Richard Tognetti

Richard Tognetti (born 4 August 1965) is an Australian violinist, composer and conductor. He was born in Canberra and raised in Wollongong. He is currently Artistic Director and Leader of the Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO) and Artistic Director of the Maribor Festival in Maribor, Slovenia. He is cousin to Colleen Tognetti – mother of the screenwriter Laurence Briggs and the professional Ballet dancer Alinta Briggs. Tognetti studied at the Syd... more

Richard Tognetti (born 4 August 1965) is an Australian violinist, composer and conductor. He was born in Canberra and raised in Wollongong. He is currently Artistic Director and Leader of the Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO) and Artistic Director of the Maribor Festival in Maribor, Slovenia. He is cousin to Colleen Tognetti – mother of the screenwriter Laurence Briggs and the professional Ballet dancer Alinta Briggs. Tognetti studied at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music with Alice Waten and undertook post-graduate study at the Bern Conservatory with Igor Ozim, where he was awarded the Tschumi prize in 1989. On his return to Australia later that year the Board of the Australian Chamber Orchestra made him artistic director and lead violinist – at only 25 years of age. Under Tognetti's 20 years of leadership, the orchestra has earned a reputation as one of the leading chamber orchestras in the world. The Times has gone so far as to say "This group must be the best chamber orchestra on... less