Richard Tognetti, one of Australia’s most talented violinists, is celebrating 30 years at the helm of the Australian Chamber Orchestra. Returning to East Corrimal, a surf beach not far from where he grew up in Wollongong, south of Sydney, he reflects on the enduring pull of his home town, and the relationship between the waves and his music. Picture: Nic Walker

“I learned to surf all around here,” he says, gesturing at the coastline, the Wollongong city skyline visible behind him. “There is something about the natural beauty... It’s where the escarpment meets the sea. And that’s what makes it dramatic. And that’s what makes it dark, in a good way, too.” Picture: Nic Walker

Picture: The Australian’s Bridget Cormack paddles out with Tognetti.
“Everyone bangs on about the relationship in my life between surfing and music,” Tognetti says. “For me, it is about the posture. Of course the way the sea swells and ­recedes is like a musical phrase. But some people don’t feel it like that. They don’t feel the music in the sea. Or they don’t feel the sea in the music.” Picture: Nic Walker

Tognetti says he had “good parents in that they gave us opportunity and exposed us to all sorts of interesting things, the grand life outside Wollongong”. Picture: Nic Walker

“No matter where you grow up, this is where you get your memories for the rest of your life. They’re the memories you’ll have on your deathbed. When I went to Europe to study I had memories of Wollongong growing up.” Picture: Nic Walker

“It had this great tough working-class environment that is very much a part of my ­spirit. You can take the boy out of Wollongong but you can’t take Wollongong out of the boy. That’s why I think it is important to come back (to ­perform) here.” Picture: Nic Walker

“Surfing really is an integral part of my life. I want to do more surfing,” says Tognetti. Picture: Nic Walker

“And I want to be part of the cultural fabric of Australia. I want to push and I want to scream and I want to shout and argue for it.” Picture: Nic Walker