Ian Chiao

Ian is a passionate, friendly and patient teacher and loves to share his love of music to his students whether you are preparing for exams, competitions, or just looking for lessons for leisure. All ages welcome.

For all enquiries, please email at be.ian.chiao@gmail.com, or call at 0420491218

Originally from New Zealand, 20-year-old violinist Ian Chiao is a second-year student at ANAM, where he studies under Adam Chalabi. He completed his Bachelor of Music (BMus) at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music with Dr. Curt Thompson in 2024 and plans to continue into Honours. Ian has studied with teachers including Amalia Hall, Monica Naselow, and Dimitri Atanassov, and has participated in masterclasses with leading performers such as James Ehnes, Ioana Cristina Goicea, and Cho-Liang Lin.

A passionate and versatile musician, Ian has performed internationally as a soloist and has received top prizes in both solo and chamber competitions worldwide, including at the International Valsesia Musica. He is also an enthusiastic orchestral player, having served as concertmaster for the University of Melbourne Symphonic and Philharmonic Orchestras—with which he toured internationally in 2023—the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School Orchestra, and the Geelong Symphony Orchestra. He has additionally performed with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra (SSO), Tasmania Symphony Orchestra (TSO), Australian Youth Orchestra (AYO) (Europe Tour 2025), Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra (APO), Victorian Opera (VO), and the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Orchestra (RMPO).

As a chamber musician, Ian has collaborated closely with members of the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Australian String Quartet, Takács Quartet, Gewandhausorchester, Horszowski Trio, Ensemble Liaison, Daedalus Quartet, Kronos Quartet, American String Quartet, Flinders Quartet, Genesis Baroque, Houston Symphony, and Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He participated in the 2023 and 2024 Mimir Chamber Music Festivals in Texas with the Auburn Quartet and Řeka Quartet, and the 2025 Portillo Music Festival in Chile. He has performed across Asia and the United States, and has been invited to appear at major events such as the International AIDS Conference in memory of the Ukrainian scientists aboard flight MH17.

Ian currently performs on a Louis Guersan violin (c. 1700s) on loan to ANAM from Lord Francis Ebury, and a Nürnberger bow from New Zealand’s Pettman Music Academy. He is a proud three-time recipient of instrument loans from the Chimei National Museum of Taiwan, and is honoured to have received the 2023 Kate Flowers Memorial and Corinna D’Hage Mayer String Scholarships.