May Bardsley

May’s love for the viola has taken her down the Eastern Coast of Australia, and around the world to Amsterdam. In addition to graduating with a Master of Music (Performance) from the Conservatorium of Amsterdam, where she studied with Sven Arne Tepl and Frederik Boits, May holds a Master of Music Studies (Performance) from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music where she studied with Roger Benedict. She has toured both internationally and around Australia and has performed in masterclasses at the 45th International Viola Congress and 8th Amsterdam Viola Festival. As a chamber musician May has taken part in masterclasses with the Jerusalem, Takács, and Australian String Quartets, and has been individually coached by Nobuko Imai, Nicola Benedetti, Garth Knox, Lilli Maijala, Ásdís Valdimarsdóttir, and Mikhail Zemtsov. In the Netherlands, May performs regularly as part of the Intercontinental Ensemble, with whom she is Solo Viola, and with orchestras such as Het Ballet Orkest, Asko|Schönberg, and Kamerata Zuid. Throughout her summers in Europe, May has participated in the Ticino Musica, Bregenzer Festspiele, and Grafenegg orchestra academies, and she looks forward to Davos in 2025.