From Cretan roots to concert halls — a young musician’s journey.

This past summer, I had the absolute pleasure of photographing the Melbourne Youth Orchestra’s Summer School. What an incredible week it was!

For one week in January, the University of Melbourne’s Southbank campus came alive, buzzing with energy with more than 800 young musicians from across Victoria. Together they rehearsed, made new friends, and performed new pieces. One young violinist even travelled from as far as Perth, a true testament to the program’s popularity and impact.

Along with the rehearsals and concert photography, I had the privilege of working one-on-one with 20 talented young musicians to create a collection of portraits for each of them, celebrating their love of music and the unique bond they have with their instruments. 

One of those musicians I worked with is Emmanuel.

Emmanuel is currently in Year 11 at a high school in Melbourne’s suburbs. He brought wonderful energy to our session. I really enjoyed collaborating with him. It was clear how much joy he finds in making music. He suggested poses and he was excited to explore different locations around campus with me. If I have one regret, it’s that we didn’t have more time together.

After our shoot, I asked Emmanuel to share with me about his music journey, his hopes for the future, and his connection to his culture.

Can you tell me a little bit about your family and how it’s impacted your music journey? I am from a Greek island, Crete. Music has shaped me from being part of our Cretan dancing community to also playing the traditional Cretan lyra, which is a string instrument. My great-grandfather was also a renowned lyra player on our Greek island of Karpathos. We sing Byzantine music as part of our church choir and enjoy live music at events such as weddings and christenings. It has influenced me by performing at weddings and traditional Greek festivals. Greek culture is surrounded by music in every way, and it will forever be part of my life.

So how did you end up playing violin? I first started playing Cretan lyra at age 4, then transferred to violin at age 6. However, I stopped until the age of 10 when I started playing again. Since then, I have been playing for the past 8 years.

Was there a moment when you knew music was something you wanted to take seriously? I was inspired after watching a famous violinist, David Garrett, and a cellist named Hauser. This newfound inspiration coincided with my move to a new school, where I immersed myself in orchestra, senior string ensemble, and chamber strings. It was a supportive and encouraging community. This change bolstered my confidence and enhanced my skills, ultimately leading me to achieve high distinctions across my AMEB exams and acceptance into the Melbourne Youth Orchestras.

What has been one of the biggest challenges in your music journey so far? Teachers. Finding a suitable teacher that really pushes me beyond my limits and having a trusting relationship with them. The first 4–5 years of my violin journey I had many teachers, but they were not engaging or had the right teaching qualities. This impacted my ability to want to practise and have the discipline to keep moving forward. Thankfully, I am grateful for my current teacher of five years, where I have grown as a violinist.

We met at MYO Summer School this year. You were in Symphony, the highest of the orchestras. Tell me about your experience that week. It was amazing! I was drastically challenged by how we were meant to sight read and learn five pieces in five days before the concert on Saturday. It genuinely increased my sight reading skills which helps a lot now when I’m learning new concertos or general pieces. I would 100% recommend this experience as it not only helps meet new people, but exposes you to technical challenges and learning abilities that will help you in the future.

At the end of the week of summer school, you performed at the Melbourne Recital Centre. How did you walking on stage for that final concert? The moment I went on stage, I felt, “This is the place where I belong.” Not just in being in an orchestra, but because I’ve always been a showman type of person, wanting to present everyone my music and passion, and seeing the smiles on people’s faces.

When you’re not making music, what do you enjoy doing ? I like playing sports such as tennis or swimming, as well as going to the gym. I find that it relaxes me from all the stress. I also enjoy travelling and watching movies with close ones.

What are your dreams for your music over the next few years? My hopes for the future are becoming a violin soloist, not just classical but crossover, performing in front of thousands of people and touring internationally, even globally. I aspire to attend my dream university on the other side of the world and connect with talented conductors and musicians. Most importantly, inspire others to never give up on their dreams, whether it be music or anything else. Ultimately, I believe in leaving everything in God’s hands, trusting that He will create my path.

Finally, how did you feel about the images we created together? I feel like the images represent my characteristics of being: confident, kind, caring, and inspiring. I’m glad my mum encouraged me to do the photoshoot.

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Did you like this story? I hope so because photographing young musicians with their instruments is becoming one of my favourite ways to work with young people. I’m looking forward to meeting more of these passionate individuals through my work shooting for the MYO and sharing their stories here.