Sophie Dunn is a Melbourne-based violinist and viola player, multi-instrumentalist, collaborator and educator. She works with a diverse range of artists, art forms and genres.
Sophie Dunn studied classical violin at the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School with Miwako Abe, Lucinda Moon and Jane Hazelwood. She has performed with the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Orchestra, Tasmanian Discovery Orchestra, Arcko Symphonic Ensemble, School of Hard Knocks Street Requiem String Quartet, Blue Grassy Knoll and the Australian Silent Film Orchestra and Southern Cross Symphony.
Sophie has been a core member of bands including Devil Goat Family String Band (winner of the 2018 Brunswick Music Festival People’s Choice award), Andy Baylor’s Banksia Band and Mariachi Los Romanticos. She plays in Robbie Melville’s Secret Trio, Chamber Obscura and the improvisational string trio Bowlines.
Sophie has been a guest musician with bands such as Tek Tek Ensemble, Sugar Fed Leopards, Jess Ribeiro, The Bombay Royale and The Counterfeit. She has recorded with artists including TZU, Ned Collette, Andy Baylor, Arcko Symphonic Ensemble with Adam Simmons and the Sunwrae String Orchestra. Sophie has played live to air with Arcko Symphonic Ensemble, Devil Goat Family String Band, Ned Collete and Bush Gothic.
Recent performance highlights include the Zulya Kamalova Tribute with Children of the Underground at the 2025 National Folk Festival.
Biography
Chamber Obscura
Band Recordings
Devil Goat Family String Band
Silent Box
Chamber Obscura
Candela Flamenca
Robbie Melville’s Secret Trio
Andy Baylor and the Banksia Band
Ensemble Recordings
Bee-Sharp Honeybee by Rae Howell
Future Suture by Ned Collette
Travelling Tales by Adam Simmons
Position Correction by TZU
Sophie Dunn has collaborated across diverse art forms including flamenco dance in Candela Flamenca and Chamber Obscura, music for film with Silent Box (The Village Festival 2004-2009), and roving music-theatre with The Skulls (2017 Adelaide Fringe and White Night Ballarat).
Sophie has performed music for theatre with VCA Animateurs, A is for Atlas, THIS (2023 Rising Festival) and the nationally touring Imagine Live (2025).
She has performed as a multi-instrumentalist with Westside Circus including their 2003 award-winning Fringe show The Albatross, and with Circus Oz in Smash It! for the 2024 Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
Collaborations
Sophie Dunn holds a Bachelor of Arts (Fine Art, Printmaking Major) from RMIT, a Postgraduate Diploma of Professional Music Practice from the University of Tasmania, and full registration with the Victorian Institute of Teaching (Secondary).
Sophie is an in-demand music educator, running String programs in secondary schools including The University High School, and teaching Diploma and Advanced Diploma students at Melbourne Polytechnic. Sophie is resident tutor and guest conductor with Alexandra Cameron Strings (Melbourne Youth Orchestras). She has tutored at several State Music Camps and with Melbourne String Ensemble.
Education
For inquires about bookings or upcoming performances, please contact: sophiedunnmusic@gmail.com
Contact