Originally from New Zealand, 20-year-old violinist Ian Chiao is a first-year student at ANAM studying under Adam Chalabi. He completed his Bachelor of Music at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music with Dr. Curt Thompson in 2024 with plans to extend with Honours. He has studied with teachers such as Amalia Hall, Monica Naselow and Dimitri Atanassov, and participated in masterclasses with top performers including James Ehnes, Ioana Cristina Goicea and Cho-Liang Lin.
A passionate musician with an interest in all performances, he has performed solo internationally and received top prizes for both solo and chamber competitions worldwide such as the International Valsesia Musica. Ian also enjoys orchestral playing, serving as concertmaster for the University of Melbourne Symphonic and Philharmonic Orchestra which toured internationally in 2023, the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School orchestra, and the Geelong Symphony Orchestra. He has also performed with the Australian Youth Orchestra (AYO), AYO Momentum Ensemble, Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra and Royal Philharmonic Melbourne.
As a chamber musician, Ian has collaborated with members of the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Australian String Quartet, Gewandhausorchester, Horszowski Trio, Ensemble Liaison, Daedalus Quartet, Kronos Quartet, American String Quartet, Houston Symphony, and Chicago Symphony. He participated in the 2023 and 2024 Mimir Music Festivals in Texas with Auburn Quartet and Řeka Quartet and will attend the 2025 Portillo Music Festival in Chile. He has performed with his quartets throughout Asia and America and has been invited to perform at major events such as the International AIDs Conference in memory of the Ukrainian Scientists on flight MH17.
Ian performs on a 1916 Giachetti violin on loan from the Chimei Museum Foundation of Taiwan and a Nürnberger bow from New Zealand’s Pettman Music Academy. He is also honored to have been the recipient of the 2023 Kate Flowers Memorial and Corinna D’Hage Mayer String Scholarships.
In his spare time, Ian enjoys card games and loves to follow tennis and F1.
FROM: NZ / Aotearoa.
Photo by Pia Johnson