This week, we are delighted to welcome violinist Monica Naselow as guest mentor!

Monica began her violin studies at age 4 with Suzuki Method in Sydney, completing her Bachelor of Music at Sydney Conservatorium as a student of Professor Goetz Richter. Having participated in Sydney Youth Orchestra and Australian Youth Orchestra programs, Monica followed a pathway into orchestral performance and in 2000 was awarded a Queen’s Trust of Australia Scholarship to study at the Zurich Opera House Orchestral Academy in Switzerland.

From 2002-2012 Monica was a member of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (RCO) in Amsterdam, performing throughout Europe, Asia and the USA under conductors such as Mariss Jansons, Bernard Haitink and Riccardo Chailly. In 2008 RCO were named Gramophone Magazine ‘World’s Best Symphony Orchestra’, taking home a Grammy Award in 2011 for Orchestral Performance. Monica recorded in Europe under RCO live, Teldec and Pentatone labels, she was Principal 2nd Violin of Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra and served as a Mentor for the Concertgebouw Academy program.

After returning to Australia in 2012, Monica held positions with Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra (2012-2017) and Darwin Symphony Orchestra (2017-2018) before becoming the current Principal 2nd Violin of Orchestra Victoria in 2019. Monica is also a member of the Australian World Orchestra and balances her performing life with teaching violin and chamber music at the Victorian College of Arts Secondary School (VCASS) where many of her violin and chamber music students have been selected to participate in AYO Programs and study Music at Conservatoriums across Australia.

Monica is passionate about advanced vocational violin teaching, including orchestral education, and is a current volunteer member of the Board of Melbourne Youth Orchestras. Outside of work, Monica enjoys spending time with her children and doing quite a lot of gardening.

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