How did you come to the viola?

I started on the violin at the age of three and, like many other viola players, came to the viola later, when I was 14. I was involved in the Young Artists’ Program at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music around that time, and it was there that I began playing the viola in chamber music ensembles. I was attracted to the middle voice of the instrument and the fact of being at the heart of the music making.

Tahlia Petrosian, Australian World Orchestra, AWOTahlia Petrosian

What are the attributes you most prize in music making?

Music making, whether it is as a soloist with an orchestra, in a chamber group or as a member of an orchestra, is always a process of collaboration and exchange which involves listening and contributing. I think in this way it is very similar to having a conversation, and I value the same attributes in music making as those in conversation – namely, listening and considering what others have said and then providing interesting and thoughtful insights of one’s own.

Which violists do you most admire?

I admire my two former teachers,...