Damien studied viola in Hobart with Keith Crellin, Simon Oswell and Jan Sedivka, then in Brisbane
with Elizabeth Morgan, at which time he performed the Bartók viola concerto with the Queensland
University Orchestra, played viola with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, and was a founding
member of Camerata of St Johns (Brisbane). In recent years he has focused on chamber music, is
principal viola of the Hobart Chamber Orchestra, and regularly fosters the performance of new
music.
Other interests include composing and conducting. His compositions have been performed by artists
including Michael Lampard (Opera Australia), William Lane (Hong Kong Sinfonietta), and prominent
Australian pianists Karen Smithies and Gabriella Smart, and he has conducted the Derwent
Symphony Orchestra and Hobart Chamber Orchestra. He is an Associate Professor in Engineering,
and has published research in international Journals and supervised PhD studies on concert hall
acoustics, musical instrument acoustics.
Damien plays a “Tertis Model” viola made in 2020 from Tasmanian timbers by Tasmanian luthier and
violist, Douglas Coghill.