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Momentum Ensemble acts as a springboard for exceptional young musicians who want to develop a multi-faceted career in music. The aim of these musicians is to democratise classical music, bringing new interpretations and unconventional works to audiences, and performing in venues that transcend the boundaries of the traditional recital hall.
Working with cutting-edge artists, members of the Momentum Ensemble are challenged to look at what it means to be an artist in the 21st century. With the cultural landscape consistently evolving, Momentum Ensemble provides a framework to work with others to develop both professionally and musically. Members of the ensemble gain teaching skills, access professional development opportunities, and develop skills that will assist them in launching a versatile career. This program is an extension of musicians’ experience in the flagship orchestra and participation is by invitation.
The concept of bringing the chamber to different parts of Australia, which is what Momentum does, is so exciting and it’s really the part that makes it most worth it for me.
Participant, 2023
Momentum Ensemble programs are held at various times during the year. There are two or three programs each year.
Momentum Ensemble performs in various locations around the country: in festivals, in partnership with professional ensembles, and in AYO-presented concerts.
Hear from Paul Nicolaou about Momentum Ensemble
The Momentum Ensemble was officially launched by AYO in 2022 as a platform for exceptional young musicians aiming to develop multifaceted careers in music. The ensemble serves as a catalyst for artists seeking to expand their artistic horizons beyond traditional orchestral settings. It provides opportunities for musicians to engage in innovative performances and collaborations across various genres and venues.
Momentum Ensemble performs with Soprano Rachelle Durkin and Conductor Christoph Altstaedt at Cell Block Theatre, Sydney in 2024
Momentum Ensemble performs with Soprano Rachelle Durkin and Conductor Christoph Altstaedt at Cell Block Theatre, Sydney in 2024
Violin
Recipient of the prestigious New Colombo Plan Scholarship and ThinkSwiss Scholarship, violinist Julia Hill has established herself internationally as a multi-faceted musician. She graduated from Griffith University in 2023 with a Bachelor of Music (Honours) and was awarded the 2020 Queensland Conservatorium Medal, given to one student each year for outstanding involvement during tertiary studies.
With a strong passion for interdisciplinary performance, Julia has collaborated with composers, artists and directors to create unique artistic experiences. Whilst living in Japan under the support of the New Colombo Plan Scholarship, she collaborated with Japanese visual artist Yuki Horie, presenting a performance of improvised art and music designed to promote the audience’s wellbeing through mindfulness. Additionally, the ThinkSwiss Scholarship took her to Geneva where her collaboration with five emerging composers resulted in a multi-disciplinary performance featuring new music accompanying a film about the effects of climate change. Most recently, as a featured artist at Brisbane Music Festival, Julia combined theatre, composition and solo violin music to create a solo show, Renaissance, based on the theme of recovery from mental health difficulties.
Julia holds casual violin positions with the Adelaide, Melbourne and Queensland Symphony Orchestras and performs regularly with Camerata – Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra. She is looking forward to touring with the AYO to Europe for the first time!
Photographer: Jack Mounsey
The Tutti First Violin Chair is generously supported by Jessica Block.
Julia Hill was the 2022 Recipient of the Richard Pollett Memorial Award.
Harp / Composition / Media and Communication
“Rapidly emerging as one of Australia’s most exciting young artists” (ABC
Classic), Paul Nicolaou is a multi-award-winning harpist and composer
based in Sydney, Australia. Praised as “brilliant” (classikON), he has quickly
gained international recognition as a creative and virtuosic young artist,
receiving accolades including the 2026 Eva Pascoe Award, First Prize in the
2023 National Youth Music Arranging Competition and 2021 Monash
University Emerging Composer Prize.
A graduate from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music with First Class
Honours, Paul studied under internationally celebrated harpist Alice Giles
AM. After commencing harp aged 16, he has quickly established himself as
an accomplished and sought-after performer, appearing as Guest Principal
Harp with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Tasmanian Symphony
Orchestra and Auckland Philharmonia among others. Paul also regularly
performs with the Opera Australia Orchestra, and was Principal Harp of the
Australian Youth Orchestra (AYO) from 2022-24. A regular performer with
AYO’s Momentum Ensemble, he was inaugural Co-Chair of the AYO Youth
Council in 2024-25 and a Media & Communication participant in 2026.
A selected composer for the Australian Music Centre’s 2025 MOMENTUM
Plus project, Paul has been commissioned by organisations such as ABC
Classic and the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM), and has
participated in composition programs including AYO Composition in 2022
and the 2023 Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic Composer Workshop.
