Marcella Felicia (violin soloist)
Marcella Felicia is recognized as one of the leading violinists and educators in both
Indonesia and Australia. She began her violin studies at the age of six under the guidance
of Welly Liando, followed by Shienny Kurniawati and Finna Kurniawati in Indonesia, and
Matt Bruce in Australia.
Marcella made her professional debut at the age of 12, performing “Handel’s Messiah”
Concert in 2010. She went on to build a successful freelance career that spans a wide
range of musical genres, frequently collaborating on music video recordings in both
Indonesia and Australia. In 2017, she expanded her string instrument repertoire by taking
up the viola. During her time in Indonesia, Marcella performed regularly as first violinist
and violist with the Surabaya String Orchestra, working under renowned Indonesian
composers and conductors such as Ananda Sukarlan, Addie M.S., and Avip Priatna. She
has also collaborated with prominent musicians including Sam Haywood (UK), Prof. Nigel
Clayton (Royal College of Music), Dr. Imma Setiadi (Royal College of Music), and Gia
Jashvili (Georgia).
Marcella holds a Master’s degree in Violin Performance, awarded with a scholarship for
Excellence in Performance and Research. She later continued her studies at the
Australian Institute of Music in Sydney. In 2019, she participated in the Singapore Violin
Festival, where she studied with esteemed professors such as Prof. Boris Garlitsky
(Russia), Prof. Moni Simeonov (Bulgaria), and Prof. Xie Nan (China). She has also
participated in masterclasses with Prof. Yin Ke (Singapore), Prof. Boris Garlitsky (Russia),
Prof. Xie Nan (China), and Gia Jashvili (Georgia).
In 2022, Marcella played in the prestigious G20 Orchestra, which premiered at the
Borobudur Temple in Indonesia. The orchestra featured top musicians from G20 countries,
and Marcella embraced the challenge of performing on the viola in this distinguished
ensemble. She has also performed with several prominent orchestras, including the
Sydney Youth Orchestra, Sydney Concert Orchestra, Sydney Contemporary Orchestra,
Balmain Sinfonia, and Western Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
A highly accomplished musician, Marcella has won numerous competitions in Indonesia
and now shares her expertise through teaching. In June 2024, she was invited to perform
classical works, alongside pieces by renowned Indonesian composer Ananda Sukarlan, in
a recital celebrating the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and
Finland. The recital also featured the world premiere of “Findolandesia”, a work for violin
and piano written by Sukarlan for the occasion. Later that year, in August 2024, Marcella
was invited to perform Sukarlan’s new compositions, “The Two Australian Songs”, at the
Australian Institute of Music in Sydney, celebrating Indonesian Independence Day. These
pieces were first premiered by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) in Jakarta.