Caroline Henbest is a violist and Feldenkrais Practitioner based in Melbourne, Australia.
She performs as a chamber musician, soloist, and extra player in the MSO and enjoys regular appearances at festivals such as the Stradbroke Island Chamber Music Festival and Music by the Springs. Since 2015 she has been Resident Viola Faculty at the Australian National Academy of Music.
As well as the viola, Caroline also loves to play the violin, though generally with friends who don’t earn their living as performers. Her love of music-making with community musicians came from her father, a passionate amateur violinist, violist and cellist. Working with non-professional musicians, and reading chamber music with friends who love to play for fun brings another dimension to her musical life.
Caroline has taught on many occasions at the Mount Buller Chamber Music Summer School, a residential camp for chamber music lovers from the community.
Early in her career she was violist in the Mistry Quartet and performed with many UK based chamber orchestras and ensembles. She has acted as guest principal with the SSO, MSO and TSO, as well as the Hong Kong Philharmonic, Philharmonia, City of London Sinfonia, Glyndebourne on Tour, Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.
Caroline moved to Australia form England in 1993 to be Principal Viola with the ACO. She was a full-time member for eight years and a part-time member for ten.
Her teachers at the Yehudi Menuhin School and Guildhall School of Music and Drama included Robert Masters, David Takeno and Hans Keller
Caroline’s recent Master of Music Research degree (Griffith) explored creative collaboration through composition and performance.