Sophia Mackson

About

Sophia Mackson is a Queensland-based violist, composer, advocate and educator. She
completed her Honours year of her Bachelor of Music in 2023 at the University of
Queensland, under the tutelage of the Professor Patricia Pollett.

As a violist, Sophia actively plays and composes for the Sketch Ensemble based at UQ. She
is involved with UQ’s Pulse Chamber Orchestra and the University of Queensland
Symphony Orchestra. Sophia has also been a part of Australian Youth Orchestra’s National
Music Camp, Opera Queensland’s Festival of Outback Opera, Nonsemble, and other
ensembles. Through her composing, Sophia has received mentorship through Ensemble
Offspring’s Hatched Home Academy in 2020, and taken part of the Women Composers
Development Programme with Coro Innominata. She has also worked with ensembles such
as Melbourne based ensemble Ellipses Trio, and violist Helena Burns.

Sophia has been interviewed by ABC Classic, ABC New England Northwest, and ABC
Brisbane for her advocacy in classical music, particularly around being a musician and
having ADHD. Her podcast “On-the-spot” features people who work in the arts that
experience neurodiversity and have disabilities. Sophia hopes to use her experiences to
inspire change through her writing and creative works, as well as to communicate music to
audiences around the country. Sophia is one of the inaugural AYO Media and Communications (MAC) fellows.