Kristian Winther (Artistic Director)

Kristian Winther studied violin with Josette Esquedin-Morgan and conducting with John Curro, with whom he had made his concerto debut at 15 years of age, performing the violin concerto of Sibelius. Kristian Winther has appeared as soloist with the Sydney, Melbourne, Queensland, Christchurch and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras, the Auckland Philharmonia, Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria, Gruppo Montebello and Orchestra Romantique. He has performed as Guest Concertmaster of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and the Western Australian Symphony Orchestra, and as leader/director of ACO Collective. 

An avid chamber musician, Kristian was formerly violinist in the Tin Alley String Quartet, winning first prize at the Banff International String Quartet Competition, which was followed by tours of the USA, Canada and Europe. He has also performed chamber music with Anthony Romaniuk, Daniel de Borah, Anne Sophie von Otter, Angela Hewitt, Anna Goldsworthy, Richard Tognetti, Steven Osborne, Brett and Paul Dean, Hue Blanes and Joe Chindamo. As a founding musician of the Play On series since 2016, Kristian has performed music from the 16th to the 21st centuries in venues such as an underground car park in Collingwood and a nightclub in Berlin. He has performed the world premiere of Olli Mustonen’s Sonata for Violin and Orchestra, as well as the Australian premieres of works by Louis Andriessen, Knussen, Kurtag, Salonen, Rihm, Widmann, Kelly-Marie Murphy, and numerous Australian composers. Kristian also performed in the Australian premiere of John Adam’s concertante work for string quartet and orchestra Absolute Jest with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and the Australian and New Zealand premieres of Brett Dean’s violin concerto The Lost Art of Letter Writing.