Victoria Jaenecke

Growing up in Christchurch, Victoria began her viola studies with Elizabeth Rogers in Christchurch.

She completed a Bachelor of Music with Elizabeth Morgan in Brisbane in 1985. Following her studies, she was a member of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra for five years and played briefly with the Melbourne Symphony before moving to Germany in 1991.

Victoria studied at the Munich Musikhochschule for two years with Professor Hariolf Schlichtig. Over the next eight years, she was engaged under contract by the Bamberger Symphoniker, the Frankfurt Opera Orchestra, and most extensively with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, with whom she undertook many tours in Europe, Japan and the USA. She met her husband Martin, also a musician, while working in Frankfurt.

I make sure I don’t eat too much before a concert; I leave home to travel to the venue in lots of time so that there's no stress and plenty of time to warm up; I make sure my long hair is tied up out of my face; make sure my seat on stage is at the right height and comfortable and that my glasses are clean!

Victoria returned to New Zealand in 2001, initially living in the Motueka area before moving with her family to Wellington in 2007. She served as Section Leader Viola with Orchestra Wellington from 2008 until 2014 before joining the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.

The NZSO is a full-time job, and we are all based in Wellington - I often get asked about these two things.

A mother to two teenage daughters, Victoria enjoys traveling, crafting, and spending time in nature.