Sinfonia for Hope
The Sinfonia for Hope’s members, who all donate their services, are mostly drawn from the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Wellington and the New Zealand School of Music.
The Orchestra
Konstanze Artmann
Principal Second Violin
Konstanze Artmann (violin) was born and raised in Germany. Her violin studies included teaching and performance diplomas at the Higher College of Music in Salzburg (Austria) and at the Utrechts Conservatorium in Utrecht (The Netherlands). She also undertook postgraduate study with Isabelle van Keulen at the Koninklijk Conservatorium at The Hague (The Netherlands).  Since completing her studies, Konstanze has worked professionally in Germany, Austria and The Netherlands in various orchestras and chamber music ensembles before coming to live in Wellington with her NZ husband in December 2007. She currently holds the position of principal second violin in Orchestra Wellington and teaches violin at her own studio.
Sophia Acheson
Principal Viola
Sophia, from Christchurch, NZ, studied performance viola in Wellington with Donald Maurice where she graduated with first class honours. She was then invited to study in Barcelona with Ashan Pillai, violist with Pinchas Zukerman Chamber Players, and was subsequently awarded scholarships to study with Donald McInnes at the University of Southern California and later with Roger Myers at the University of Texas at Austin. During this period she furthered an interest in early music, learning the viola d'amore and viola da gamba, performing solo in the US at Berkeley and Evanston, and since her return to NZ, in Auckland.
Since 2014 Sophia has been principal violist of Orchestra Wellington. She has also enjoyed freelance engagements with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonia and Dunedin Symphony. Chamber Music New Zealand awarded her string quartet Kiwa a regional tour in 2016, and a further tour in 2017 with her harp trio Toru.
Robert Ibell
Principal Cello
Robert Ibell was born in Dannevirke and brought up in Palmerston North. While training there as a school teacher he learned cello from Judith Hyatt in Wellington.
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From 1986 to 1992 Robert lived in London, studying cello with Tania Hunt, Derek Simpson and Christopher Bunting. He played at music schools and in masterclasses (where his teachers included Alexander Baillie, Steve Doane, Anner Bylsma and Steven Isserlis), taught, gave recitals and played in professional and amateur orchestras.
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Since 1993 Robert has been a member of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. He is also an experienced chamber musician. Robert has been a member of the Aroha Quartet since 2009. He plays in contemporary music group Stroma and fortepiano/cello duo Hammers & Horsehair, and is a Recording Artist for Radio NZ Concert.
Paul Altomari
Principal Bass
Bio coming soon
HyeWon Kim
Violin
Korean born New Zealander HyeWon Kim is a professional violinist who plays in major New Zealand orchestras as well as being a chamber musician, soloist and teacher. HyeWon has began her violin studies in Seoul at SunHwa Arts Conservatoire, continued her studies at the University of Auckland and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama/ City of London University under David Takeno obtaining MMus degrees in violin performance. While she was in the UK, she worked with BBC Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, the Halle Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Northern Sinfonia, and Southbank Sinfonia Orchestras. Afterwords her journey continued to Japan being a member of the Hyogo Performing Arts Orchestra. Before coming to Wellington, HyeWon lived in Spain working with the Orquesta Sinfonica de Castilla y Leon and the Orquesta de Cadaques, where she gets invited to perform with them continuously. She also was a member of UBS Verbier festival orchestra Switzerland, Schleswig-Holstein festival orchestra Germany and Pacific Music Festival orchestra Japan.
Martin Jaenecke
Violin
Bio coming soon
Rupa Maitra
Violin
Rupa studied with Pamela Bryce at Otago university where she completed a BMus in 1990, gaining several prizes in performance and musicology. Rupa was a member of the Southern Sinfonia between 1986 and 1997, including as principal second violin in 1994-97 . Recent teachers include Martin Riseley. Rupa plays in various chamber groups in Wellington and is a member of the first violin section of Orchestra Wellington. Rupa directs the Wadestown Primary school orchestra in Wellington.
Lucas Baker
Violin
Lucas is from a large family of keen musicians. When he was three years old he also started learning violin by the Suzuki Method, with Lynley Culliford. He played in small ensembles with the ‘Baker Bunch’ as soon as he could, and now he is a keen chamber musician.
In 2017, Lucas formed the Druz’ya Quartet for the NZCT Chamber Music Contest. They were the overall winning group at the contest, and later, they played at Kristallnacht. In 2018, he formed Timeless Trio for the contest and they won a gold award and the People’s Choice Award.
