestras.

Stefanie has performed extensively throughout Europe, America, Asia and Australia both as a chamber musician and orchestral player, including playing with some of the world’s most renowned orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Camerata Salzburg, Amsterdam Sinfonietta, and she has also been Guest Principal with the Strasbourg Philharmonic. In Australia she has been guest principal Viola with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, and is a regular guest with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Melbourne Chamber Orchestra.

She has appeared as Soloist with the ACO Collective, Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, AYO Young Symphonists and in 2011 she was Soloist with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra performing the Australian Premiere of Olga Neuwirths viola concerto. In 2017 she was soloist in Vaughen Williams’ Flos Campi with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra.

Stef’s biggest passion is chamber music and is the founding member of the Hamer Quartet which was successful in winning the Asia Pacific Chamber Music competition, taking the overall First Prize Tony Berg Award, 1^st prize for String Quartet and the Audience Prize in 2009. They gave their debut to critical acclaim in 2007 and since then have toured both nationally and internationally and recorded their Debut album for Melba records.

Commissioning new works for the viola is of keen interest to Stefanie. In 2016 she was the winner of the Freedman Classic Fellowship which will see new works commissioned for the viola, a recording of the commissions and other chamber music works and performances in both Australia and abroad. She has premiered Douglas Weiland’s third string quartet with the Hamer Quartet as well as given premiers to numerous solo, chamber and orchestral works as well as workshops and masterclasses on writing for the viola.

She has recorded both solo and chamber works for the ABC and is regularly featured of ABC Classic FM and 3MBS.

Stefanie

Last updated 2018