Enigma String Quartet Sydney

Speaker Profile

Formed from the cream of the classical collective, the Enigma String Quartet Sydney offers the highest calibre musicianship and presentation. These young professional musicians have the passion, energy and talent to set them apart and will add elegance and glamour to any occasion.

Performing a vast range of styles from classical to contemporary, the quartet is widely experienced with all types of engagements, from concert hall performances to corporate functions, television appearances, launches, weddings, parties and studio recordings. Concert, Cocktail or Classic – choose the exquisite sounds of Enigma.

Launched in 2006, the Enigma Quartet is comprised of four talented and passionate musicians who delight in the process and sharing of chamber music. The members work professionally with the Sydney Symphony, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, and the Australian Opera Ballet Orchestra.

Since its inception Enigma has performed several concerts at the Art Gallery of NSW as part of their popular Sunday Lunchtime Series. In March 2008 they were broadcast across Australia for Sunday Live on ABC Classic FM and in November they traveled to New Zealand as guest artists for the Canterbury Academy of Music's 25th Anniversary and a regional concert tour of the South Island.

In 2007 they were invited to perform in the Hunter Baille Spring Festival in Annandale as well as appearing in a major retrospective concert at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music to honour the Polish composer Karol Szymanowski. The quartet has performed to distinguished guests at the opening of the Australia Day Address and were national finalists in the Musica Viva Chamber Award. Enigma has a vibrant and innovative approach to a wide range of musical styles. As well as concert performances, the quartet has carved a niche in the world of corporate entertaining and played at some of Sydney's most exclusive social events. They have appeared many times on Australian Idol, the Today Show, Sunrise and Mornings with Kerri-Anne and performed alongside contemporary artists such as Angus and Julia Stone, Katie Noonan, The Cat Empire, Kanye West, Ronan Keating, Human Nature, Passenger and Missy Higgins.

Marianne Broadfoot is a first violinist with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. She is currently completing her PhD in Music Performance at the Sydney Conservatorium under full scholarship. She received her Bachelor of Music with First Class Honours in 2004. Marianne has performed and toured extensively with the Australian Chamber Orchestra and has appeared as soloist with the Melbourne Symphony and the Queensland Orchestra. Marianne was the winner of the Kendall National Violin Competition and the Australian Concerto Competition and was the second prizewinner of the Gisborne International Music Competition in New Zealand. Marianne has played in masterclasses for Pinchas Zukerman, David Takeno, Anthony Marwood and Valerie Oistrakh.

Kerry Martin is currently a member of the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra. She received a Masters of Music with Distinction in 2004 from the Australian Institute of Music studying with Alice Waten. Kerry was the winner of the New Zealand National Concerto Competition and a prizewinner at the Gisborne International Music Competition. She has appeared as soloist with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, Christchurch Youth Orchestra and the Sydney Chamber Orchestra. Kerry currently teaches violin and chamber music at the Australian Institute of Music and is the Artistic Director of the resident Chamber Orchestra, ARCO. Kerry has recorded for ABC Classic FM. She has performed in masterclasses for Felix Andrievski, David Takeno, Alexander Ivashkin and Regis Pasquier.

Shelley Sorensen is a member of the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra and Assistant Principal viola and soloist with the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra. She graduated with First Class Honours from the University of Leeds in the UK in 2001. She gained her Masters Degree at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester whilst freelancing with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, the Northern Sinfonia and the Orchestra of Opera North. Shelley continued her postgraduate studies on the viola with Roger Benedict (principal violist Sydney Symphony) at the Sydney Conservatorium in 2005. Shelley also performs regularly with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and the Australian Opera Ballet Orchestra.

Kristy Conrau has been a cellist with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra since 2007. She completed a Bachelor of Music with First class Honours at the Victorian College of the Arts studying cello with Nelson Cooke. In 2000, she completed the Advanced Performance Program at the Australian National Academy of Music and was selected for the Sydney Symphony Orchestral Fellowship Program in 2006. She has been the recipient of the Elisabeth and Keith Murdoch Travelling Scholarship, enabling her study in Vienna with Howard Penny and has toured Europe, China and America with the Australian Youth Orchestra as principal cellist.