Lucas has been a part of Wellington Youth Orchestras since 2013, the New Zealand Secondary Schools’ Symphony Orchestra in 2016 and 2017, and the NZSO National Youth Orchestra since 2017. That year, he also gained a NZMEB Diploma (AMusNZ) with distinction. Currently, he is Concertmaster of Wellington Youth Orchestra.
Karla Norton
Violin
Karla Norton is a freelance professional violinist playing accross New Zealand and teaching in Wellington and Blenheim. Karla has recently returned to New Zealand from London where she has been performing with orchestras including Southbank Sinfonia, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, BBC Concert Orchestra and the Aurora Orchestra under conductors including Sir Antonio Pappano, Vladimir Ashkenazy, John Wilson and James Judd. Karla has played in orchestras and chamber groups, and given recitals in many Countries across the world including the UK, Italy, Denmark, Poland, Hong Kong, Canada as well as her native New Zealand where she plays regularly with Orchestra Welington, the Dunedin Symphony Orchestra, Festival Opera and the Hawkes Bay Orchestra.
Karla has taught violin and music theory for many years at prestigious institutions including Columba College in Dunedin, Marlborough College in the UK and the inHarmony Programme in London as well as teaching many private pupils from first steps for young children and adult beginners, right through to successful conservatoire entrants.
Sarah Marten
Violin
Sarah Marten studied performance violin and viola at the University of Otago and at Victoria University of Wellington. She has played professionally with a number of orchestras and ensembles across New Zealand. After spending some years in Europe, she returned to New Zealand in 2012 and has been working by day for the Ministry for Culture and Heritage while also playing with Orchestra Wellington and other regional groups. Sarah also has a strong interest in historically informed performance practice and plays baroque violin.
Claire McSweeney
Violin
Bio coming soon
Peter Barber
Viola
Peter was a student of Zillah Castle, before becoming a member of the NZSO Schola Musica and studying with NZSO Principal Viola Emeritus, Vyvyan Yendoll. He is also a graduate of the Cologne Music Academy, where his course of study included tuition from professor of viola, Rainer Moog and members of the Amadeus String Quartet.
In the course of his forty years in the NZSO, Peter has also played in the NZSO Chamber Orchestra, New Zealand String Quartet, the New Zealand Soloists, Stroma, Nevine String Quartet and the Amazon Trio Basso. In addition he has explored the viola and piano repertoire with his sister, Mary Barber, and with Catherine Austin. He teaches as a viola mentor for the NZSO. Peter plays a viola made in the early ’70’s by Otto Erdesz.
Peter also enjoys choral singing and has sung in Cantoris, Bel Canto, Orpheus Choir, Tudor Consort, and Nota Bene.
Elyse Dalabakis
Viola
Greek-American violist Elyse Dalabakis is a multifaceted musician, educator, arts advocate, and performance scholar who has earned a distinguished reputation as a solo, chamber, and orchestral musician and arts administrator.
Grant Baker
Viola
Bio coming soon
Margaret Guldborg
Cello
A native of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Margaret Steen Guldborg's career of playing and teaching cello has spanned over 20 years on four different continents. After receiving a Masters of Music in Cello Performance at the New England Conservatory in Boston, USA, Margaret moved to Denmark where she taught and was an Assistant Sub-Principal Cellist in the Odense Symphony Orchestra. She and her husband then moved to Malaysia where she played and taught until their move to New Zealand in 2008. Since then, Margaret and her family have settled in Wellington where she teaches and is a freelance cellist.
Jane Dalley
Cello
Bio coming soon
Olivia Wilding
Cello
Olivia Wilding began learning cello at age 11 in Hawkes Bay. During her high school years she competed, and enjoyed success in local regional music competitions, both as a soloist and as part of chamber groups. She moved to Wellington to study Classical Performance Cello under Inbal Megiddo, which she completed with First Class Honours in 2018. She has been a member of the New Zealand National Youth Orchestra for three years, and in 2017 was a finalist in the ROSL National Chamber Music Competition. Olivia is currently the principal cello of the Wellington Youth Orchestra, a member of the 2019 Adam Troubadours string quartet and 2019 NZSO Fellowship Programme. Olivia now aims to pursue post-graduate study overseas, with the goal of a professional performance career.
Jandee Song
Bass
Bio coming soon