Learn more about our 2025 Emerging Composer-in-Residence

Composer-in-residence, Orchestra News|13th January 2025

Abigail Lui holding violin and looking up smiling

Each year, Camerata commissions our Emerging Composer-in-Residence to compose a piece based on a regional area of Queensland, as part of our annual tour.

This year Abigail Lui is our 2025 Emerging Composer-in-Residence. See what Abigail has to say about her composing journey and joining as this year’s Composer-in-Residence.

Tell us a bit about yourself. Where did you grow up, where did you study music, and why did you choose to pursue composing?

I was born and raised in Brisbane, and my family is originally from Hong Kong. I am currently completing my final year of a Bachelor of Music and Science at the University of Queensland. I chose to pursue composing because I love telling stories through music, and because I love the joy of making new music that others can then take on, learn, and perform for themselves.

What is it about music that drew you to the art form, and can you remember a specific moment that led you to pursue music as your career?

I was drawn to music because of its great storytelling potential – for how it can tell good and true stories that help us make sense of the world. I also love that music is an art form grounded in time and based on connection with others (both fellow performers and audiences). This love for music really grew through joyful experiences of ensemble music-making, and I think the opportunities I received through those ensembles to study music deeply, arrange, and compose played a big role in my desire to pursue music as my career.

You’ve written a number of pieces so far that have been performed by the Australian Youth Orchestra, Queensland Youth Orchestra, Queensland Youth Symphony, Topology, Singapore-based choir Vox Camerata, in Australia. What are some of your favourite compositions so far, and have any projects particularly stood out as a highlight?

One of my favourite compositions so far is Aerial Dances, written for Australian Youth Orchestra, a piece that imagines the tumbling, freewheeling freedom of a falcon in flight. Another highlight was a commission from ABC Classic to write Colour of Time, a new string quartet inspired by the Brisbane River. That project was very special for me, having grown up in Brisbane, to be able to draw those connections between my writing and everyday life. I also loved telling that story through the string quartet medium, because, as a composer-violinist, writing for strings always feels a bit like coming home.

Camerata’s Emerging Composer-in-Residence program has been running since 2015 and in an official residency capacity since 2020. How did you hear about the program, and what motivated you to apply?

I first heard about the program through composition and orchestra teachers in university and high school. Alongside that, I had also been listening to and enjoying the new music being created through Camerata’s composition program. I was encouraged by how Camerata foregrounds new music and Queensland artists, so was keen to apply and see how I might be a part of this work.

Camerata is a completely unconducted and self-reliant orchestra and empowers each musician to contribute to the music-making process. What does it mean for you to be working with an ensemble like this, particularly as a composer?

It’s very exciting to get to work with such a dynamic, collaborative group. Some of the most rewarding musical experiences for me have been performing my own compositions in chamber ensembles, and I find my writing benefits so much from workshopping in rehearsals and hearing others’ honest feedback. I’m looking forward to working closely with Camerata’s musicians and benefiting from the two-way flow of ideas that accompanies collaboration.

You’re a composer and violinist. What does someone like yourself enjoy listening to, and do you have any particular favourites that you would recommend?

Within classical music, I particularly love impressionist music, and lots of 20th and 21st century chamber music. Some favourite string instrumental pieces that come to mind are Ravel’s String Quartet in F Major, Wojciech Kilar’s Orawa, and Gabriella Smith’s Carrot Revolution – I love the freshness in the writing, and how it encourages a very gestural approach to performing. I also love playing Bach’s solo violin sonatas and partitas, and I’m a bit of a choral music nerd! (Frank Martin’s Mass for Double Choir, anyone?)

Camerata’s Emerging Composer-in-Residence program has created numerous opportunities for emerging composers to gain invaluable skills and professional opportunities and have gone on to work with the likes of Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Omega Ensemble and Flinders String Quartet. What does this residency mean for your career aspirations?

It’s incredibly inspiring seeing how previous emerging composers have applied skills learned through Camerata’s program to their future compositional endeavours. Seeing them continuing to make music makes me excited to jump right into this residency, and I’m looking forward to seeing how my string instrument compositional skills continue to develop in this supportive, motivating environment.

What are the important things that matter to you in terms of audience expectations while you are composing a piece of music?

As a composer, connecting with audiences is incredibly important to me. Therefore, within my writing process I often think quite consciously about what the audience might want to hear next – about crafting memorable musical lines, and varying musical content at a pace that keeps interest without causing confusion. I think a great joy of music-making is getting to invite people into a story, and I hope listeners find those stories compelling and beautiful.

Abigail Lui playing violin
Abigail Lui captured from the back focused on music notes
Abigail Lui smiling at the camera
Abigail Lui holding violin and looking up smiling

Photos by Captured Muses.