Episode 6 of Ask the Mentor is out now! On this final episode of Season 1 of Ask the Mentor, violinist Sarah Curro answers your questions, shares her musical journey and gives her three pieces of advice she wishes someone had told her before embarking on a musical career. Along the way, she tells us how she started playing violin to copy her older sister, Monica; why commissioning new works from current composers is important; her way to settle nerves on stage; why arrogance is never a good idea; and much more!

To hear the lastest episode, click here.

More about Sarah…

Australian violinist Sarah Curro graduated in 1994 from the Queensland Conservatorium of Music as winner of the Conservatorium Medal for Excellence. Winning the Dorcas McLean Traveling Scholarship for Violinists in 1997 enabled her to study and then teach at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. From 1999-2002 Sarah was a member of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and in Australia, she has performed with many of the symphony and chamber orchestras and is currently a member of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Inspired by her father John Curro, Founder of The Queensland Youth Orchestras, her experience as a tutor and conductor includes work with The Hong Hong Academy for Performing Arts, Australian Youth orchestra, Queensland Youth Orchestra, Melbourne Youth Orchestra, Australasian Orchestra, Geelong Symphony Orchestra, Victorian Youth Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra 21 and many more. The most meaningful of these kinds of projects has been the yearly MSO music camp at the ISY school of music in Jogjakarta not in its 5th year. It is ot only an exchange of musical ideas but an invaluable opportunity to learn from a truly wonderful and multicultural society. Besides all the conservative things one can do as a violinist, Sarah’s non-traditional ventures focus on the constant discovery, purchase and promotion of new, mostly Australian compositions of every art form but most of all music. Through the fascinating and unique instruments of Melbourne’s SPUR Violins, her solo series VOLUME, now in its 11th incarnation (40 commissions so far), showcases these works in thoroughly modern venues to an ever-widening audience. Sarah hopes to continue this emotional and financial commitment to her arts community.

See Sarah’s book, This is Not a Violin, it is a Doorway here.

See Sarah’s podcast “Splitting Hairs” here.

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Photo credit: Kylie Supski