Fiona Qiu

Violinist Fiona Qiu has won numerous awards and scholarships, including First Prize and Audience Choice Award at the 23rd Kendall National Violin Competition, the Ian Potter Cultural Trust Award, the QCGU Ena Williams Award, the QCGU Postgraduate Prize, the Brisbane Clubs Award & Audience Choice Award, the Owen Fletcher Prize, the Barbara Hebden Bursary, the Matilda Jane Aplin Prize, the Vada Jefferies Prize, the Basil Jones Sonata Prize, the Nora Baird Bursary, the German Violin Travel Bursary, and the Griffith Award for Academic Excellence.
Fiona completed her Master of Arts at Mozarteum University under the tutelage of Professor Lily Francis, following her studies at the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) with Dr. Robin Wilson and Sophie Rowell, and at the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University (QCGU) with Michele Walsh.
She is the 2025 Australian Chamber Orchestra Emerging Artist and will tour regularly with the ensemble throughout the year.
As a soloist, Fiona has been featured on ABC Classic FM, 3MBS, and 4MBS, and has performed with the Queensland Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra and the Kelvin Grove Orchestra. As an orchestral musician, she served as Concertmaster of the Queensland Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra for Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben, performing one of the most demanding concertmaster solos in the repertoire. She was also Concertmaster of the Australian Youth Orchestra National Music Camp on two occasions and participated in the 2019 AYO International Tour and Chamber Players programs. In 2024, Fiona toured Germany and France as an academist with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra.
Fiona is a founding member of the Artamidae String Quartet, which won the 4MBS Chamber Music Prize, and has participated in masterclasses with the Emerson, Australian, Borodin, Dover, New Zealand, and Goldner String Quartets, as well as Ray Chen. In 2021, the quartet was invited by the Baillieu Myer family to perform at a private art gallery. During her studies at QCGU, Fiona performed extensively with Ensemble Q, collaborating with leading international artists and conductors.
In addition to her performance career, Fiona has extensive teaching experience and works with students of varying ages and levels. She is fluent in both English and Mandarin Chinese. Beyond classical music, she has collaborated with artists such as Katie Noonan, Damien Leith, and Grammy Award–winning Michael Bublé, and curates a social media presence documenting her artistic journey through her media persona, sleeplessviolin.