13-Year-Old Composer Ellie Malonzo Premieres New Violin Concerto

Malonzo's Violin Concerto No. 3 was inspired by her favorite Baroque composers

The young Australian violinist and composer Ellie Malonzo recently gave the premiere performance of her most recent work, Violin Concerto No. 3 in A Major. The concerto was commissioned and premiered by the Fremantle Chamber Orchestra (FCO) in Perth, Australia.

Inspired largely by Baroque violin concerti, Malonzo's style contains echoes of composers such as Vivaldi, Corelli, and Telemann. The work follows a typical three-movement format, with two fast movements bookending a middle slow movement.

The piece was premiered at Perth's Redemptionist Monastery, with John Keene conducting.

In July of 2023, Malonzo also gave the premiere performance of her Double Concerto for Two Violins — with her teacher, Paul Wright, taking the role of the second soloist. This work was also premiered by the FCO.

"If I had a time machine, I'd asked it to take me back to the Baroque period in Europe," Malonzo told Australia's ABC Classic. "I'm just really curious to see what the environment that music was played in was like, in terms of the setting and the instruments they used."

"My fingers were operating without my brain because I was so excited," she said of the work's premiere performance. "[At the second performance], I felt that balance of adrenaline and clarity of mind was just lining up. I could put my ears out in the concert hall and just hear myself playing."

"I find myself realizing every now and then that I am working with someone so young whose maturity, technical skill, and superb ear and musical sensibility belies her years as both performer and composer," said conductor John Keene.

You can hear the recording of the premiere performance below.

Starting her violin studies at 5, Ellie currently studies with Paul Wright. At 11, she was awarded the position of Concertmaster in the Western Australian Youth Orchestra’s (WAYO) Philharmonic Orchestra.

Her earlier accolades include winning 1rst prize in the North of Perth Music Festival (Under 14s), 2nd in the Fremantle Eisteddfod Under 15s (Concerto Category), and 1rst prize in the under 13’s recital section for the Fremantle Eisteddfod.

In 2022, Ellie won 1st prize in the American Music Talent Competition, Brisbane International Youth Music Festival, Kings Peak International Music Competition, London International Music Competition, and 14th International Competition ‘Luigi Cerritelli.’