Nicholas Buc is an award-winning composer, conductor, and arranger with a distinguished career in both film and concert music. He studied composition under Brenton Broadstock and Dr. Stuart Greenbaum at the University of Melbourne, earning the inaugural Fellowship of Australian Composers Award. Nicholas furthered his education with a Master’s degree in Scoring for Film and Multimedia from New York University, where he was honoured with the Elmer Bernstein Award for Film Scoring.

His compositions have been showcased at festivals and theatres across Australia, Asia, and the United States. In November 2022, the Melbourne Youth Orchestra premiered his Trumpet Concerto, commissioned by Josh Rogan. His 100-minute oratorio, Origins, premiered to a sold-out audience at Melbourne Recital Hall in July 2023. Recently, he scored the Australian feature film Slant (2022) and the Ukrainian documentary Slava (2023).

Nicholas has collaborated with renowned artists and ensembles, including Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, Chris Botti, Amanda Palmer, Ben Folds, and The Cat Empire. He has served as conductor and arranger for Tina Arena on six Australian tours and has created arrangements for Birds of Tokyo, Lake Street Dive, Missy Higgins, The Avalanches, Eskimo Joe, The Whitlams, and Vera Blue. His television work includes Junior MasterChef (2020), five seasons of The Voice Australia, and the 2021 AFL Grand Final.

Highly sought after for live film concerts, Nicholas has conducted the world premieres of major films, including Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, and Field of Dreams.

The 2024-2025 season will see the North American premiere of his children’s work, Daughter of the Inner Stars, with the Vancouver Symphony. This season also features exciting debut engagements with the Chicago Symphony, Chicago Lyric Opera, Toronto Symphony, Kansas Symphony, and Auckland Philharmonic, along with reappearances with the Seattle Symphony, Grand Rapids Symphony, and Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as all the Australian Symphony Orchestras.

Helen Lynch AM & Helen Bauer Chair

Alexandra Osborne enjoys an exciting and versatile career as a solo artist, chamber and orchestral musician, and educator. She was recently appointed as Associate Concertmaster of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Previously Alexandra was appointed to The National Symphony Orchestra, Washington DC, by Christoph Eschenbach as the youngest member of the violin section in 2009, and spent thirteen seasons with the NSO, including as Assistant Concertmaster. Prior to this, she performed regularly with The Philadelphia Orchestra, The Pittsburgh Symphony, Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, and the New York Philharmonic.

Recent highlights include Guest Concertmaster of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Queensland Symphony Orchestra and Opera Australia, tours with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Ensemble Offspring, Australian World Orchestra, Australian Piano Quartet, and the Australian String Quartet, her debut album of world premiere Nico Muhly and Philip Glass works on ABC Classic, Guest Artistic Director/Concertmaster of the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, the 2023 Bendigo, Blackheath, Bangalow and Coriole Music Festivals, Guest Principal work with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, curating classical music events at top Australian restaurant Bennelong, a multisensory recording project and residency at UKARIA, touring with Kathy Selby and Friends, performing The Last Violin soundtrack for Harry Vatiliotis documentary including an appearance at the 2023 Bangalow Film Festival, founding board member/violinist of Jackson Hole Chamber Music, a concert on the ‘King Louis XIV’ Amati at the Smithsonian American History Museum, mentoring at the Hawaii Youth Symphony Summer Festival, and concerts across European Festivals and the BBC Proms.

Ms. Osborne has been Principal Violinist of the 21st Century Consort in Washington DC, Chiarina Chamber Players, and the Eclipse Chamber Orchestra. She is a top laureate of the Michael Hill International Violin Competition, winner of the Gisborne International Music Competition, and a gold medalist of Symphony Australia Young Performers Award. Ms. Osborne collaborated with members of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center for Alice Tully Hall’s highly acclaimed opening night concert and performed the Mendelssohn Octet at Lincoln Center with members of the New York Philharmonic. A chamber music lover, Ms. Osborne has appeared at the Taos, Pan Pacific, Kneisel Hall, Sarasota, Colorado and Bravo! Big Sky Music Festivals, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, the Fortas Chamber Music Series and was a featured artist in Symphony Magazine.

With a keen interest in fostering young talent, she has been a teaching artist for the American Youth Philharmonic Orchestra, the NSO’s Youth Fellowship and Summer Music Institute programs, the DC Youth Orchestra, and the Hawaii Youth Symphony, whilst maintaining a private teaching studio. A graduate of The Curtis Institute of Music and The Juilliard School, and after 20 years in the USA, Ms. Osborne is delighted to be based back in Australia performing, educating and mentoring.