Michael Grebla

Amy Brookman studied violin at the Queensland Conservatorium completing a Bachelor of Music (2009) and Master of Music Studies (2010). Amy graduated from the Australian National Academy of Music in 2014 and is currently a casual violinist with the Tasmanian, Queensland and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras and a founding member of the Penny String Quartet.

Amy is passionate about collaborating with composers and artists and is a driving force behind the Penny Quartets partnership with Melbourne based composer/Pianist Joseph O’Connor. She has participated in many local and interstate music festivals and competitions including Huntington Estate, Melbourne Festival and the 3MBS Schubert Marathon and is a past winner of the Australian Concerto and Aria competition. Amy has extensive chamber music and orchestral experience including being a finalist in the 2013 Chamber Music Competition at ANAM and winning with the Penny Quartet in 2014.

In 2015 Amy held an Emerging Artist positions with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, and is a member of the ACO Collective. In 2018 Amy won the position of Associate Principal Second Violin with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, and currently resides in Wellington whilst remaining a passionate and active member of Penny Quartet.

Anthony Chataway, unlike most violists, began the viola at the age of nine without learning violin beforehand. After graduating from St Peter’s College in Adelaide, South Australia, where he was Captain of Music and recipient of the Evans Music Award in 2007, he attended the Elder Conservatorium where he studied with Keith Crellin, and was awarded his degree with first class honours as well as The Director’s Award in 2011 for outstanding leadership.

Since then he has studied at The Australian National Academy of Music under the tutelage of Caroline Henbest and Chris Moore. Anthony has been principal viola of the Adelaide Youth Orchestra and the Elder Conservatorium Symphony and Chamber Orchestras. He has performed in The Australian Youth Orchestra, Momentum Ensemble, Sydney Sinfonia, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and the Australian Chamber Orchestra and has performed chamber music with The Brodsky Quartet, Anthony Marwood, Paul Dean, Toby Lea, Tobias Breider among others. He currently holds a permanent position with The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and regularly performs solo recitals around Melbourne and Regional Victoria – as well as frequent guest appearances with the Melbourne based Trad. Jazz Band “The Knock Offs.”

In his spare time Anthony enjoys cryptic crosswords, knitting and is a self-confessed cricket tragic.

Jack Ward’s passion is chamber music and collaboration, and is a 2017 Emerging Artist with the Australian Chamber Orchestra. As a solo and chamber musician he has performed in the Melbourne, Perth, Canberra Festivals and the Four Winds Festival. As an orchestral musician, Jack has performed with the Melbourne and Adelaide Symphony Orchestras, Copenhagen Philharmonic, Orchestra Victoria and Sydney Symphony Sinfonia. In 2016, Jack joined Penny Quartet with performances at the Melbourne Recital Centre and recitals in Sydney and Brisbane.

Jack studied a Master’s degree under the tutelage of Andreas Brantelid at the Royal Danish Academy of Music. Previous teachers include Howard Penny at the Australian National Academy of Music, Janis Laurs, Georg Pedersen and private tutelage from Nicolas Alstaedt, Johannes Moser and Alban Gerhardt.

Jack also performs in improvised and contemporary music settings, including performances in the NowNow, Lalala series and the Griffin Theatre Company “As We Forgive” season.