Bio.
Mathisha Panagoda was born in Sydney, Australia and began playing the cello at the age of four. He graduated from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music with a Bachelor of Music (Performance) (Honours) and from the University of Sydney with a Juris Doctor and Master of Law. With the assistance of a BBM Award and Ars Musica Australis Fellowship he pursued further musical studies in the UK.
In Australia Mathisha has performed with the Sydney, Melbourne and Queensland Symphony Orchestras. In 2008 he founded the Sydney Camerata, a chamber orchestra awarded the 2010 Musica Viva Award for Chamber Music and of which he is now the Artistic Director. In 2012 his string quartet were Musica Viva Australia's 'Rising Stars' ensemble and maintain a busy concert series in Sydney.
Alongside orchestra and chamber music, Mathisha has collaborated with a number of artists across a variety of genres including the Hilltop Hoods, Tina Arena, Burt Bacharach, Human Nature, Angus & Julia Stone, Dave Hosking and Nick Bryant-Smith (Horrorshow). Amongst his performance highlights are the 1999 NRL Double Header Olympic Stadium Opening, Sydney 2000 Olympics Opening Ceremony, 2007 Great Escape Festival (UK), 2007 Falls Festival (Australia), 2008 Pacific Music Festival (Japan), 2010 BBC Proms and London 2012 Olympic Cultural Festival.
Mathisha has performed and toured internationally with the Aldeburgh World Orchestra, YouTube Symphony Orchestra and Australian Youth Orchestra. He has performed at a number of festivals throughout Asia and Europe and has completed two solo residencies at The Banff Centre in Canada. From 2010 he was a young artist with the Britten-Pears Program in the UK and returned regularly to perform with the Britten-Pears Orchestra and Aldeburgh Strings until 2013.
In 2014 Mathisha was nominated for the Young Australian of the Year. He is currently a Partner at Colin Biggers & Paisley Lawyers and enjoys working pro bono with various community legal centres whilst maintaining a busy teaching and performance schedule. From 2015 to 2017 Mathisha served on the Board of The Song Company, Australia's professional choral ensemble, from 2018 to 2020 was a Non-Executive Board Director of the Inner West Cultural Services, and since 2022 has been a Non-Executive Board Director of Gondwana Choirs, Australia's national children's choir.
In Australia Mathisha has performed with the Sydney, Melbourne and Queensland Symphony Orchestras. In 2008 he founded the Sydney Camerata, a chamber orchestra awarded the 2010 Musica Viva Award for Chamber Music and of which he is now the Artistic Director. In 2012 his string quartet were Musica Viva Australia's 'Rising Stars' ensemble and maintain a busy concert series in Sydney.
Alongside orchestra and chamber music, Mathisha has collaborated with a number of artists across a variety of genres including the Hilltop Hoods, Tina Arena, Burt Bacharach, Human Nature, Angus & Julia Stone, Dave Hosking and Nick Bryant-Smith (Horrorshow). Amongst his performance highlights are the 1999 NRL Double Header Olympic Stadium Opening, Sydney 2000 Olympics Opening Ceremony, 2007 Great Escape Festival (UK), 2007 Falls Festival (Australia), 2008 Pacific Music Festival (Japan), 2010 BBC Proms and London 2012 Olympic Cultural Festival.
Mathisha has performed and toured internationally with the Aldeburgh World Orchestra, YouTube Symphony Orchestra and Australian Youth Orchestra. He has performed at a number of festivals throughout Asia and Europe and has completed two solo residencies at The Banff Centre in Canada. From 2010 he was a young artist with the Britten-Pears Program in the UK and returned regularly to perform with the Britten-Pears Orchestra and Aldeburgh Strings until 2013.
In 2014 Mathisha was nominated for the Young Australian of the Year. He is currently a Partner at Colin Biggers & Paisley Lawyers and enjoys working pro bono with various community legal centres whilst maintaining a busy teaching and performance schedule. From 2015 to 2017 Mathisha served on the Board of The Song Company, Australia's professional choral ensemble, from 2018 to 2020 was a Non-Executive Board Director of the Inner West Cultural Services, and since 2022 has been a Non-Executive Board Director of Gondwana Choirs, Australia's national children's choir.
