Did you know much about the Australian World Orchestra before agreeing to play with them?

I have known about the AWO since their first season [in 2011] and am honoured to be invited to play with them in 2022. I remember hearing them perform Mahler’s Symphony No 1 in Melbourne with Zubin Mehta in 2013 and was absolutely blown away.

Jenna Breen

Jenna Breen. Photo supplied.

Have you played with Zubin Mehta before?

I was fortunate enough to perform with Zubin Mehta and the LA Philharmonic in 2017, playing [Strauss’s tone poem] Ein Heldenleben, and a second time this April for a program of Bruckner’s Symphony No 9 and Berg’s Violin Concerto. Zubin is an amazing musician and I am excited to play an entire Strauss program with him and the AWO.

You have had permanent positions with West Australian and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras. How did you end up in the States?

When I applied for my position in Seattle I wasn’t looking to move specifically to the US, though I was interested in experiencing a different culture and lifestyle. The audition [in April 2016] actually fell during...