About Us Chimera Ensemble

A monstrous fire-breathing creature of Greek myth, with the head of a lion, body of a goat and tail of a serpent, a Chimera is also a term used to describe something wildly imaginative, or anything made from different parts.

Violinist Rebecca Glorie, cellist Melinda Forsythe, and pianist Tommaso Pollio formed Chimera Ensemble in 2014. The three Perth-born musicians have each performed internationally, and share a love of chamber music. They agree that when an artist plays chamber music, each member of the ensemble should have the strength and virtuosity of a soloist, while at the same time blending and working together to present a unified musical interpretation. This results in a remarkably satisfying musical experience for both performers and their audience.

Over the last few years, Chimera Ensemble has performed as a piano trio, a trio with soprano composer Emma Jayakumar, string quartet, piano quartet, and a piano quintet. The ensemble has also accompanied Music Book for Fringe World productions Just Larking About, in 2016, performed and recorded the world premiere of Matt Ottley's Teacup - One Boy's Story, in 2017, performing it again for The Literature Centre's 25th Anniversary Celebrations. In 2021, Chimera Ensemble accompanied Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge adapted by Emma Jayakumar from the book by Mem Fox and Julie Vivas, with a quartet playing clarinet, cello, double bass and piano.

Chimera Ensemble is a part of Music Book Stories Inc., a not-for-profit organisation, established by Perth musicians who are passionate about promoting and encouraging literature, visual arts and music for people of all ages, cultures, and ability.
Music Book Stories Inc. also represents Music Book Stories, an innovative ensemble which presents concerts of beautiful stories accompanied by live music; concerts for seniors, parents, children, and babies; and have commissioned Matt Ottley's hybrid work Teacup, based on the book by Rebecca Young and Matt Ottley; and Emma Jayakumar's opera adaptation of Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge, based on the book by Mem Fox and Julie Vivas. Music Book Stories has successfully acquitted over $70,000 in grants and funding from DLGSC, Lotterywest, City of Perth, City of Melville, Community Arts Network, Telstra Kids Fund, Stockland, and Bankwest

Rebecca Glorie has played as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician in Australia, Belgium, Austria, USA, and Canada, including performances with Ensemble Archangelo, Musici Artis, International Mozarteum Summer Academy, and Brighton, Greece and Vancouver Symphony Orchestras. She has been String Finalist in the ABC Young Performers Awards and a Churchill Fellowship recipient and has won many awards and scholarships. Rebecca is currently a full-time principal violinist with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, concertmaster of the Fremantle Chamber Orchestra and performs regularly as a soloist and chamber musician.

Melinda Forsythe returned to Perth in 2012 after studying and performing as a soloist, orchestral and chamber musician in the UK, Europe, Ireland and Japan. She studied at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, completing her Bachelor of Music (with Honours) and her Master of Music (performance). Melinda played with the Watahiki String Quartet, who were successful as finalists in the Granada Prize, winners of the Hirsch Prize for Chamber Music, and guest artists at the Alberni String Quartet Summer School in Cambridge. Melinda performs regularly in recital and as a chamber and orchestral musician, including with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Perth Symphony Orchestra, Fremantle Chamber Orchestra, West Australian Philharmonic Orchestra, Darlington String Trio, and the UWA Schubert Quartet.

Tommaso Pollio is well-known to Perth audiences, having worked extensively as a chamber musician, accompanist, recitalist, and repetiteur. He has worked with many musicians and groups in Australia, UK, USA, Singapore, Malaysia, and Italy, including the Enaria Ensemble, the Darlington Trio, Lucca Opera Festival, Trio Di Romanza, West Australian Opera, West Australian Ballet, WAAPA, Art Song Perth and Opera Australia. He has won numerous awards and competitions and has recorded for the ABC and co-founded chamber opera groups Millio Opera and Lark Chamber Opera. Tommaso regularly performs with Fringe Festival Award winners Robert Hoffmann, and Divalicious.