Paul is also an experienced pianist, violinist, an accredited music arranger
with the Music Arrangers’ Guild of Australia and Australian Music Centre
Associate Artist. He has a strong in ludomusicology, working as an arranger
and researcher in the field of video game music.
Abigail Lui is a Brisbane-based composer and violinist inspired by the stories that help us
make sense of the world. She has recently taken part in composition programs with the Australian Youth Orchestra in 2024 and 2025. As Camerata’s 2025 Emerging Composer-in-Residence, a
recipient of ABC Classic’s Composer Commissioning Fund (2024) and winner of Adelaide
Chamber Music School’s String Quartet Composition Prize (2022), she is fast gaining a
reputation for bold and intuitive writing that’s equally lucid in concert hall and community.
2024 has seen her string quartet Colour of Time recorded by Amiti Quartet for ABC Classic, piano trio Wayfarers recorded by Cerulean Collective for release through Corella Recordings, and on the choral-music side, a new piece for Voices of Birralee inspired by Vincent van Gogh’s artistic practice, and lyric-writing commission composed in collaboration with Elena Kats-Chernin. She has taken part in composition programs with Queensland Youth Orchestra (2023), Topology (2022-23), and Singapore-based choir Vox Camerata (2022-23). Her music has also been performed by Brisbane Chamber Choir, Lumens, Birralee Singers, and Vocal Australia, and she has written and performed music for films (Nosferatu and Cabinet of
Dr. Caligari).
Abigail is studying composition with Robert Davidson and violin withCourtenay Cleary, and previously Adam Chalabi, through a Bachelor of Music (Honours) and Science at the University of Queensland. Her Honours research explores how violin performance knowledge can enrich compositional practice through personal study and collaboration.
Oboe
Miriam began oboe lessons at eight years old, studying with Celia Craig, Mark Bruwel, Nicola Bell, and Shefali Pryor. While completing her performance degree at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Miriam attended a semester exchange at the Royal Danish Academy of Music under the tutelage of Professor Max Artved. Miriam is the 2024 Oboe Fellow with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and is now on contract with SSO as tutti oboe. She has played as Guest Principal Oboe and tutti oboe with the Tasmania Symphony Orchestra, as well as casual programs with Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Miriam is also passionate about chamber music. She attended the Australian Festival of Chamber Music Winter Masterclass with Wollemi Quintet in 2022 and co-founded the Wollemi Chamber Society in 2023, hosting and performing in regular concerts. Miriam has participated in Australian Youth Orchestra’s programs since 2015, when she attended her first Young Symphonists Program in Toowoomba, Queensland.
Photographer: Lisa Maree Williams
The Principal Oboe Chair is generously supported by Penelope Seidler AM.
Horn
Henry Langley is a horn player based in Melbourne, having recently finished his Bachelor of Music (Degree with Honours) at the University of Melbourne, studying with Carla Blackwood and Nico Fleury. Henry began playing the horn in his first year at high school – having learnt the double bass previously. Henry’s first orchestral experiences took place in regional and summer school programs; however, it wasn’t until his first experience with the Australian Youth Orchestra that he decided he wanted to fully pursue his passion for orchestral playing. Since his first AYO program in 2022, Henry has participated in five orchestral seasons in the cities of Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Hobart and Perth. He has spent two National Music Camps in Adelaide, playing principal horn of the Bishop Orchestra in 2024, as well as participating in the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra Fellowship program. He has played twice with the AYO Momentum Ensemble in locations such as Sydney’s St James’ Church and Adelaide’s UKARIA. In 2023, Henry toured with the University of Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in Singapore and Malaysia, which was an enriching experience that provided him with valuable insight into the touring life of an orchestral musician.
Bassoon
Bailey Ireland studied with Jane Kircher-Lindner at the University of Western Australia, graduating with a Bachelor of Philosophy with Honours in 2024, with a second major in mathematics. He has performed on bassoon and contrabassoon with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra and Australian Youth Orchestra, as well as having been principal of the Western Australian Youth Orchestra and Western Australian Wind Symphony. Bailey was awarded the Royal Schools Music Club’s Anniversary Scholarship in 2022 and spent a semester on exchange at the University of York working with Laurence Perkins. Bailey has appeared as a soloist with Allegri Chamber Orchestra and Collegium Strings.
The Principal Contrabassoon Chair is generously supported by The Hon. Dr Andrew Lu AM & Professor Geoffrey Lancaster AO.