What happens when a bassoonist, violinist and trumpeter get into a room with an aerial artist and theatre director? Melbourne audiences are soon to find out, when the 2026 AYO Momentum Leaders present their unique show to Circus Centre Melbourne in November.
The Momentum Leaders gathered recently at Circus Centre Melbourne for their second workshop of the year, continuing the development of an ambitious new project that blends orchestral music, circus, and theatre.
Building on their initial development period in June, the latest workshop gave the Momentum Leaders the opportunity to further shape their ideas, flesh out the finer details, and experiment with staging instruments and circus arts together for the first time this year.
Working alongside Flying Fruit Fly Circus Flying Fruit Fly Circus graduate Arabella Renwick and National Institute of Dramatic Art NIDA Director Madeleine Diggins, the 2026 Momentum Leaders – bassoonist Bailey Ireland, violinist and composer Abigail Liu, and trumpeter Arkie Moore – are are testing ideas, challenging creative boundaries, and discovering what happens when different art forms collide.
The workshop also featured conversations with Anni Davey OAM, Director of Flying Fruit Fly Circus and Alison Beare, CEO of UKARIA, which offered valuable insights into artistic leadership, collaboration, and what it takes to bring bold ideas to life.
The Momentum Leaders are together driving the development of an original, interdisciplinary piece. “In my experience it’s been the director telling me to do certain tricks, so this has been the complete opposite, where we get to create everything ourselves” Arabella Renwick said about the importance of the project.
The culmination of the project will be presented on the 27 November, 7pm at the Circus Centre, Melbourne.
