On Saturday evening 19th October, during the sublime season finale concert, Australia Ensemble Artistic Chair Associate Professor Paul Stanhope announced the incoming 2025 Layton Fellow, Dr Natalie Nicolas.
Thanks to the ongoing support of Emeritus Professor Roger Layton AM and Merrilyn Layton, the Layton Fellowship is awarded annually to one emerging composer through a competitive selection process. The winner is awarded $10,000 to compose one chamber music work for the Australia Ensemble over a 12-month period, as well as mentoring sessions with the Australia Ensemble Artistic Chair, players, and external composition mentors.
Winner’s statement
"I am thrilled to accept the 2025 Layton Fellowship. This opportunity is a chance to dive deeper into the emotional landscapes that inspire my work, and to continue to use music to foster more profound connections with 'place,' ourselves, and each other. I’m excited to grow through collaboration with wonderful artists, and am deeply grateful to Australia Ensemble for believing in my music."
The fellowship attracted a diverse range of applications, all characterized by a notably high standard of composition. A/ Prof Paul Stanhope, Artistic Chair said “Congratulations to Dr Natalie Nicolas on being awarded the Layton Fellowship for 2025. Natalie’s submission was impressive in its compelling sense of an individual voice. The submitted works displayed an acuity with chamber music genres that made her submission a clear standout. The panel agreed that her works were not only technically assured but left the listener wanting to hear more of her music. We look forward to hearing the work Natalie composes for the Australia Ensemble in 2025.”
Applicants were required to submit a portfolio of scores of at least three pieces of music, showcasing two of which must be purely instrumental (i.e., no voices), one of which must be for chamber ensemble (up to 6 players), and one of which must be from the last three years; with audio material supporting the portfolio of submitted music scores. Applications were assessed in terms of their musical creativity, originality, and personality, and the demonstration of a high level of craft, technical competence, care, and professionalism in the presentation of scores in the portfolio.
About Dr Natalie Nicolas
Dr Natalie Nicolas, Sydney composer, researcher, educator, holds a Master's and PhD from Sydney Conservatorium of Music on scholarship where she currently lectures. Her emotionally driven music aims at evoking calm and catharsis. This is exhibited in "We Won't Let You Down" for ACO Collective, which was featured on an ARIA nominated album in 2019. Nicolas has composed for esteemed orchestras and ensembles like the TSO, SSO, CSO, winning ASQ Andrew Ford National Composers Forum (2013) and Harold and Gwenneth Harris Endowment for Medical Humanities Harris Award (2019/20). She has won competitions like the Flinders Quartet Composition (2017, 2019) and MSO Cybec 21st Century Australian Composers’ Program (2021). Her works have featured globally, collaborating with Grammy award-winning piano duo, ZOFO. Recent premieres include "Sydney Dreaming" at Sydney Opera House with Omega Ensemble and "By the Tide of the Moon" by Flinders Quartet. Nicolas is releasing a new album with the Hush Foundation in 2024.
