When Helena Rathbone is not playing Second Principal Violin for the Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO), she is director and leader of AcO2, the second ensemble that draws its members from the ACO Emerging Artists Program.
AcO2 alumni Rebecca Chan and Madeleine Boud now play with the ACO. Under Rathbone, all of AcO2 run workshops for students in metropolitan and regional schools and since 2007 have toured more than 60 regional centres in Queensland, NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia. The ensemble is also occasionally accompanied by guest musicians as diverse as pianist Tim Freedman from The Whitlams, oud player Joseph Tawadros and Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto.
