As a violinist, Andrea is a member of the gypsy-inspired quintet Cosmo Cosmolino and jazz sextet Collider both of which she composes.
She frequently plays with The David Chesworth Ensemble, The Black Arm Band, Cam Butler & the Shadows of Love Orchestra and James Hullick’s BOLT Ensemble. She is director and co-founding member of the Ad Hoc Music Collective, a body of musicians formed to enable their own compositions to be performed and to explore in workshops, the creative process in music Composition. Recently, she founded Duo Nouveau with cellist Michelle John, performing Classical French, original and improvised music.
Recent OS tours include Silo String Quartet Carnegie Hall, USA, 2008, The David Chesworth Ensemble Paris and UK 2007, Aphids’ Skin Quartet by David Young USA, Belgium, South Africa 2005. National tours include, The Black Arm Band “murundak”2008 and My Friend the Chocolate Cake 2005.
Andrea has worked with an extensive range of recording artists, performers, composers and conductors including The Brodsky Quartet (UK), Anthony Warlow, Topol, Rene Geyer, Katie Noonan, Mariss Jansons, Parvo Jarvi, Brett Dean, Mick Harvey and The John Butler Trio. She has worked as a casual violinist for the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) since 1993.
Andrea has conducted many film scores in collaboration with David Bridie including the Aria Award winning Film Score “In A Savage Land”, “Tempted” and “The Man Who Sued God”.
As an educator, Andrea works in the MSO’s current Education and Community Outreach Program, “Pizzicato Effect” and “Artplay”, and was an integral member of the musical quintet for MSO’s Community Outreach Program in 2009 (creative workshop program for underprivileged schools). In 2010, in collaboration with The Black Arm Band and The Fred Hollows Foundation, Andrea began to take music workshops in the indigenous community at Wadeye, NT.
Andrea lectured at The University of Melbourne in ‘Instrumental String Teaching’ 2005 – 09 and was Chief Adjudicator for the Melbourne Schools String and Orchestra Festival in 2002. She worked on the “Violin Alive” DVD Series (Two Fold Media) as editor, consultant and performer. She is active in supporting the musical community and has appeared as soloist and mentor with the Kooyong Chamber Players and as guest leader with the Stonnington Symphony Orchestra.
Andrea has a healthy private teaching practice sought after by many professional teachers, students and performers for her focus on technique with effective body use (in relation to the Alexander Technique and Feldenkrais Method), performance anxiety strategies, efficient and creative practice skills through the use of improvisation, composition and a range of musical genres. She is presently a Music Faculty staff member at Monash University and an AMEB (Australian Music Examinations Board) examiner.
As a composer, Andrea was awarded a honourable mention in the “International Songwriting Competition” USA (2005). Her recordings are included on Silo String Quartet “After the Dark” CD (2008), Stroll “Carnival of Lost Souls” CD (2006), Cosmo Cosmolino Aria nominated “Nektar” CD (2005) and “Streetsweeper” CD (2000). She has worked with The Salamanca Theatre Company (Hobart) as composer and her compositions have been performed in numerous concert series and festivals including the Sydney Festival, Musica @ La Mama Series, The Big West Festival, Red Hill Festival, Hamilton Promenade of Sacred Music Festival and Apollo Bay Music Festivals.
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