When the Sydney Youth Orchestra takes the stage at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music on Saturday 14 March, the occasion will be more than a showcase of youthful virtuosity. It will also mark a homecoming  for Sydney-born violinist – and SYO alumnus – Harry Ward, who, since 2023, has been a member of the Berliner Philharmoniker.

Fittingly, the SYO concert program, conducted by Stanley Dodds – a violinist and a Philharmoniker veteran himself – culminates in Stravinsky’s The Firebird Suite, an orchestral showpiece Ward knows intimately. “It was one of the first pieces I played when moving to Berlin and Stan was also playing that concert,” he tells Limelight. “I can’t wait to hear his interpretation of it.”

Ward joined the Philharmoniker after a period spent in its training orchestra and talent factory, the Karajan Akademie. Even now, after several years in Berlin, daily life as a full-time violinist in the city fascinates him.

Harry Ward. Photo © Lauren Murphy

“Living and working here can often feel more like a festival than a job,” he says. “Depending on whether we’re preparing for tours, our concerts in Berlin or some chamber music, it’s...