Born and raised in Sydney, Lydia started playing violin at the age of nine. Growing up in a large musical family, she knew that music was the path she wanted to take.  

Lydia completed her Bachelor of Music at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, where she studied with Janet Davies. Subsequently, Lydia completed three years at the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) studying with Head of Violin Adam Chalabi, and previously with Zoë Black. Through her time at ANAM, Lydia has performed with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and Auckland Philharmonia. Lydia has also led the ANAM orchestra numerous times and worked with renowned artists such as Simone Young, Anthony Marwood, James Crabb, Michael Collins, Christoffer Sundqvist and the Brodsky quartet.   

When she's not playing classical repertoire, Lydia performs in many musical projects including Arabic, and contemporary chamber music. Some highlights include performing with The Middle East, GODTET, Rahim AlHaj and partnering with NIDA and SBS Australia.  

Sebastian is a dedicated violist whose musical journey began with violin and piano at the age of six. He grew up performing in Suzuki group classes and local contemporary music projects alongside his siblings before transitioning to viola early in primary school. He studied with Louise Ray throughout much of his high school education and later continued at the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School, studying with Christopher Cartlidge and Gabrielle Halloran.  

After graduating, Sebastian studied at the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) under the tutelage of Caroline Henbest, where he was supported by the Georgina Grosvenor Scholarship generously sponsored by the Bokhara Foundation. He is now completing his Bachelor of Music Performance at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, where he studies viola and undertakes a piano minor.    

He was awarded the Brett Dean Prize for Best Performance of an Australian Work at ANAM for the world premiere of Towards the Edge of Google Maps by Stuart Greenbaum, written for him for the ANAM Set Festival. Chamber music highlights include Schumann’s Piano Quartet with Anthony Marwood and Schubert’s Quintet in C with Jakub Jakowicz. Highlights of Sebastian’s training also include masterclasses with Lawrence Power, Tim Ridout and Florian Peelman. 

Noah is a dynamic young musician hailing from Bendigo, Victoria. He has performed side-by-side with most of Australia’s professional orchestras and also as chamber musician and soloist at the Bendigo Chamber Festival and Port Fairy Spring Festival. He was the Principal Cello of the Australian Youth Orchestra in 2024.   

Having completed three years of study under Howard Penny at the Australian National Academy of Music, he is excited to be taking the next step as Fellow with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in 2025 and 2026. Noah is at home in diverse musical contexts; his goal is always to create connection through performance.  

Based in Brisbane, Rio Kawaguchi is studying under Principal Bass of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Phoebe Russell, at the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University. In her school years, she studied with the principal bass of the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Stuart Thomson.  

A passionate Orchestral musician, she recently performed in Europe as part of the Australian Youth Orchestra’s International tour and has toured regional Queensland with Camerata – Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra as a 2025 Upbeat artist. She has played as Principal bass with the QCGU Orchestra in 2024 and 2025 and has been a dedicated member of the Australian Youth Orchestra since 2019.  

She has performed with many major Australian orchestras, including the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and Australian Romantic and Classical Orchestra

Kara Thorpe is currently in the fourth year of her Bachelor of Flute Performance degree at Sydney Conservatorium, studying with Emma Sholl. 

Originally from Tasmania, Kara began her musical journey on the piano when she was five, and later started learning flute. Kara was awarded her AMusA on piano in 2017, and her AmusA on flute in 2018. 

Kara has performed as soloist with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra as the winner of the TSO Rising Star competition in 2023, and with the Derwent Symphony Orchestra in 2017. She has won awards at the Flute Society of NSW, Sydney and Hobart Eisteddfods. 

Kara is a founding member of the Orpheus Quintet which is the fellowship ensemble at the Australian Festival of Chamber Music for 2026. 

Justin is currently completing his Bachelor of Music degree at the Sydney Conservatorium under the tutelage of Frank Celata where he is the recipient of the Myron Kantor Bequest Scholarship. As a young artist, Justin is enjoying a multifaceted career as a soloist, orchestral musician and chamber player, both in Australia and abroad.  

