Once a year, a talented young violinist receives an unexpected phone call informing them they have been awarded $10,000 to support their hopes and dreams. The Richard Pollett Memorial Award is the only one of its kind. It recognizes an individual who makes an impact on their community through their passion and spirit for music.
This transformational award was established in 2012 by Patricia and Philip Pollett after the tragic loss of their son Richard Pollett, aged 25 on the 27th of September 2011. He was a graduate of the Queensland Conservatorium, The University of Queensland and the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana. He was also a three-time finalist in the ABC Symphony Australia Young Performer of the Year awards, winning the string final in 2011. While Richard’s life and musical journey were tragically cut short, this award honours his achievements and ensures that his passion for music continues to inspire and nurture young violinists just like him.
In setting up the award, Patricia and Philip elected for there to be no application process. This was inspired by the surprise act of generosity Richard received whilst living in Lugano, Switzerland, pursuing his Masters’ degree.
Moment of chance
Liam Viney, the Head of the School of Music at The University of Queensland, recounted this moment of chance during the Richard Pollett 10th Anniversary Commemorative Concert on the 17th of October in 2021.
“One day, Richard was out busking in Lugano, where he was studying at the time. He finished busking and went home. Sometime soon after, he received a mysterious email in which an organisation he’d never heard of was claiming to have selected him to win a $2,000 award. Like any savvy digital native, Richard hit the delete button, but they persisted. By the third email, he thought he’d better look into this. As it turned out, while he’d been busking, a scout for the US-based Williamson Foundation had heard him play, gone home, somehow found his contact details and nominated him for an award to support him in attending summer music courses.”
When Patrica and Philip created the award, it was important to provide a similar opportunity for upcoming violinists. Without administrative burden of preparing an application, the selected recipient is truly recognised for their impact without even knowing it.
“Philip and I are deeply grateful to everyone for the support in honouring Richard’s legacy. It’s incredibly meaningful for us that he continues to inspire the next generation of musicians.”
History of the Award
The first recipient was Glenn Christensen in 2012. A 22-year-old at the time, Glenn had just completed his degree at Queensland Conservatorium of Music and was just about to embark overseas to study in Germany.
“I was the inaugural recipient of the Richard Pollet Memorial Award, which was as a great honour. This award enabled me to take further study abroad, specifically in Germany, which was immeasurably beneficial to my musical and career development.” Glenn Christensen shared as part of the event of the 10-year commemoration of the award.
The benefits the award had on his Christensen’s early career were invaluable. After studying in Germany, he was bolstered into a professional career. Glenn went on to be Principal 2nd violin with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and later Principal 1st violin with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra.
Spirit of recepients
Since that inaugural gift generously endowed by Patricia and Philip Pollett, the Richard Pollet Memorial Award has been granted to a total of thirteen gifted young musicians. And what connects these violinists together is their sense of spirit. 2026 recipient, Teresa Yang is a 2024 graduate and former Head Prefect of Meriden School in Strathfield, NSW. Teresa has just completed her first year of her Bachelor of Music at the world-renowned Juilliard School in New York, where she is studying on a full-tuition scholarship with Catherine Cho.
“It means the world to me to have received the Richard Pollett Memorial Award as the award not only acknowledges the recipient’s level of violin-playing but equally, if not more so, takes into consideration the qualities of the person, which I value deeply,”
Like Richard, the recipients command a great quality and deep passion for music. Richard Pollett was not only an exceptional musician but from a young age was someone who could sense a whole universe of emotions from music. He demonstrated extraordinary musicianship, intellectual curiosity, generosity, and personal warmth. He would message his friends and colleagues repeatedly about his observations of particular composers with exquisite takeaways on the craft. Richard saw this clearer and clearer each day of his career, and they live through the recipients for years to come.
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The achievements of the previous Richard Pollett Memorial Award winners reflect the enduring legacy of Richard Pollett, and the AYO is extremely grateful to the Pollett family for their trust of AYO in this award and the opportunities it has provided so many.
You can support the Richard Pollett Memorial Award, by contacting Director of Development, Bronwyn Lobb, on 03 8420 5710 or visit www.ayo.com.au/donate. In the past year, we are thankful to Ole & Celestien Warnaar and Helen Tuckey for their contributions to the award. Reach out to us today to ask about how you can contribute to this award.
Full recipient list
2012 – Glenn Christensen
2013 – Liisa Pallandi
2014 – Zoe Freisberg
2015 – Rollin Zhao
2016 – Kyla Matsuura-Miller
2017 – Thibaud Pavlovi
2018 – Mana Ohashi
2021 – Robert Smith
2022 – Julia Hill
2023 – Daniel Shao
2024 – Theonie Wang
2025 – Haneulle Lovell
2026 – Teresa Yang