Anna da Silva Chen is widely regarded as one of Australia’s most versatile concert violinists, equally at home as a soloist, chamber musician, and director. Known for her virtuosity, warmth, and endless curiosity, she has a particular interest in underappreciated repertoire and different stylistic practices across a range of periods. She co-founded the Alma Moodie Quartet and has been a core member of the Australian Chamber Orchestra since 2024. 

What drives an artist to push boundaries and create something entirely their own? This concert will explore that question through three centuries of solo violin music, featuring composers whose voices are too singular to be ignored. From the poignant improvisations of Nicola Matteis Jr. to the frenzied virtuosity of Eugène Ysaÿe, these are works born of obsession and a stubborn insistence on sounding like oneself, even if that means sounding a little strange.

The title comes from Ysaÿe's second solo violin sonata, which obsesses over and transforms haunting fragments of J.S. Bach, while anxiously fixating on superstitions and death. At the heart of the program lies the compelling voice of Australian composer Thomas Green, followed by whimsical and idiosyncratic works of Max Reger and Johann Georg Pisendel. In a world where we are constantly pressured to conform and strive for sameness, this program is a celebration of what makes us different.

Anna has performed as a soloist with most of Australia’s major orchestras including the Sydney, Adelaide, Queensland, Tasmanian, and Canberra Symphony Orchestras, as well as abroad with the Göttingen Symphony Orchestra and on a tour of Spain with the SCM Wind Symphony Orchestra. Recent performance highlights include the Australian premiere of Max Reger’s monumental 1908 Violin Concerto with Concerto Arcana, a national tour as soloist alongside principal players of the Australian Chamber Orchestra, and performances of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto with her own cadenzas in Canberra.

By the age of 15, Anna won Australia’s Kendall National Violin Competition (1st and Audience Choice prizes), the National Youth Concerto Competition, Fine Music FM’s Young Virtuoso Award, and was a semi-finalist in the Menuhin International Violin Competition. She went on to win the overall prize of KPO’s NSW Concerto Competition, the Sydney Conservatorium’s Concerto Competition, and was a frequent finalist in the ABC Young Performers Awards. In recent years she was a laureate of the Vienna and Gisborne International Music Competitions and one of 22 violinists selected to compete in the Carl Nielsen International Competition.

Her festival appearances include Chigiana International (Italy), Orlando (Netherlands), and the Adelaide, Tasmanian Chamber, Canberra International, Newcastle, and Brycefield Estate Festivals. Over the years she has cherished collaborations as concertmaster and director of Ensemble Apex, artist in residence with the Australia Piano Quartet, and guest with Selby & Friends, Ensemble Q, and Omega Ensemble.