Anna McMichael
violinist
Anna McMichael is an Australian-born violinist who returned in 2010 to live in Australia after 17 years in Holland performing in many of the major European ensembles and orchestras.
She grew up in South Australia and studied violin with Marie Roberts, Beryl Kimber and William Hennessy. In 1990, Anna was awarded first prize in the string concerto final of the Australian Broadcasting Commission National Instrumental and Vocal Competition.
In Australia, Anna performed as a concerto soloist with the Adelaide Chamber Orchestra, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, and Queensland Symphony Orchestra. She was awarded a Queen's Jubilee scholarship in 1993 to study with Vera Beths at the Royal Conservatorium, the Hague in The Netherlands where she graduated cum laude in 1995. Anna also followed lessons with Alexander Kerr and baroque violin with Elizabeth Wallfisch. As well as her performance studies, Anna has a Master’s Degree in Historical Musicology from King’s College, London and a Doctorate from Sydney Conservatorium. Between 2014-2019 Anna was Co-Director of the Tyalgum Music Festival.
Since 2019 she is Co-ordinator of Strings and Honours Coordinator at the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music and Performance, Monash University, Melbourne.
Photo Oliver Miller
While living in Europe and working as a freelance musician, Anna has been invited to lead many ensembles, such as ASKO Ensemble, Nieuw Ensemble, Maarten Altena Ensemble (Ensemble MAE), Doelen Ensemble, Insomnio, Zephyr String Quartet, and performed with others such as guest assistant leader and first violinist of Amsterdam Sinfonietta Chamber Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Ives Ensemble, Schoenberg Ensemble and the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra. Anna has been concertmaster of a Netherlands Opera production and as both Assistant Concertmaster and Principle Second of the Netherlands Ballet Orchestra (Holland Symfonia). She has also played in England with the London Sinfonietta, lead violin of Ensemble Remix in Portugal and in Germany with the Ensemble Modern, and lead violin of MusikFabrik.
Anna has performed with ensembles at Music Festivals in Paris, New York, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt, Berlin, Geneva, Graz, Lisbon, Huddersfield, London, Rome, Torino, Venice, Vienna, Amsterdam, Brussels, Warsaw, Krakow, Barcelona, Strasbourg and Edinburgh.
Anna was guest concertmaster of Orchestra Victoria (Opera and Ballet Orchestra of Melbourne) in 2008 for the Australian Ballet’s production of Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake”. Anna also has been guest assistant leader of the Australian Chamber Orchestra and leader of one of their contemporary music programs.
In 1999, Anna was awarded the Special Violin Prize of the International Gaudeamus Interpreters Competition held in Europe.
As a teacher Anna has taught privately in the Netherlands, London and Australia and given solo and chamber music masterclasses and tutored at Conservatoriums in the Hague, Amsterdam, Huddersfield, Birmingham, Utrecht, Budapest, Brisbane, Canberra and at ANAM in Melbourne. Anna has tutored the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Youth Music Orchestra’s Summer School, Sydney Youth Orchestra, Canberra Youth Orchestras and invitations to tutor Australian Youth Orchestra.
Anna has been a member and soloist with Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, Assistant Concertmaster with the Canberra Symphony, Associate Concertmaster with Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, invited to the Australian World Orchestra Event in Sydney in 2011, 2013, and 2015 and 2017. She has been guest artist and tutor at the ANU School of Music’s Early Music Week, performed and recorded a number of times with Sydney’s Ensemble Offspring, performs regularly with Pinchgut Opera, invited to Hobart Baroque Festival in 2013 and 2014, Ludovico’s Band, Omega Ensemble and has been a regular guest artist/soloist at the Canberra International Music Festival. Anna is a core member of the early music group Ironwood and performs regularly with them.
Together with the pianist, Daniel de Borah, she has been featured on Sunday Live ABCfm and the Best of Sunday Live and performed many concerts and recorded a duo Cd for Tall Poppies.
Anna was also a guest artist at the 2012 Port Fairy Music Festival and 2013 Mona Foma Festival in Tasmania with her Lullabies music and video performance together with the pianist, Tamara Anna Cislowska which is also recorded for the Tall Poppies Label, was cd of the week on ABC classic fm and performed at Duneira and the Peninsula Music Festival in 2013.
A solo violin release in 2014 on the Dutch label, Unsounds, received 4 stars in Limelight magazine.