Alma Moodie Quartet Hires New Members and Signs With Emblem Artists

Violist James Wannan and cellist Miles Mullin-Chivers have joined violinists Anna da Silva Chen and Kristian Winther

Founded in 2021 by violinists Anna da Silva Chen and Kristian Winther, the Alma Moodie Quartet performs the music their namesake championed, from Beethoven and Mozart to neglected works of the early twentieth century.

The Queensland-born violinist Alma Moodie (1898-1943) was the favorite protégé of Carl Flesch and a close collaborator of Stravinsky.

Chen and Winther have now welcomed violist James Wannan and cellist Miles Mullin-Chivers to the group. Previous members included violist Dana Lee and founding member Thomas Marlin. 

Wannan and Mullin-Chivers also join the quartet as it signs to the Melbourne-based Emblem Artists for general management. 

The Alma Moodie Quartet’s upcoming projects include performing in Sydney at Phoenix Central Park, and at the Musica Viva Coffee Concerts series, Tasmanian Chamber Music Festival Prelude Weekend, Melbourne Recital Centre, and its own series in Canberra, with guest artists Daniel de Borah, Edward Neeman, and Olivia Hans-Rosenbaum.

Other engagements have included the Canberra International Music Festival, Hayllar’s Beethoven Festival, Hayes St Studio series, Mesh, Elder Hall, and various regional centres.

“[Wannan and Mullin-Chivers] are longtime friends of ours and have played with us in various ensembles over the years,” Chen and Winther shared. “It’s such an exciting stage in the group’s journey and we couldn’t be happier to be joined by these two amazing musicians! We’d also like to extend our deepest thanks to founding cellist Thomas Marlin and wish him the very best. He’ll be sorely missed by us and our audiences.

“[The collaboration with Emblem Artists] marks a significant step in our commitment to sharing our vision and especially the music of Alma Moodie’s time with audiences across the country,” they added. “Stay tuned for upcoming concerts and a new website.”