John Harding (violinist)

John Harding (born 1950) Hon DMus Newcastle is an internationally renowned violinist. He has travelled the world as a soloist, teacher, concertmaster, chamber musician, conductor and recording artist.

John Phillips Harding was born in Newcastle, New South Wales in 1951. He began his secondary schooling was at Newcastle Boys' High School and studied violin, piano, bassoon and theory at the Newcastle Conservatorium of Music.

In 1962 he moved to Sydney where he completed his secondary schooling at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music High School and studied violin with Robert Pikler.

Harding was invited in 1972 to study conducting with David Zinman in the United States whilst continuing his violin studies with Joseph Silverstein. He was Assistant Concertmaster of the Rochester Philharmonic (1974 – 76). He was awarded the Albert Spalding Prize for the most outstanding instrumentalist at Tanglewood in 1975. He then gained a position as first violin with the New York Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and studied conducting with James Levine (1976 – 78).

He was Artistic Director of the Australian Chamber Orchestra (1979 – 82).

In 1980 he was a foundation member of the University of New South Wales Ensemble (later called the Australia Ensemble), an Australian chamber music group. Harding was replaced by Dene Olding in 1982.

In 1981 he joined the Sydney String Quartet, along with Stanley Ritchie, Alexandra Todicescu and Nathan Waks. [The initial second violinist was the Rumanian Dorel Tincu, who died just before the quartet was due to perform in the Bartok string quartet cycle for the composer's centenary in 1981 in Sydney.]

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