Richard Tognetti AO (b. 1965), violinist, conductor and composer, trained with William Primrose in Wollongong and Alice Waten in Sydney before undertaking further studies with Igor Ozim in Switzerland. Awarded the Tschumi Prize for the outstanding graduate soloist, in 1989 he returned to Australia to lead the Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO) and was appointed the Orchestra’s Artistic Director and Lead Violin later that year. As director or soloist, Tognetti has appeared with many of the world’s leading orchestras, and in 2016 was the first artist-in-residence at the Barbican Centre’s Milton Court Concert Hall. He also performed the Australian premieres of Ligeti’s Violin Concerto and Lutoslawski’s Partita, and his recordings of Bach’s solo violin works gained him three consecutive ARIA awards. Tognetti created the Huntington Festival in Mudgee, New South Wales and was Artistic Director of the Festival Maribor in Slovenia from 2008 to 2015. He has also collaborated with performers, film-makers and artists including Barry Humphries, Michael Leunig, Jennifer Peedom and Bill Henson, and co-composed scores for feature films, notably Peter Weir’s Master and Commander: the Far Side of the World (for which he coached Russell Crowe for his on screen violin playing). He was declared a National Living Treasure in 1999 and holds honorary doctorates from the universities of Sydney, Wollongong and Western Australia. Tognetti has otherwise been commended for the development and promotion of educational programs, support for emerging artists and contributions to charitable organisations.
