Damien Eckersley

Damien joined the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra as Associate Principal Double Bass in 2020, following a thirteen-year tenure as a member of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

Damien serves on the faculty at the Australian National Academy of Music, and has performed as principal bass with orchestras in Australia and all over the world. These include the Tasmanian, Melbourne, and Queensland Symphony Orchestras, the Australian World Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria, the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, the Graz Philharmonic, the Tönkunstler Orchester and Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa.

Damien has also performed with the Sydney Symphony, the Australian Chamber Orchestra, the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, the Australian Opera Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera, the Vienna Philharmonic, and the WDR Symphony Orchestra Köln.

He studied with Max Mcbride at the Canberra School of Music and with Professor Tim Dunin at the University for Music and Fine Arts in Graz, Austria.

As a soloist, Damien has given performances with orchestras and in recitals across Australia, Austria, Germany, China, Hong Kong, and Japan. He has also appeared in chamber music festivals throughout the world, both as a player and director.

Damien is passionate about education and combines his studio teaching with coaching young musicians in chamber music and orchestral technique, as well as giving masterclasses throughout Australia and Asia.

He has worked with young musicians of the Kanazawa University Orchestra, the Australian Youth Orchestra, the Australian Chamber Orchestra Academy, and most extensively with members of the Australian National Academy of Music. His students have gone on to perform professionally across Australia and around the world.

Damien is currently Chair of the NZSO Players Committee.