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Every day, the Australian Youth Orchestra is shaped by women whose artistry, leadership and dedication help young musicians thrive. This International Women’s Day, we’re shining a light on some of the women who inspire, challenge and energise the Australian Youth Orchestra community. Guided by UN Women Australia’s 2026 theme Balance the Scales, we spoke with composers, alumni, participants, board members, tutors and collaborators about their achievements, what International Women’s Day means to them and supporting other women.
What professional achievements are you most proud of?
Lily Song, Concertmaster, 2026 Australian Youth Orchestra
“Being concertmaster of the flagship orchestra for AYO. Being able to play with my friends from around Australia with some of the most amazing conductors, whilst playing beautiful repertoire is always such a privilege. I was also grateful to be the recipient of the Audience Prize award in the finals for the Kendall National Violin Competition in 2025 and being selected alongside two female musicians to represent the Queensland Conservatorium at the Musical Chairs Chamber Music Festival in Montreal.”
Kimbali Harding, Chief Executive Officer, Australian Youth Orchestra
“One of the things I’m most proud of is seeing former students and mentees step into the world as confident, generous, and formidable professionals. Watching them lead, create, and care for others, and quietly thinking “I was part of that journey” never gets old.
Early in my career, not becoming a concert pianist felt like a failure – it is what I trained to do all of my life, it defined who I was. But this became a turning point. Finding the courage to imagine a different future, studying musicology in a second language at the Sorbonne, taught me resilience, curiosity, and the power of reinvention.
At AYO, I’m proud of helping shape pathways that allow young musicians – especially women – to see more possibilities for themselves. Creating environments where excellence and humanity coexist is an incredibly meaningful legacy.”
Naomi Dodd, Composer
“I am really proud of the 11 orchestral works I have written in my career, in particular the six orchestral works I wrote for Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Tasmania Symphony Orchestra over 2024 and 2025. It was an enormous amount of physical, mental and creative effort but I poured so much of myself into those works and am really proud of them. Most rewarding to me are the stories I hear from listeners who have connected with my music. Connection with other people is at the heart of why I write music, so when someone tells me that my work impacted them, it fills me with a great sense of accomplishment and joy.”
Jessica Block, Board Member, Australian Youth Orchestra
“I’m proud of having helped a wide range of not-for-profit organisations, mainly in the arts, raise much-needed funds to help them achieve important creative and social goals. I’m particularly proud of establishing a national education program for the Australian Chamber Orchestra, now a key part of its ongoing charter and of playing a key role in setting up the ACO’s Instrument Fund.”
Dr Megan Burslem, ABC Presenter, AYO Alumna
“First, my working relationships. I’m a firm believer that career success is as much about the relationships you forge with those around you as it is about the skills and dedication you bring to the job. Second, I’m proud to bring classical music to your televisions! Front Row has been running for a year now and I’m really starting to notice the ripple effects of what it means for all Australians to access classical music concerts, no matter where they are.
And finally, I’m proud to be able to maintain my sense of self in my job. That’s not just important in radio and tv, it’s imperative.”
What is the best advice you have been given by another female leader?
Eliza Scott, Queensland Symphony Orchestra First Violin, AYO Alumna
“Be unapologetically yourself and act with integrity. Be reliable! Say yes because you never know where the next exciting opportunity might come from, but also remember that ‘no’ is a complete sentence. Have fun, be joyful and lean on people when you need to, because you would do the same for them.”
Lily Song
“One of the best pieces of advice I have received comes from Monica Curro telling us to never be afraid to stand up for ourselves and for the well-being of the orchestra. She constantly encourages us to keep searching for the passion in music. I also admire how realistic she is about being a musician.”
Megan Burslem
“Oh god, where do I start?! The first person that comes to mind is my colleague and broadcasting legend Mairi Nicholson, who always says to me, “you go for it, kiddo”. It’s advice and encouragement rolled into one, and I just love how she says it with a wink, a smile, a little shake of her well-dressed shoulders. What a Queen.”
Who is another female leader you admire, and why?
Genevieve Lang, ABC Classic Presenter, AYO Alumna
“Without hesitation – AYO Music in Me Director, Bernie Heard. Working with and for her, I’ve always felt valued and appreciated. She’s good with a little course correction every now-and-then but can also come in with a firm hand as required. Clever, strategic, passionate about the sector. Also without hesitation – Sydney Symphony Orchestra Chief Conductor, Simone Young. Watching her move a body of musicians all in the same direction, nurture singers in performance, build congeniality with the troops – it’s awesome!”
Charlotte Miles, Cellist, AYO Alumna
“So many! For starters, my brilliant mother, University of Melbourne Pro Vice-Chancellor, international mathematics superstar, mentor to dozens of women… but also quietly confident, powerfully vulnerable, and eager to share with me whatever inspired thought she had in the shower this morning. Comedian Phoebe Waller-Bridge, psychotherapist Esther Perel, freestyle-skier Eileen Gu and singer-songwriterBillie Eilish are all women whose extraordinary wit, wisdom, thoughtfulness and courage I’ll be admiring for many years to come. And Martha Argerich and Yuja Wang, both astounding musicians, have shown me and every other woman in my field what it means to own the space you occupy.”
How do you raise other women up?
Charlotte Miles, Cellist, AYO Alumna
“By really, truly listening – to a friend’s last run-through before an audition, to a colleague’s just-need-to-vent rants, to a podcast a loved one recommended so that we can talk about it afterwards, to a friend’s favourite song just because it’s hers. Sometimes all it takes is inviting a colleague who has been interrupted in a group conversation to continue speaking (‘As you were saying…?’) for her to feel that her ideas and opinions are valued. Most of all, I’m always trying to be as honest, vulnerable and compassionate as I possibly can with all the incredible women I’m so lucky to have in my life.”
Genevieve Lang
“Notice the little things. And the big things. Be overt in calling out when someone has done really well on something. Help other women find their own self-belief through recognition. Be part of their chorus of believers. Sometimes we need to hear it a lot from others before we start believing in it ourselves.”
Naomi Dodd
“I teach composition at an all-girls school in Sydney and in that role, I always try to discover the individual strengths of each girl. It’s important for me to listen to and encourage their own unique voice, not tell them what their voice should be. I want to make the spark that’s already within them shine as brightly as possible.”
Megan Burslem
“By championing their work. Going to their gigs. Sharing their socials content. Commenting. Liking. Messaging them. Speaking up for them in rooms they aren’t in. There’s nothing more rewarding than championing another woman and seeing her THRIVE!”