Recently, Justin has performed at international music festivals including the Brevard Music Festival, USA, the Voksenåsen Summer Academy in Norway and the XIV International Clarinet Seminar in Madrid where he worked with prominent clarinettists, including Yehuda Gilad, Mark Nuccio, Andreas Sundén and Björn Nyman. He is a founding member of the Sydney-based Orpheus Wind Quintet, who have recently been selected as the Fellowship Ensemble at the 2026 Australian Festival of Chamber Music in Cairns. 

Justin performs regularly with ensembles including the Australian Youth Orchestra, the Sydney Youth Orchestra and Ensemble Apex.  

Jay Lee is currently in his third year of bassoon studies at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music under Andrew Barnes. A recipient of the Quinquin Foundation Scholarship, Jay has been a part of distinguished ensembles including the Australian Youth Orchestra, Sydney Lawyer’s Orchestra, Caesura Ensemble and the Sydney Youth Orchestra, in which he currently holds the principal chair.

Jay is also a new member of the Orpheus Quintet which was recently awarded the Australian Festival of Chamber Music Fellowship. He has also participated in numerous masterclasses, including Whitney Crockett and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Wind Quintet.

Growing up in Sydney, Lucy began learning the horn in high school with Rafael Salgado. She moved to Melbourne in 2022 to study with Carla Blackwood at the Melbourne Conservatorium.

In 2025, Lucy returned home to study with Rachel Silver and Sam Jacobs at the Sydney Conservatorium, graduating with first class honours.

She has been lucky enough to play casually with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Opera Australia Orchestra and Orchestra Victoria. Lucy loves orchestral music and the teamwork required to play in a horn section and is incredibly excited to take part in the Sydney Symphony Orchestra Fellowship this year.

Sophie Kukulies is a professional musician building a flourishing career as a classical trumpeter and educator. Based in Brisbane, she maintains a dynamic portfolio career as both a freelance performer and dedicated teacher. She has recently returned from London where she completed her Master of Performance degree at the Royal Academy of Music graduating with a Distinction and earning the Regency Award for all-round contribution and achievement. In 2023 she held a 12-month contract as associate principal trumpet with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra and has continued to enjoy working with them as a casual musician. 

Sophie’s musical journey began at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, where she attained her Bachelor of Music with an academic excellence award in 2021. Her acclaimed performance of the Gregson Trumpet Concerto at the Queensland Conservatorium Concerto Festival in May 2021 showcased her talent. During her time in London, she worked with the Philharmonia Orchestra and performed with Septura Brass and the London Philharmonic Orchestra as part of the Royal Academy of Music’s side-by-side projects.

From a young age, Harrison was surrounded with the sounds of brass, his parents and family all being involved in brass bands. Quickly captivated, he began playing the trombone at the age of 8. Harrison’s love for the trombone grew with his love for classical music, and in the later years of high school, he began dreaming of a career in classical music and performing in one of the world’s best orchestras.  

Having grown up predominantly as a soloist in his high school years, Harrison has won numerous solo state- and nation-wide competitions, including sections in the Australian National Band Championships since 2015, finalist and winner of the Australian Youth Classical Music Competition in 2021, and finalist in 3MBS The Talent in 2019. Since 2019, Harrison has been involved in frequent Australian Youth Orchestra programs and was a part of its most recent International European Tour this year, performing in some of the most famous concert halls in the world like the Musikverein in Vienna and The Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.   

Leah's percussion journey began at the age of 10. During her school years, she competed in various categories at the Australian Percussion Eisteddfod, winning first place in Junior High Timpani (2015), Intermediate 2-Mallet (2017), and Intermediate Snare Drum (2017). In 2018, she earned a Distinction for the Associate of Trinity College London Diploma in Percussion Performance. She later pursued a Bachelor of Music with Honours at the University of Melbourne, where she received the Wright Prize Award for Proficiency in a Musical Instrument during her second year. In 2022, she was awarded first place in the MSO Snare Drum Award.  

Leah currently performs as a casual musician with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. In 2025, she was featured as a marimba soloist with the Stonnington Symphony. Additionally, she served as principal percussionist for the Australian Youth Orchestra from 2023 to 2025, recently returning from AYO’s international tour, where she performed in Germany, the Netherlands and Austria.