Violinist Phoebe Gardner Joins Karajan Academy of the Berliner Philharmoniker

The Sydney violinist has been awarded the Eva Besen Scholarship of the Australian National Academy of Music

Australian violinist Phoebe Gardner has won the Eva Besen scholarship of the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) and will therefore take up a position in the Karajan Academy — the training program of the Berliner Philharmoniker.

Hailing originally from Sydney, Gardner studied at ANAM with Robin Wilson and at The Juilliard School with Itzhak Perlman and Catherine Cho. She is a prizewinner of the ANAM concerto competition, and has appeared as a soloist with the Mosman Symphony and the Willoughby Symphony Orchestra.

Three other ANAM musicians have previously taken up the scholarship: ANAM violinists Harry Bennetts (2016), presently Associate Concertmaster of the Sydney Symphony Orchetra; Riley Skevington (2018), Associate Concertmaster of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra; and Harry Ward (2020), recently appointed as First Violin in the Berlin Philharmonic.

"My entire musical life I’ve looked up to and treasured recordings of Berlin Philharmonic, so to have the opportunity to live in the beautiful city of Berlin and to attend the Karajan Academy is a dream come true," Gardner said. "I’m incredibly grateful to have received this scholarship from ANAM which has made this opportunity possible."

"I am absolutely thrilled that another ANAM alum will be entering the Karajan Academy, the educational branch of the Berlin Philharmonic, arguably the world’s most legendary orchestra," said Paavali Jumppanen, the Artistic Director of ANAM.

"I congratulate Phoebe for having earned a spot and look forward to hearing how her studies in Berlin progress," he continued.