Top End double take for AYO violinists three decades on

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When violinist Kaito Deed takes to the stage in Darwin and Sydney in July with the Australian Youth Orchestra, he will be following in the musical footsteps of his former music teacher Karina Hollands who also performed with AYO in the Northern Territory more than 30 years ago.

Kaito, who studied under Karina at Central Coast Conservatorium of Music in Gosford, NSW, is part of the AYO’s 60-strong national orchestra performing works by Beethoven and Shostakovich in the Brave New Worlds concerts in Darwin and Sydney on 17 and 19 July respectively.

Members of the Australian Youth Orchestra are selected annually from around Australia through a highly competitive national audition process. Now in his second year of study at Sydney Conservatorium of Music, former Gosford High School student Kaito has been an AYO participant since 2024 and earlier this year performed with the AYO flagship ensemble at Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne.

This will be Kaito’s first time in Darwin. “I’m naturally excited to be able to visit a new part of Australia I haven’t had the chance to yet. Being in a different location, it’s always nice to be able to perform in front of a new audience,” said Kaito, adding that it was extra special to be repeating the same AYO journey of his mentor, Karina.

“It’s a very fun coincidence, and I’m excited to be able to have this shared experience with someone who has been such a big part of not just my musical development but my life in general.”

Kaito Deed, AYO violinist

Karina, who taught Kaito from an early age, said she is pleased to see her former student also taking the AYO path. “I’m very proud of Kaito! And thrilled he’s following in my footsteps. Would you believe he’s teaching now at the same school where I was introduced to the violin in Year 2!” 

She said she has fond memories of travelling to Darwin in 1990 with AYO. “I loved AYO and the inspiring conductors, music and of course the musicians! Going on tour with a group of talented young performers with the direction of top artists was a formative experience in my career and has inspired me to always focus on nurturing a love of music and performing in the next generation of players that I was so fortunate to have myself, as an adjunct to performing.” 

Hear AYO in Concert

AYO will mark a major milestone this winter, travelling to Darwin for the first time in more than 30 years with a concert at AANT Centre on 17 July before returning to Sydney’s City Recital Hall on Sunday 19 July with Brave New Worlds.

Led by acclaimed conductor Antony Hermus in his first return to Australia since 2018, and featuring AYO alumna and 2026 ABC Young Composer of the Year semifinalist Charlotte Miles, the performances bring together Shostakovich’s searing Cello Concerto No. 1, Beethoven’s revolutionary Symphony No. 3 (Eroica), and Brett Dean’s searching contemporary response, Testament.

Concertmaster Lily Song, from Queensland, said she is honoured and excited to be leading the orchestra.  “Performing in Darwin is particularly meaningful, as it means I have now travelled to and performed in every Australian state and territory. This marks not just a personal milestone of mine but also reflects the incredible reach of AYO and the privilege of sharing music with audiences across Australia.”

Kaito said he is most looking forward to performing the Shostakovich with Charlotte.

“Not only is [the Shostakovich] an amazing work in its own right, but being able to work with and learn from a musician of [Charlotte’s] calibre in a live orchestral context is very exciting and a great learning experience.”

For Maestro Hermus, the power of the program lies not only in the repertoire, but in the musicians themselves. “This will not be just a concert — it will be a journey into the human spirit,” he says. “Young musicians bring something you cannot manufacture. They don’t play safe — they go all in. For audiences, it’s like high voltage energy on stage.”

Join AYO in 2027

Applications are now open for AYO’s 2027 orchestral and non-orchestral programs. AYO nurtures gifted young musicians from school age through to pre-professional artists pursuing diverse careers across the music sector.

AYO also offers non-orchestral programs in Composition, Sound Productions, Orchestral Management and Media and Communications and offers generous scholarships to helpcover program fees and travel costs and application fee waiver for First Nations applicants.

For anyone thinking of applying, Kaito’s advice is to go for it. “I personally think that being surrounded by and learning from the many different perspectives of other musicians is one of the best ways to learn. Not only as an orchestral musician, but even more broadly for creatives.”

“I encourage anyone who’s on the fence about this to apply, not only for the orchestral experience, but as the application process itself can be a huge learning opportunity.”