Rate My Professor Tessa Petersen

Tessa Petersen serves as the William Evans Senior Lecturer in Violin at the University of Otago's School of Performing Arts within the Humanities Division. She earned her MusB (Hons) from the University of Otago and a Postgraduate Diploma from the Royal College of Music in London under a British Commonwealth Scholarship. Following her graduation, she led the New Zealand Youth Orchestra and advanced her career in the UK and Europe with leading chamber orchestras, before relocating to the USA in 1993. There, over more than a decade, she built an extensive portfolio as an orchestral and chamber musician, concertmaster, recitalist, adjudicator, and teacher.

In 2006, Petersen returned to New Zealand and joined the University of Otago in 2008 as Executant Lecturer in Violin. She holds the position of Concertmaster with the Dunedin Symphony Orchestra and frequently performs across New Zealand and internationally alongside pianist John van Buskirk in their duo, La Belle Alliance. Renowned for championing New Zealand composers, she has commissioned, premiered, and recorded works such as Anthony Ritchie's Gallipoli to the Somme—performed in Dunedin, Oxford, and London—Jeremy Mayall's Entrances (world premiere, 2021), and Robbie Ellis's commissions. Notable recordings include the acclaimed Release: The Mozart Fellowship (Ode Records, 2012), Father & Son: Music by John and Anthony Ritchie (Rattle), and Brighter Than Blue by Matthew Marshall. Additionally, she has contributed to film soundtracks and recordings for contemporary bands on Ode and Rattle labels. As an educator, she teaches undergraduate performance papers and supervises postgraduate students at MA and DMA levels, many of whom have pursued successful international careers. Petersen serves as a National Examiner for the New Zealand Music Examinations Board, has adjudicated national competitions, and received a University of Otago Research Grant in 2024 for her project The Journey of Mataatua Whare.