The Australian Festival of Chamber Music (AFCM) has announce a significant expansion of its acclaimed AFCM Pathways Program, with $96,000 in new funding over two years awarded by Creative Australia through Music Australia to support the AFCM Pathways Emerging Composers initiative.
This exciting new initiative will provide young Australian composers with immersive residencies in northern Queensland, mentorship by senior composers from the Festival program, and the opportunity to compose for and collaborate with the AFCM Fellowship Ensemble.
Their works will be performed live on the AFCM main stage and toured across regional Queensland, professionally recorded, and released digitally, offering a powerful platform for long-term artistic and career development.
The 2025 and 2026 Emerging Composers are:
- Elizabeth Younan – a Juilliard doctoral candidate and GRAMMY-featured composer, recently awarded a prestigious John Monash Scholarship.
- Sam Wu – an internationally awarded composer whose collaborations span five continents and major orchestras including those in Philadelphia, Melbourne, and Shanghai.
“These residencies will allow composers to engage deeply with the landscapes, cultures and communities of northern Queensland. The results will be profoundly site-responsive works that showcase emerging Australian voices on a world stage,” said AFCM Executive Director Ricardo Peach.
“Incorporating emerging composers into the AFCM Pathways Program is a vital and inspiring evolution of our mission,” said Lloyd van’t Hoff, AFCM Pathways Program Director.
“Chamber music thrives on collaboration, and giving emerging composers the chance to work directly with performers in such an intensive, immersive environment allows for deep artistic exchange and real-time creative development.”
“It’s a rare and powerful opportunity for young artists to be heard, mentored, and meaningfully embedded within the life of the Festival. I’m especially excited to see how the composers respond to the distinctive spirit and beauty of North Queensland – it’s a place that leaves a lasting mark on the imagination,” said van’t Hoff.
The AFCM Pathways Program also proudly announces the 2025 Pathways International Masterclasses ensembles, who will take part in an immersive two-week residency in Townsville-Gurambilbarra from 18 July to 1 August, just ahead of and during the Festival.
Participants will receive lessons, chamber coaching, and career development guidance from world-renowned artists including Artistic Director Jack Liebeck, American pianist of Dutch-Bolivian origin Ana-Maria Vera and clarinettist and AFCM Pathways Director Lloyd Van’t Hoff.
The 2025 selected ensemble musicians are:
- Catherine Li (piano, Sydney)
- Cedar-Rose Newman (violin, New York) & Rio Xiang (piano, Sydney)
- Infront Brass (brass quintet, Sydney) – David Imlay, Trumpet; Toby Rands, Trumpet; Sarah Bernard, Horn; Josh De Haan, Trombone; Campbell Egan, Tuba
- Orpheus Quintet (wind quintet, Sydney) – Kara Thorpe, Flute; Gahyun Lee, Oboe; Justin Wang, Clarinet; Dylan Roberts, Bassoon; Jude Austen Kaup, French Horn
- Vanya Quartet (string quartet, Adelaide) – Lucy Macourt, violin; Nick Miceli, violin; Clara Salzmann, viola; and Henry Say, cello
- Weichao Zhu (violin, New York)
Participants will also benefit from public masterclasses, performance opportunities, free access to the full AFCM 2025 program, and industry networking sessions. The Pathways International Masterclasses are supported by The Ian Potter Foundation.
“The expansion of the AFCM Pathways Program, through both national and international performer residencies and new commissions by Australian composers, signals a bold future for chamber music in Australia and for northern Queensland’s cultural sector,” said Ricardo.
This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through Music Australia and Creative Australia, its arts funding and advisory body.
The Australian Festival of Chamber Music takes place in Townsville from 25 July – 2 August 2025. For more information and full program, visit: www.afcm.com.au for details.
Image: Lloyd van’t Hoff, AFCM Pathways Program Director – photo by Andrew Rankin