“YMS is a truly unique program, offering knowledge rarely touched in schools or private instrumental lessons,” says Lena. “YMS academies are authentic HIP immersion music days, allowing all orchestra members to move back in time and play in totally different ways.”

Lena, 17, is heading into Year 12 at the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School in Melbourne. She’ll attend AYO National Summer Camp, and spend the year preparing for university studies, hoping eventually to travel and study violin in Europe.

For Lena, the freedom HIP brings is transformative.

“I love HIP because it allows me to experiment with ornamentation, movement and really bringing that energy out to giving joy to the audience and a sense of liberty to the interpretation,” she says.

As well as joining her colleagues in a trio by 18th-century Czech composer Johann Baptist Vanhal, Lena will play the first movement of Mozart’s Violin Concerto No.3 in G major.

Says Lena: “I love playing Mozart – his works conveys a timeless beauty through incredible musicality and melody.”

Lena also loves singing Mozart (she’s a member of the VCASS choir, and has sung with the Australian Girls Choir) and is also passionate about studying French.

Music has also played a big part in her language learning – her first language was Polish, and she learned English by watching Play School on TV and singing along to “There’s a Bear in There” by Australian composer Richard Connolly.

“I'm excited to be a part of Peninsula Summer Music Festival and to perform solo and in chamber ensemble with my friends,” Lena says.

For Neil Wang, viola, the YMS Emerging Artist program – like the Academies themselves – brings an exciting chance to perform pieces he loves with a new and fresh perspective.

“Through YMS I have discovered different and unique ways to approach pieces which broadened my previous focus from the dots on the page to the musical character and emotion the pieces are trying to convey,” says Neil.

Having recently completed his secondary studies at Scotch College, Melbourne, Neil is now headed for Sydney to begin his Bachelor of Music studies at the Conservatorium there. Having completed two YMS Academies and the ARCO Scotch College Festival, he is also a member of the Australian Conducting Academy and conductor of the Combined Schools Orchestra. Eventually he hopes to complete a Masters degree in Europe, whether on viola or conducting.

A lifelong Melburnian, he also loves building with LEGO, and meeting fellow musicians through YMS.

At the YMS Emerging Artists concert at the Peninsula Festival, Neil will perform the first movement of Glinka’s Viola Sonata in D minor, as well as the Vanhal Trio for Violin, Viola and Double Bass.

Jude Hill comes from a musical family, and grew up with HIP.

“Most of the CDs I listened to and concerts I went to were on period instruments,” says Jude. “I enjoy discovering the intimate knowledge composers had of the instruments and how they have used these to create characters.”

A lifelong Melburnian accustomed to traveling by tram with his bass, Jude is soon moving to Sydney to pursue a Masters in Music Performance at Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

At the Peninsula Festival, Jude will perform the second and third movements of the Concerto No.2 for double bass by Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf, a Viennese composer and friend of Haydn and Mozart. He’ll play on a Viennese bass, a five-string instrument using a D major-based string tuning common in the Classical era.

“I am excited to share the Viennese Bass,” Jude says. “The resonance of the instrument is vibrant and open sounding. It brings a sense of ease to the music.”

At home, Jude’s dog is also excited about the bass – particularly since Jude started playing on gut strings.

“He thinks they smell very good!” says Jude. “I have to keep the door closed at all times to avoid any munching. But he’s a very cute little cavoodle who loves to play along with his squeaky toy.”

Overall, though, YMS been a gift for Jude.

“YMS has given me the opportunity to have ensemble experience on period instruments,” he says. “I’ve been very lucky to have such wonderful tutors. I love being able to watch and copy how they play, and they are so generous with their time, giving very tailored feedback.”

On tour Luke learned the ins and outs of backstage management. Outside of the tour, Luke attended weekly meetings, contributing helpful and insightful ideas and perspectives.

At the YMS VIC Intensive Luke helped with operations as well as playing the second bassoon part on baroque trombone (sackbut), learning alongside the other students and presenting an educational demonstration of the instrument.

“Being an avid performer and advocate of historical instrumentation, I was looking to intern with an ensemble that facilitated both historically informed practice in their professional performances as well as an education element to teach younger students the playing styles of early music,” says Luke. “It wasn’t a tough decision, as ARCO included all of these elements and more, helping me learn the intricacies of running a historically informed small-medium orchestra in Australia. Having worked with ARCO has been one of my biggest highlights of this year, and I will cherish the time spent interning with them!”

Luke looks forward to finishing his undergraduate degree with honours early next year and hopes to pursue a mixture of education and early music in his career ahead.

During her time as an undergraduate, Issie’s musicianship has been recognised with various prizes: winner of the Richard Pollett String Prize (2021) and 4MBS Musica Viva Sid Page Chamber Music Prize with Viridian Piano Quartet (2022), as well as runner-up in the Sleath String Performance Prize (2022). As a soloist, she has performed Bruch Violin Concerto with Indooroopilly Chamber Orchestra (2023) and appeared frequently in the Queensland Youth Orchestras Morning Music Recital Series. Issie was awarded her AMusA in Violin Performance during her Year 12 studies at Somerville House (2018).

