Newington College has a wonderful saying: “Discover what’s possible.” Whilst it sounds simple enough, Alex Chiu said he never truly understood the meaning of the phrase until he finished school and began his studies at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music as a violinist.

During his school years, Alex described himself as being quite shy and insecure about his abilities as a violinist and a musician.  He says “the incredible support and mentorship I received from the Music Department , especially from Mr Mark Scott (Head of Music) and Mr Trevor Mee (Head of Strings), allowed me to gain confidence in myself. Mark Scott once sat me down and asked me what I saw myself doing after school. At that point in time I was uncertain if I was good enough to become a professional musician, however his faith in me inspired me to give it a go.”

Since leaving Newington, a whole new world has opened up for Alex. Some of his proudest achievements include being accepted into the Australian Youth Orchestra (AYO) in his first year at the Conservatorium and performing on ABC Radio National for the Sydney Conservatorium’s 1OOth Birthday. As a member of the AYO, he has had many opportunities to perform domestically as well as internationally enabling him to gain contacts with professional musicians from all over Australia. In 2013 as a member of the AYO International Tour to Europe, he performed with violin superstar Joshua Bell and renowned conductor, Christoph Eschenbach in many of the world’s greatest concert halls and festivals in Germany, Switzerland, Amsterdam and Vienna. In 2014, he became a member of the Willoughby Symphony Orchestra, performed with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra in Hobart and toured with the Australian Youth Camerata to Newcastle. He has performed with the London Symphony Orchestra during their Sydney tour and has been offered a position in the prestigious Melbourne Symphony Orchestra fellowship program.  Alex says “All of these wonderful opportunities have allowed me to mingle with some of the biggest names in classical music today and from each of these people, I have been able to learn more about what it takes to become a professional musician.”