Possessed of a superb talent’ (The Australian), with ‘a searing and poetic tone’ (The Guardian), violinist Emily Sun’s powerful sound and compelling, captivating interpretations have won her international renown. Awards and prizes have included the Tagore Gold Medal from the Royal College of Music, the 2018 ABC Young Performers Award (Australia), the 2016 Royal Overseas League Music Competition (UK), and the Brahms (Austria), Yampolsky (Russia) and Lipizer (Italy) International Violin Competitions.
Debuts this season include with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and with the Johannesburg Phiharmonic Orchestra. Continuing for a second year as Adelaide Symphony Orchestra’s Artist-in-Association – a highlight being the 2023 critically acclaimed world premiere of Elena Kats-Chernin’s violin concerto, ‘Fantasie im Wintergarten’ commissioned for Emily and described as “engrossing” and “magical” (Limelight) – the current season sees Emily performing the Barber and Bruch violin concerti with the ASO in programs conducted by Andrew Litton, and Shiyeon Siung; Emily also appears as soloist with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in its Holocaust Memorial concert, conducted by Benjamin Northey. Other engagements this season include chamber performances at UKARIA Cultural Centre and Sydney’s Eternity Theatre with composer/pianist Joseph Havlat, Hayllar’s Music and Mountains Festival in New Zealand, violin masterclasses, and the highly anticipated release of Emily’s second album for ABC Classic in October 2024 featuring the Adelaide, Tasmanian and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras with works by Kats-Chernin, Korngold and John Williams.
Season highlights in 2022/2023 have included the Bruch, Tchaikovsky and Beethoven concertos with the Sydney, Melbourne and West Australian Symphony Orchestras with conductors Vasily Petrenko, Mark Wigglesworth, Jaime Martín, Asher Fisch, Tan Dun and Benjamin Northey, and with the London Mozart Players conducted by Howard Griffiths. Chamber music engagements in Australia include for the Australian Festival of Classical Music (Townsville), Musica Viva Tasmania, Bendigo Chamber Music Festival (VIC) and at Adelaide’s Elder Hall with pianist Andrea Lam featuring the Australian premiere of Fazil Say’s Kaz Dağları. Emily has also featured in recital for Sydney Festival, national touring for Musica Viva Australia, and as soloist with the EU Chamber Orchestra, Orchestre de Royal Wallonie, Orchestre de Chambre Namur; the Arlington and Arizona Symphony Orchestras in USA, and the Shanghai Symphony and Qingdao Symphony Orchestras (China).
Emily Sun has been ABC Artist-in-Residence, and BBC Introducing Artist, with regular broadcasts on Classic FM, BBC Radio 3 (UK), Kol Hamusica (Israel), WXQR (USA), and Musiq 3 (Belgium), and featured in the acclaimed Australian documentary ‘Mrs Carey’s Concert’. Significant solo debuts include Sydney Opera House, Wigmore Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Bridgewater Hall, Tchaikovsky Great Hall Moscow, and Seoul Arts Centre. Emily was invited to perform at Buckingham Palace alongside Maxim Vengerov in Bach’s Double Violin Concerto at the Royal Gala in the presence of HRH Prince of Wales, and at the Royal Palace of Brussels in the presence of the King and Queen of Belgium. Chamber collaborators have included Maxim Vengerov, Gary Hoffman, Danny Driver, Umberto Clerici and Andrea Lam.
Her acclaimed debut album, Nocturnes (ABC Classics) with pianist Andrea Lam, was described in the Sydney Morning Herald as “a winner on every count”, reaching no. 1 on the classical charts and nominated for ‘Best Classical Album’ in the 2021 ARIA Awards. Sun’s notable recording as part of Ensemble Émigré of Robert Kahn’s Music from the Tree of Life (Rubicon Classics) earned 5 stars from BBC Music Magazine.
Emily studied with Dr Robin Wilson (Sydney Conservatorium of Music), Itzhak Rashkovsky (Royal College of Music, London), Augustin Dumay (Chapelle Musicale Reine Elisabeth Belgium), and received further mentoring from Pinchas Zukerman, Maxim Vengerov and Ivry Gitlis. Since 2023, Emily is a Violin Professor at the Royal College of Music London, and performs on a 1753 G.B. Guadagnini ‘The Adelaide’ violin, generously loaned to her by the UKARIA Cultural Centre.
Emily is represented exclusively in Australia and New Zealand by Cinque Artist Management. For more information please see emilysunviolin.com
Latest News
Emily is honoured to be named as the next custodian of ‘The Adelaide’ Guadagnini violin, courtesy of the UKARIA Cultural Trust. Read more here. Hear Emily perform with the violin on Australian stages from March 2024 – concerts here.
Emily Sun named as Adelaide Symphony Orchestra’s ‘Artist-in-Association’ for 2023 and 2024, with multiple performances as soloist with the orchestra including the April 2023 world premiere of Elena Kats-Chernin AO’s first violin concerto, ‘Fantasie im Wintergarten’ with the ASO, conducted by Benjamin Northey.
Emily Sun’s debut album ‘Nocturnes’ (ABC Classics), featuring pianist Andrea Lam, received a nomination for a 2022 ARIA Award for ‘Best Classical Album’. Read more here.
