Edo de Waart brought him back to Australia as co-concertmaster and associate conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra (1996–2001). Harding was the artistic director of the James Fairfax Young Artists Programme, the Peter Weiss sponsored "Music for Spring", and was in 1997 artistic director of the National Music Camp. In 1998 Harding was appointed as conjoint professor of the Faculty of Music, University of Newcastle, and was awarded a Doctor of Music honoris causa. He became guest co-concertmaster, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in 2002. In 2004 he was artistic director of the Australian National Academy of Music. He was appointed concertmaster, West Australian Symphony Orchestra in 2005. He was the concertmaster of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra from 2006 until 2011, when an injury to his bowing arm forced his early retirement. In 2011 he was one of the directors of the Canberra International Festival of Music. References Living people Australian classical violinists Male classical violinists People from Newcastle, New South Wales People educated at Newcastle Boys' High School Concertmasters 1950 births Academic staff of the Royal Conservatory of The Hague 21st-century classical violinists 21st-century Australian male musicians 21st-century Australian musicians