Journeys in Music – Harry Ward and Stanley Dodds
What was the spark that ignited your love for music? Watch as Harry Ward, SYO Alumni and Stanley Dodds, SYO Chief Conductor, reminisce on their first experiences with orchestral music and why Sydney Youth Orchestras is so important in shaping the sound of the future.
Harry Ward was a member of SYO as a child for 10 years. Watch the video below to hear how his time with SYO has instilled in him a love and dedication for orchestral music.
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Stanley Dodds, SYO Chief Conductor
Harry Ward, SYO Alumni
Australian violinist Harry Ward enjoys a multifaceted career as soloist, chamber and orchestral musician. He currently resides in Berlin where he is in the first violins of the Berliner Philharmoniker, following his studies at the Karajan-Akademie with Noah Bendix-Balgley.
Harry has performed as soloist with various orchestras, including das Symhonie-orchester Berlin, Elision Ensemble, Xiamen Philharmonic, Hangzhou Philharmonic, Orquesta Sinfónica de Michoacán, the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. As a chamber musician, he has
collaborated with members of quartets such as Emerson, Michelangelo, Ehnes, and the Australian string quartets, as well as participated in concerts with the late Joseph Silverstein.
In 2017, Harry was invited to perform at the Rome Chamber Music Festival, collaborating with Edgar Meyer and members of the Venice Baroque Orchestra. In 2019, he was selected as an Emerging Artist of the Australian Chamber Orchestra, working with Helena Rathbone.
Harry has a deep passion for new music and has recently joined ELISION Ensemble, one of Australia’s leading new music collectives. His performances with them include Australian premiers of both Liza Lim’s violin concerto Speak, Be Silent and Extinction Events and Dawn Chorus.
Harry maintains a keen interest in session work and has collaborated with producers such as Glenn Hopper and 18Yoman with most notable features on American rapper and singer-songwriter Lil Nas X’s latest album Montero.
During 2020-21, Harry was honoured to be chosen as a Futuremaker Artist with Musica Viva Australia, participating in tours and performances while receiving mentorship from a variety of international artists.
His educational background includes studies at the Australian National Academy of Music with Robin Wilson, Kunstuniversität Graz with Boris Kuschnir, the Robert McDuffie Center for strings with David Halen and Amy Schwarz-Moretti and the Sydney Conservatorium with the late Professor Alice Waten and Professor Peter Zhang.
Currently, he performs on a 1780 Pietro Landolfi on loan from private benefactors.
