Max Holzner (Chairperson)
Max is an experienced Chair and company director in the arts and education sectors. He is Co-Founder and Chair of the Western Sydney Philharmonic, as well as a violinist, educator, and software developer.
Maximilian Holzner is the Chair and founder of Western Sydney Philharmonic (WestPhil), leading its mission to deliver orchestral training of national significance for young musicians. A graduate of the University of Cambridge and the Australian National University, Max studied violin with Josette Esquedin-Morgan and Barbara Jane Gilby, and has received numerous awards and scholarships, including the Cambridge Australia Trust Orde Poynton Scholarship and study at the Mozarteum, Salzburg.
As a performer, he has collaborated with many of Australia’s leading musicians, worked with professional orchestras and chamber ensembles across Australia and the UK, and served as assistant to the late Christopher Hogwood at the Academy of Ancient Music, preparing critical editions for Bärenreiter such as Elgar’s Enigma Variations.
With more than 20 years’ teaching experience, Max has held positions at Radford College, the ANU pre-tertiary programme, and Churchill College, Cambridge. His work now centres on governance and sector leadership: he is also Chair of Sydney Eisteddfod, Chair of the Music Teachers’ Association of NSW, and CEO of Gradus Software, an NSW Treasury-supported provider of curriculum-aligned digital resources for educators. A member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Max is committed to advancing access, standards, and sustainability in music education and performance across Australia.