B i o g r a p h y
Maria Lindsay has an active career as soloist, chamber musician, artistic director, concertmaster and teacher.
As founding leader of the Lurline Chamber Orchestra since 2009, she has performed the World Premiere of the Violin Concerto dedicated to her by Tommy Tycho, and she continues to perform this stunning work regularly. Solo performances with many orchestras, recitals and chamber music with some of the country's finest musicians form a regular part of her performance schedule.
Maria’s early career included holding positions with the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Sydney Symphony and Australian Chamber Orchestra. She is a member of the Australian World Orchestra and has toured extensively worldwide with all these orchestras, .
In 2018 Maria became Concertmaster of the Willoughby Symphony Orchestra. She has also appeared as Guest Concertmaster with Canberra Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Philharmonia, Sydney Opera House Orchestra, St Laurence Chamber Orchestra, North Sydney Symphony and many others.
In 2004, Maria initiated the Blue Mountains Chamber Concerts and in 2012 the Lurline Recital Series. As Artistic Director her passion for making good music regularly accessible to more people has borne much fruit. She remains committed to this area of her work and gains immense enjoyment performing in house concerts and other accessible venues. Maria's programming has won her much praise for allowing beautiful new music as well as older but lesser-known works to find their place amongst the established repertoire and to be enjoyed by all audiences.
She recently completed and premiered her first significant composition for solo violin. She actively programs new works and has performed contemporary chamber music with Klangforum Vienna, the Seymour Group Sydney, Alpha Ensemble and Ensemble Offspring. She includes baroque music in her programming, and has performed the entire Mystery Sonatas of Biber, a rarity due to the length and virtuosity of the work, as well as the 15 different scordatura tunings required.
Maria was a founding member of the Apollo Trio, with whom she performed in Sydney and regional NSW for 6 years and recorded a CD of Australian piano trios. Other long-term chamber associations are the Lindsay Trio and a recital duo with Josephine Allan, piano. She has partnered with Daniel Rojas - piano (CD recorded in 2017), Claire Edwardes - percussion, Mark Walton - clarinet, Susan Blake - cello, Daniel Herscovich - piano, Catherine McCorkill - clarinet, Monika Kornel - harpsichord and many others.
A love of the tango genre recently found an outlet in the fiery dance ensemble Orquesta La Luna, which formed in 2016 with Maria as lead violin.
Maria has made broadcasts for the A.B.C. and 2MBS-FM.
Maria teaches at Sydney Conservatorium and UNSW, adjudicates various competitions including Sydney Eisteddfod and the Palladian Cup at Sydney University and recorded the set works for the AMEB Violin Series 9.
As a 10-year-long student of leading pedagogue Alice Waten, she graduated from Sydney Conservatorium of Music with High Distinction and as Student of the Year. She received the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Trust Award to further her studies in Vienna with Alban Berg Quartet Primarius Günther Pichler. There she was the recipient of the Alban Berg Quartet Foundation Award.
