Melissa Farrow

Limelight Magazine described Melissa as “our foremost baroque flutist” and of her playing­­­­, in The Australian Stage 2023, “to hear Melissa Farrow perform was to listen to a masterclass in extreme subtlety of expression”.

Melissa began her childhood musical journey in Auckland, New Zealand, developing a passion for music of the baroque and classical period, as well as the medieval. She took up studies in both recorder and flute and this dual focus continued, leading into post-graduate studies in Amsterdam with two of the world’s leading experts in their fields: the recorder virtuoso and pedagogue Walter van Hauwe and the contemporary flute specialist Harrie Starreveld. As these contrasting studies progressed, Melissa started to find a way to bring these elements together with lessons on the baroque flute with Marten Root in Amsterdam. Refining her approach further, she explored the different national historical flute styles with Karl Kaiser in Germany, Wilbert Hazelzet in The Netherlands and Lisa Besnosiuk in England. This fascination with a wide variety of styles and approaches to flute has continued to this day with Melissa developing her musical language and technique with the various developing complex flute key-systems of the 18th and 19th Centuries.

Since 2003, Melissa has been the Principal flute of the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, and is also Principal flute with the Australian Haydn Ensemble. She performs regularly with Pinchgut Opera and with the Australian Chamber Orchestra. She has a passion for chamber music and is a founding member of the Sydney-based ensemble Notturno. Melissa performs regularly as a soloist and has performed numerous concerti with the NZSO, Dunedin Sinfonia as well as NZ Barok, Pinchgut Opera, Australian Haydn Ensemble and The Australian Brandenburg Orchestra. She has recorded extensively and is about to release her first solo album with ABC Classics entitled Viennese Bouquet.

Melissa is an enthusiastic educator, lecturing in historical flute at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music as well as playing a key role in the educational programs of the ABO, AHE, Australian Romantic and Classical Orchestra and Adelaide Baroque.