Ensemble Offspring’s Hatched Academy
Putting young composers in the spotlight has always been a core mission of Ensemble Offspring. From its humble beginnings as a student group founded in 1995 by young composers Damien Ricketson and Matthew Shlomowitz, the ensemble has constantly supported and nurtured emerging composers as they find their feet in the Australian musical landscape.
Established in 2014 to support exceptional young Australian performers and composers, Ensemble Offspring’s Hatched Academy has evolved to include three streams: the Composer Intensive (formerly Composer Summer School), where six emerging Australian composers are mentored by guest composers throughout the year with the ensemble in residence for a week; the Associate Artist position for an elite instrumentalist to perform alongside the ensemble for the year and create a unique project supported by the ensemble’s experience and resources, and the Mentorship Program (formerly Home Academy), offering one-on-one online mentorships for young musicians all over Australia.
Widely recognised as an important step towards a professional music career, Hatched Academy has helped to establish Ensemble Offspring as an integral platform for young Australian composers. So too has the ensemble’s fearless commitment to this vision, commissioning more works than any other ensemble in Australia. Led by Artistic Director Claire Edwardes OAM, Ensemble Offspring’s unquestionable role in the Australian music ecosystem is supported by Musica Viva’s Artistic Director Paul Kildea who says, “It is [Claire’s] pioneering championing of young composers that impresses me most. Stepping away from prevailing trends, favourites and expectations, Claire has consistently selected, tutored, commissioned and performed a whole generation of Australian composers, almost literally incubating the future sounds of Australian music. Hatched Academy is a vital part of Australia’s cultural ecosystem and Claire has every right to be proud of its astonishing list of alumni composers.”
Now in its ninth year, the Hatched program plays a vital role in nurturing young artists and uniting Australia’s emerging and accomplished sonic trailblazers.
The 2022 Hatched Composer Showcase features new works by:
Lewis Mosley (NSW)
Ceridwen McCooey (VIC)
Andrea Guterres (NSW)
Sean Quinn (VIC)
Alexander Voltz (QLD)
Saturday 12 November, 7:00pm at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
The Showcase follows a week of intensive workshops with the ensemble and guest harpist Emily Granger, led by Artistic Director Claire Edwardes OAM and 2022 APRA AMCOS ‘Work of the Year: Chamber Music’ awardee, Tristan Coelho.
Hatched patron Brett Dean writes, “The Hatched alumni are a who’s who list of successful young Australian artists, many of whom have already made a name for themselves on the international stage. Navigating your way as a young composer specialising in contemporary music is not easy, but Ensemble Offspring’s Hatched Academy program, with its hands-on and focused approach, plays a central role in creating a formidable Australian new music scene.”
Witness our future cultural leaders as they hatch, step into the light and let their imaginations fly!
Photography by Keith Saunders
