You may not expect to see a skateboarding clarinettist, but Anna Chung has been defying expectations since she was seven.
Now 18, Anna loves combining her talents for both interests, but it is her skills on the clarinet that have won her numerous awards and now see her living away from her Sydney home and studying Music Performance at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music.
“My passion for clarinet started as soon as I played my first note. Since my first performance – which was a few months after I started clarinet – I fell in love with performing for other people and the ability to entertain and move others emotionally,” says Anna.
It is this special connection to the audience that inspires Anna to keep practicing and performing her music.
“11 years is definitely a long time to be committed to anything. I have had days where I do want to give up but what keeps me going every day is knowing how rewarding it is when I stand on that stage. When I perform, I am totally in the zone, fully focused on making a beautiful sound with my instrument and knowing that I am helping others feel and express their own emotions through my music.”
Anna says the support of her family and teachers has been invaluable over the past eleven years.
“I definitely would not be in the position I am today without the support of my family and my high school teachers. I have been lucky to have so many amazing and inspiring teachers in my life including Deborah de Graaff, David Griffiths who I am currently studying with in Melbourne, Ricardo Morales (Principal Clarinet of The Philadelphia Orchestra) and Boris Allakhverdyan (Principal Clarinet of LA Philharmonic).”
A two-time Variety Heart Scholarship recipient in 2019 and 2021, Anna says she is grateful to Variety for opening doors for her both in Australia and overseas.
“My Variety Heart Scholarships have helped my family and I in so many ways. They have given me life changing opportunities such as having incredible lessons with people in America, as well as finding ways to improve my skills on my clarinet through purchasing various resources to improve the sound and quality of my instrument.”
“I would like to extend my gratitude to Variety for helping and supporting me in my passion for music and clarinet. It has been an honour to receive the Variety Heart Scholarships and I cannot thank Variety enough for all the opportunities I have been able to experience.”
Anna is in her first year of university but she is already looking ahead to life after graduation.
“My next big goal in life is to finish university and then hopefully study overseas at Juilliard in New York or the Royal College of Music in London to pursue a career in professional music.”
You can look out for Anna on the world stage – and the local skate park – at @annachungclarinet
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