An engaged orchestral player, she has in recent years held positions of Associate Principal Second Violin and Principal Second Violin in Queensland Youth Symphony; Associate Principal Second Violin, Principal Second Violin and Associate Concertmaster in the University of Queensland Symphony Orchestra; and Principal Second Violin in University of Queensland Pulse Chamber Orchestra. Further, she was accepted into the Australian Youth Orchestra's 2023 National Music Camp, where she played second violin in the Landa Chamber Orchestra under the direction of violinist Elizabeth Layton. 

Issie enjoys researching and writing about music. Her Honours thesis, for which she received the Donald Tugby Musicology Prize (2022), examined thematic syntax in Felix Mendelssohn’s concerto forms using analytical models from a recent nineteenth-century branch of New Formenlehre. She is also fascinated by the French language and is studying a Diploma of Languages majoring in Advanced French.

During her time as an undergraduate, Issie’s musicianship has been recognised with various prizes: winner of the Richard Pollett String Prize (2021) and 4MBS Musica Viva Sid Page Chamber Music Prize with Viridian Piano Quartet (2022), as well as runner-up in the Sleath String Performance Prize (2022). As a soloist, she has performed Bruch Violin Concerto with Indooroopilly Chamber Orchestra (2023) and appeared frequently in the Queensland Youth Orchestras Morning Music Recital Series. Issie was awarded her AMusA in Violin Performance during her Year 12 studies at Somerville House (2018).

An engaged orchestral player, she has in recent years held positions of Associate Principal Second Violin and Principal Second Violin in Queensland Youth Symphony; Associate Principal Second Violin, Principal Second Violin and Associate Concertmaster in the University of Queensland Symphony Orchestra; and Principal Second Violin in University of Queensland Pulse Chamber Orchestra. Further, she was accepted into the Australian Youth Orchestra's 2023 National Music Camp, where she played second violin in the Landa Chamber Orchestra under the direction of violinist Elizabeth Layton. 

Issie enjoys researching and writing about music. Her Honours thesis, for which she received the Donald Tugby Musicology Prize (2022), examined thematic syntax in Felix Mendelssohn’s concerto forms using analytical models from a recent nineteenth-century branch of New Formenlehre. She is also fascinated by the French language and is studying a Diploma of Languages majoring in Advanced French.

Rio started playing the double bass in 2014 as part of her school’s instrumental program. During her time in Tasmania, she studied with the principal double bassist of the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Stuart Thomson from 2018. In 2019 Rio completed her grade 8 AMEB exam with high distinction and was awarded the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra Association Award for the most outstanding player. She has been part of programs such as the Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra Young Mannheim Symphonists in 2018 and 2019, Australian Youth Orchestra since 2019 and the Australian Chamber Orchestra Academy in 2020. In 2021 Rio was the principal double bass player of the Bishop Orchestra at the Australian Youth Orchestra National Music Camp. 

From a young age, Jared was a keen participant in many different festivals and events, studying and performing chamber music on both violin and viola under Gabriel Bolkowski at PhoenixPhest Chamber Music Festival in 2013, and successfully auditioning into several district orchestras in Northern Virginia, USA. Throughout high school, Jared continued to seek out opportunities and learning experiences, having participated in orchestras all throughout his studies, eventually becoming concertmaster of the School Orchestra and the Alastair Mackerras Chamber Orchestra at Sydney Grammar School from 2018-2019. Jared also successfully auditioned to be concertmaster of the Australian Combined Schools Music Festival Orchestra, and the Young Mannheim Symphonists Winter Academy, the latter of which kickstarted his interest in historically informed performance. In Year 12, he received Encore Nominations for both Composition and Performance, and ranked 3rd in NSW for HSC Music Extension.

After graduating in 2019, Jared entered the Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic Orchestra as a tutti player and has since performed with them as principal second violin and concertmaster. At the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Jared was awarded the Jean Giles and Thomas Louis Pidcock Violin Scholarship and has participated in a number of orchestral programs ranging from string and symphonic orchestras to the Early Music Ensemble with Erin Helyard and Neal Perez da Costa, which he led in 2021. Throughout university, his orchestral career has continued to grow, performing as an Emerging Artist with both the Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra and the Australian Haydn Ensemble, as a tutti player on national tours with ARCO and the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, and leading the 2nd Violins in the Landa Chamber Orchestra at AYO National Music Camp in 2023. Aside from pursuing early music, he also enjoys exploring modern repertoire, workshopping and performing new solo and chamber works composed by his peers, and in 2022, leading the New Music Ensemble at the Sydney Conservatorium. 

As a freelance performer, she has performed with the Sydney Philharmonia Choir Orchestra, Salut! Baroque, CDP Theatres, and The Concertante Ensemble.

When she is not busy unearthing hidden musical gems of the viola, Suzie is inspiring and guiding the next generation as a classroom teacher. Her involvements have included classroom music teaching in both High Schools and Primary Schools, tutoring and assistant conductor roles within the Central Coast Conservatorium of Music, Department of Education: The Arts Unit, viola tutor for The Regional Youth Orchestra, working alongside the London Symphony Orchestra, Australian World Orchestra, The Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Opera Australia Orchestra.

Suzie’s passion with HIP and education allows her to share a different perspective of playing and interpretation to younger musicians, providing an open-minded approach towards music. Building up prospective musicians to ensures this musical culture continues for the next generation.