Biography
Internationally regarded pedagogue, Dr Robin Wilson is Professor of Violin at the Royal Academy of Music in London and the Yehudi Menuhin School UK and in 2023-24 was visiting Professor of Violin at the Mozarteum University Salzburg. He regularly serves on the faculty of the Keshet Eilon International String Mastercourse in Israel, Valdres Sommersymfoni in Norway and Morningside Music Bridge at The New England Conservatory in Boston. Previously he has held appointments as Head of Violin at The Australian National Academy of Music and Lecturer in Violin at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, the University of Queensland and The Australian Institute of Music.
Robin regularly gives masterclasses throughout Australasia, Asia, Israel, Europe, Norway, UK and the USA and his students are major prizewinners of international competitions, perform internationally as soloists and hold principal and tutti positions with many major orchestras throughout the world. He is regularly invited to serve on the jury of international competitions. In 2018 he received a National Award from the Australian String Teachers Association for outstanding services to the string community in Australia and was made a Patron. He has presented courses for Tonebase Violin and CEPIC in Europe (Centro Para La Pedagogia de los Instrumentos de Cuerda). In Australia he presented regularly at national AUSTA conferences and for several years designed curriculum and lectured undergraduate and postgraduate pedagogy at several universities.
Robin has given solo recitals and been broadcast on radio throughout Australasia and his solo discography includes two discs of violin encores and the complete Schubert Sonatas for violin and piano with pianist Kemp English (Decca and Ode Records). As a member of the acclaimed historical performance ensemble Ironwood, he has toured nationally and internationally, performing at major venues and festivals throughout Australia, USA and the UK and has made several
acclaimed recordings for ABC Classics, Vexations840 and VDE-Gallo. Ironwood’s recording Ironwood: Tones of Romantic Extravagance (ABC Classics) received The Strad Recommends award.
Robin is the former Leader of the ARCO Chamber Orchestra, member of the Australian Octet and appeared as guest violinist with leading Australian ensembles such as the Sydney Omega Ensemble, Ensemble Liaison, Australia Quartet and Nexus 2MBSFM Virtuosi, and played for several years with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, Orchestra of the Antipodes and Pinchgut Opera.
Holding a PhD from the University of Sydney on the historically informed performance of Brahms's music, Robin’s research was awarded the prestigious international 2014 Karl Geiringer Prize from the American Brahms Society. He has lectured and performed at numerous major international conferences and universities such as Yale University, Stanford University, City University of New York, Eastman School of Music, Leeds University, Royal College of Music London, and the Royal Northern College of Music Manchester, as well as being selected to represent the Sydney Conservatorium of Music at the DDCA Australasian Symposium ‘The Outstanding Field’.
Robin studied with Alice Waten and Janet Davies in Sydney and also studied with James Buswell at The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Beryl Kimber at the Elder Conservatorium in Adelaide and Pamela Dowsett, Donald Maurice and Jan Tawroszewicz in New Zealand.
Robin plays a Gagliano workshop violin, Naples, 1784.
Ironwood
Ironwood is an Australian-based ensemble, committed to exploring music of the baroque, classical and romantic periods on early string and keyboard instruments. The members are some of Australia’s most respected early and contemporary chamber musicians. The ensemble was established in 2006 as a flexible group of players, drawing on a wealth of experience from across the globe. Ironwood believes that historically informed performance should be complemented with new material and has an active commissioning program for music on early instruments.
The ensemble regularly tours nationally and internationally and has produced recordings for ABC Classics and
Vexations840 and VDE-Gallo. Ironwood has been acclaimed for their Brahms performance research at major institutions and conferences around the world and is widely regarded as being at the forefront internationally in the research-led performance of late-nineteenth century music. Ironwood have been Artists in Residence at the Bundanon Trust, NSW since 2007 and also run a Developing Artist program in Victoria and NSW.
