10 Questions with Ella Dowsett-Farmer

We're thrilled to be running our events internship once again in 2025, this time with another rising star of the classical music world, Ella Dowsett-Farmer!

Ella, an Adam Summer School alumni and a viola student currently studying Honors at the New Zealand School of Music - Te Kōkī, will join our team in the office for the next few months learning the ins and outs of creating and presenting events. We sat down with Ella to find out what part of this internship she's looking forward to the most.

1.      Welcome to the NZSQ Ella! Can you tell us a little bit about your role and what you’ll be working on?

Kia ora and thank you! I am the new Events Coordinator intern at the NZSQ, and for the last month I have been hard at work pulling together the 2025 Chamber Music Intensive, which is an opportunity for young chamber musicians participating in the NZCT Chamber Music New Zealand Chamber Music Contest to get coaching from our quartet. Following this I will be continuing the Racket Lounge series where Wellington musicians can come together in a casual space to share their craft. I’m very excited to get this going as it's such a valuable space for Welly musicians!

2.       What’s keeping you busy outside of your NZSQ role?

I’m currently halfway through my Honours degree in Classical Performance on viola at the New Zealand School of Music - Te Kōkī. Most of my time is spent at the university in rehearsals or classes, and of course practicing at home. I also do a lot of freelance work with my own string quartet, including performing at the VUW Graduations this year (we became a bit of a meme…). Music definitely rules my life, but I do a few other odd creative jobs in Wellington.

3.      Can you tell us a bit about how you first started playing the viola?

As many violists do, I started off playing violin when I was 8. My mum used to play violin and viola and she had a viola under her bed that hadn’t been played in years. One day when I was 13 my teacher asked if I would be interested in learning and offered me a chance to play in the viola section in the children's string orchestra I was a part of. I dusted off my mum's old viola, played the concert, and never looked back! What drew me to the viola was its sound - I loved the darker, mellow tone of the instrument in contrast to the violin. The role it plays in the orchestra as a middle voice is also a lot of fun and we get some gorgeous melodies!

4.      What’s your favourite form/ style / genre/ piece of music to play?

I used to be an orchestral player as a rule, but last year I really branched out into chamber music and am thoroughly enjoying myself. Now I find it very hard to decide between the two. I love the connection you get with chamber music and the amount of fun you can have playing around with directions and colour in the sound - you get a lot more performance agency when you aren’t under a conductor's baton. However the explosive sound and energy you get with an orchestra is incredible and there is the added benefit of making viola friends and working as a part of a larger section. If I absolutely had to choose, I would say no and choose both.

5.      Tell us about a career or life highlight?

Last year I was the Principal Viola in the NZSO National Youth Orchestra, a position which I had been working towards for years. I first got into the orchestra when I was a very intimidated 16 year old in the back of the section wondering if I could keep up with the rest of the uni students. Being able to work my way up from the back was fantastic as it meant I got experience playing in every part of the section before taking on the responsibility of Principal. I learned so much in the week of rehearsals about how to be a good principal and interacting with the other string section leaders, and I’ll never forget the feeling of a full section behind me while playing a symphony. It was an incredible experience!

6.      What part of your role with the NZSQ are you looking forward to the most?

I’m really looking forward to learning how to run a concert series from start to finish. I am trained as a performer but half the struggle of getting work is finding gigs to play at, so being able to make my own opportunities is really valuable. Also being able to contribute to the wider running of the quartet is a plus - learning about all the behind the scenes work that goes into bringing these concerts to life is great experience. 

7.      What skills or experiences do you hope to have gained by the end of your role? Or, what do you hope to have achieved?

I hope to have made some more connections in the Wellington music scene and be more confident in running concert programmes. I also want to build on what my predecessors have set up with the Racket Lounge and give back to the music community with something a little bit new. The skills I’ve learned with this will also be able to be applied to other events I run in the future. I’ll also know more about how to operate a chamber group from a business and organisation perspective which I can then bring into my own groups. 

8.      If you could instantly learn how to play any other instrument absolutely perfectly, what would you pick?

When it comes to orchestral instruments I’d have to choose the cor anglais. It’s sort of what the viola is to a violin in the oboe world but it’s such a beautiful instrument and I seem to be automatically drawn to those lower/middle voices. If we are going completely out of the orchestral world, I would love to be able to play the Hardanger fiddle or Hurdy-gurdy. Folk/traditional music is something I’ve always wanted to get into!

9.      What non-music and non-work hobbies keep you entertained on the weekends?

I seem to pick up hobbies like it's a sport - over the years I’ve practiced quite a few odd bits and bobs ranging from downhill trolley racing to aerial circus. I have a Dungeons and Dragons group that meets up every week and I do a lot of costume design and creating, both for my own projects and my friends. I try to have something that gets me outside, and midway through last year I picked up target archery which has been a ton of fun. On weeks that I’m running all over the place books and stories keep me going more than anything else.

10.  Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

In 5 years I hope to either be studying towards or have attained a Masters in Classical Performance at an international university. International travel and education is something I would love to embark on, as I think learning from different teachers and exploring new ways of thinking is important for musicians. From there, I’d love to play in an orchestra like the NZSO and contribute to music outreach in schools - education is another part of music I am really passionate about. 

Ella completed her Bachelor of Music in Classical Performance - Viola in 2024 and is currently undertaking Honours study at the New Zealand School of Music - Te Kōkī. She began tutelage on violin at age 8 but discovered viola at 13 and quickly made it her main instrument. Since then she has played in many orchestral ensembles including the Hawkes Bay Orchestra and Wellington Youth Orchestra, and attained the position of Principal Viola in the 2024 NZSO National Youth Orchestra. She has also worked alongside the NZSO viola section as a part of the NZSM & NZSO Festival in 2023, and has played in an NZSO Masterclass run by violist Alexander McFarlane. Ella takes any opportunity she can get to collaborate with musicians in a wide range of genres, from classical music to modern musicals and has a love for chamber music that was cultivated in the 2024 and 2025 Adam Summer Schools. 

Aside from music Ella enjoys playing tabletop games with her friends, practicing archery, and rocketing through books at an alarming rate. Ella is currently studying under Gillian Ansell, violist of the New Zealand String Quartet.

Keep your eyes peeled for a return of The Racket Lounge and to see what else Ella gets up to over the course of her internship.