Meet the musicians: TSO violinist Tobias Chisnall

Tobias, you joined the TSO in 2024. Please tell us a little about yourself. 

I grew up in Canberra and I studied at the Australian National University and the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. I moved to the United States in 2015 where I studied at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I lived there for 8 years and in that time held positions in the Pittsburgh Opera and Ballet Theatre orchestras and a number of other symphony orchestras.

I was a member of a string quartet and a regular guest artist at summer music festivals in Kansas and Massachusetts. I moved to Australia again in 2023 and became a member of the TSO in February 2024. I’ve been really lucky that I’ve been able to travel a lot because of music and I’ve performed in concerts all over Australia and the United States, as well as Germany, Colombia, and Brazil.

When did you first play the violin and is there a formative moment you can describe from your childhood?

I started learning the violin when I was five. I had two older cousins who played the violin so the sound of it was around our family gatherings and I was conscious of playing and performing as something that we did. My grandfather was also a professional musician who played the trumpet, cornet, and trombone as well as composing and conducting music for brass band. Later on he’d help me with reading music and practicing. My parents also love music and there was always classical music playing around the house.

I asked to learn the violin but my parents were told that it was better to do general music classes for a year to learn how to read music before starting the violin, so they took me to a group class for beginners. I still remember that I threw a massive tantrum in the first class, tried to push over a piano, and demanded that I be allowed to learn the violin. In the peace agreement that followed, I started violin lessons the following week. I still love the violin, so clearly I was on to something with the tantrum.

I can say that I have learned to express my preferences more politely since then. Belated apologies to the group music class of 1996!

What do you love most about being in the TSO?

I love that the musicians of the TSO approach their work with unassuming seriousness and creativity. Before I moved to Tasmania a family friend told me that what characterised their experience of working in the cultural world in Tasmania was 'the unassuming pursuit of excellence'. I really liked this and I’ve found it to be true at the TSO and in the wider community. Also, because we are an orchestra with a smaller core of string players, every musician's contribution matters greatly to the overall quality of the performance. That helps you to always bring your best.

Do you perform in other ensembles?

In the TSO we’re very lucky that we do have some time to explore other music making and we’re encouraged to keep growing as musicians. One of the things I’ve enjoyed in my career is doing a variety of things in music, usually in collaboration with others. I love playing chamber music and I have a duet called 'Flute and Fiddle' with my partner, Maria Hincapie Duque, who is a professional flautist. We met when we were both graduate students in Pittsburgh when we’d practice long hours and then go out for cheap beer and questionable food. Good times!

I've been in string quartets, piano trios, opera and ballet orchestras, and even a folk string quartet. I've also done a number of jazz projects with some amazing musicians that opened my ears to the beauty of that genre. You’re very lucky as a violinist because you have hundreds of years of music written for the instrument and it is used in so many different contexts. And because the instrument is so portable, it also has this latent potential for spontaneous performance. Folk musicians bringing their violins and entertaining everyone at the village party or in the pub - that sort of thing.

How do you unwind when you’re not playing?

I really love to read. I come from a family of readers and books have always been a great source of enjoyment to me. Hobart and Tasmania generally has lots of great new and second-hand book shops and a wonderful library network, so that keeps me happy.

My partner said sheepishly that one of our hobbies is ‘lingering’. It feels silly to explain but what I really like is having time without too much going on where you can just exist and take things as they come.

What do you enjoy most about living in Tasmania?

I love living in Hobart because of its beauty, history, and character. We love going for bushwalks but not necessarily big, serious ones. What I like is being able to walk somewhere that feels wild and beautiful and then go and live daily life whether that is rehearsals, practicing, a concert, or errands. Spending an hour or two amongst ferns, gums, and wallabies and then going into the city to rehearse or perform wonderful music at a really high level is one of the great privileges of living here.