From National Music Camp to Strike a Chord finalists

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Four Sydney-based cellists who met at the 2023 Australian Youth Orchestra (AYO) National Music Camp in Adelaide have been named finalists in Musica Viva’s Strike a Chord chamber music competition for school-aged musicians. The national final will take place at 2pm on 30 August at Melbourne Recital Centre

Young cellists Jamie Wallace, Andy Lin, Vincent Zhu, and Marcus Tyler, all previous Strike A Chord participants, formed the 4 Bartolomey cello quartet after meeting at NMC in Adelaide in 2023. The group is named after Austrian cellist/composer Matthias Bartolomey’s work, Preikestolen, which they rehearsed and recorded for their Strike A Chord entry. They directly contacted Mr. Bartolomey, who provided enthusiastic feedback on their performance.

Jamie and Vincent are also performing in the finals with LeBrahm Trio, named after basketballer LeBron James and composer Johannes Brahms, alongside clarinettist Ramond Wang with Vincent on piano.

The 4 Bartolomey quartet is one of 12 outstanding young ensembles, selected from across the nation, that will compete in the Strike a Chord National Final at 2pm on 30 August at Melbourne Recital Centre, judged by an expert panel led by Wilma Smith and made up of renowned international chamber musicians.

AYO Alumni in the Spotlight

In addition to 4 Bartolomey, several other finalists are alumni of AYO programs:

Who’s Competing in the 2025 National Final

Twelve school-aged groups have been selected to perform live at the 2025 National Final at Melbourne Recital Centre. They are:

• 4 Bartolomey (NSW)
• Amaryllis Trio (VIC)
• ATC Trio (QLD)
• Hale Bravura String Quartet (WA)
• Ignite Trio (ACT) 
• Imber Trio (SA)
• The IncrediBows (QLD) 
• Kingussie Trio (VIC) 
• LeBrahm Trio (NSW) 
• LED Trio (VIC) 
• Quartet Alla Zingarese (QLD) 
• Roystead Trio (VIC

Special discounted tickets are available for AYO when you use the promo code HEARTHEFUTURE.  Book now!