Jun Yi Ma

The Opera Australia Orchestra is the busiest of all Australian orchestras, giving around 300 performances every year. This extraordinary group of musicians is led by Concertmaster and Orchestra Director Jun Yi Ma. In this conversation with Opera Australia Artistic Director Lyndon Terracini, Jun shares stories from his life and career, starting with his days as a young violin prodigy. At just 12 years of age, Jun travelled from his home in Shanghai to perform for President Ronald Reagan at the White House. He would go on to be tutored by one of the greatest violinists of all time, Jasha Heifetz. Jun also reflects on his career, the role of a Concertmaster, and performs the beautiful Méditation from Massenet's opera, Thaïs.