Congratulations to Abigail Lui, Camerata’s 2025 Emerging Composer-in-Residence! 

Abigail Lui is a Brisbane-based composer and violinist inspired by the stories that help us make sense of the world. A recipient of ABC Classic’s Composer Commissioning Fund (2024) and winner of Adelaide Chamber Music School’s String Quartet Composition Prize (2022), she is fast gaining a reputation for bold and intuitive writing that’s equally lucid in concert hall and community.

Abigail is studying composition with Robert Davidson and violin with Courtenay Cleary, and previously Adam Chalabi, through a Bachelor of Music (Honours) and Science at the University of Queensland. Her Honours research explores how violin performance knowledge can enrich compositional practice through personal study and collaboration.

On joining the program in 2025, Abigail says, “I’m most excited about composing for, and learning from, this incredible ensemble of string instrumentalists.

“I’ve long admired how Camerata champions new Australian music and local voices, and I’m looking forward to engaging with them in the telling and sharing of Queensland stories.

“I hope to gain insight into composing for professional string ensembles, and engaging diverse communities in music-making.”

A major staple of Camerata’s Emerging Composer-in-Residence program is the regional touring commission, which sees the composer write a piece of music inspired by one of the regions Camerata will tour to in 2025.

Brendan Joyce, Artistic Director and leader says, “It is always incredibly challenging to choose a composer from the list of applicants.?I mean, string playing is subjective enough, and players are so individual and have different things to offer so selecting people from auditions is hard enough.

“Composition is in way even more varied, with less points for comparison.? This year though, while the standard was high and even included some outstanding high school aged applicants, Abigail’s music really stood out for its expressiveness and tenderness and with its very impressive compositional craftsmanship.

“It will be fun to be part of creating and presenting new work for the communities we visit in 2025.”

We are looking forward to working with Abigail and supporting her work, which will premiere on our regional Queensland tour in May/June 2025.

Welcome, Abigail!