Harry Ward

Born in (Australia)

Member since 2023-03-01

Awards:

1st Prize Australian National Academy of Music Concerto Competition

“I love the instrument’s versatility; you can play so many different kinds of music on the violin. I also love that it can be played anywhere. It’s your little companion, whether you play it on the street or in the concert hall.”

Harry Ward made the leap from the Karajan Academy directly to the Berliner Philharmoniker in March 2023, fulfilling a long-held dream. The Sydney-born violinist recalls, “I grew up listening to recordings of the orchestra; I was always so inspired by their incredible sound and extraordinary commitment in performance.” As his brother already played the violin in his music-loving family, Harry Ward wanted to do the same, and also took up the violin.

He studied at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music under Peter Zhang and Alice Waten, at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz under Boris Kuschnir, at the Robert McDuffie Centre for Strings under David Halen and Amy Moretti and at the Australian National Academy of Music under Robin Wilson. He has also attended numerous masterclasses, including with Anne-Sophie Mutter, Mauricio Fuks, and the Belcea and the Australian String Quartets. The violinist’s training was supported by various scholarships from organisations including the Musica Viva Australia Furturemaker and the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust.

In 2021, Harry Ward, who has won several national and international prizes, continued his training under Noah Bendix-Bagley, first concertmaster of the Berliner Philharmoniker, at the Karajan Academy. “My time at the Karajan Academy was an incredibly enriching experience, both personally and musically,” he says. In his free time, the musician enjoys body surfing, cricket, cooking and yoga.