Pathways Alumni
The Australian Festival of Chamber Music has been providing mentorship opportunities for emerging musicians for 35 years. From outstanding individuals to successful chamber music groups, here are some of the alumni of our Pathways Program.
If you would like to be featured as a Pathways Program alumnus, please reach out to us at info@afcm.com.au.
INVICTUS QUARTET
Invictus Quartet is a Melbourne-based string ensemble celebrated for their luminous sound and elegant performances. Formed in 2017 by four graduates of the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, they’ve played on international stages from Salzburg to Texas. Their unique repertoire bridges classical and contemporary styles, with standout appearances alongside artists like Billy Davis and at royal receptions.
"We participated in the AFCM Winterschool in 2017 as a newly formed string quartet and it was truly an enriching experience. Being mentored by professionals in the industry was deeply insightful, and the things we learned from our tutors were foundational to how we approach musical expression as a collective unit. My highlight from the festival was being able to watch all the concerts performed by the resident artists. The combination of excellence and enjoyment in everyone’s playing was so engaging and inspiring, and is something we value and strive for in our own playing as a quartet today."
— Nyssa Sanguansri (Invictus Quartet, Violin)
STEWART KELLY
Stewart Kelly is a pianist, artistic director and advisor, teacher and entrepreneur. He is founder and artistic director of Music by the Springs, a chamber music festival held in country Victoria each February and owner of House of Pianos, Melbourne’s premier piano salon.
"Attending the AFCM Masterclasses program as a tertiary student in 2018 was a seminal moment in my studies. It was a hugely inspiring and enjoyable experience that opened my ears to much repertoire, saw intense music making up close and provided inspiring masterclass and performance opportunities. Townsville in winter is perfection. Attending AFCM as a student was a thrilling experience I didn't want to end!"
- Stewart Kelly, Artistic Director, Music by the Springs Chamber Music Festival & Founder/Director of House of Pianos
ALEXINA HAWKINS
Alexina Hawkins is an Australian violist living and working in Berlin since 2015. During this time, she has worked in a diverse range of ensembles, including classical chamber orchestras like the Kammerakademie Potsdam and Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, as well as contemporary chamber ensembles, among others the Sonar-Quartett, Ensemble Quillo, Solistensemble Kaleidoskop and Ensemble Interface. As an improviser, Alexina can be heard on CDs with Anna Morley, Damon Albarn and Agnes Obel, and she performs in the free-improvisation trio “Hawkins/Forde/Dinsdale” with two of Berlin’s most dynamic young jazz musicians.
"In 2008 I played in a quartet and had masterclasses with Kirsty McCahon and Julian Smiles, and in 2011 I attended the Winterschool alone for lessons with Rivka Golani. Due to the small size of the Winterschool on both occasions, all of these interactions were very focused and a lot of valuable and inspiring information was shared which I continued to think about as I developed my musical understanding. Kirsty McCahon passionately conveyed the need to recognise the implications of the harmonies in the piece we studied (Schubert Death and the Maiden quartet), and to transfer a sense of what would have been musically innovative and shocking in Schubert's time to our playing. Julian Smiles shared a number of very insightful and relevant thoughts about ensemble playing which I have reflected on and still believe to be true today."
- Alexina Hawkins (viola, Hear Now Berlin)
MONIQUE CLARE
Wielding a cello and strikingly crafted vocals, Monique Clare delivers intrepid, cathartic and mesmerising indie-folk. Having toured internationally with The Maes and played with everyone from Kate Miller-Heidke to Eminem, her 2022 debut ‘Sight’ tracks a journey through trauma and pain to beauty and love, and has earned her a QLD Music Award and four stars from Rhythms Magazine.
"Townsville was amazing and so well thought through for us, not just in planning, but in the amount of thoughtfulness for our experience. Music doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and everything from the concerts to the Magnetic Island helped us bond as musicians and adds to the experience. Daniel Yeadon speaks in such a historically informed way – we were doing Mozart at the time, and it was incredibly helpful for that. It’s about much more than the knowledge though, because it’s actually the way that they talk that is so inspiring. That’s the difference between masterclasses and a music lesson at the con: you walk out really wanting to put everything they’ve just told you into action right away."
- Monique Clare (cello)
