About
“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.
