Jacqueline Flett – Assistant Conductor
Jacqueline Flett is a Sydney-based conductor, instrumentalist and teacher, currently completing her Bachelor of Music (Performance) Honours year at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Jacqueline holds her AMusA (AMEB) in saxophone and has completed the ABODA Level 2 Conducting course where she conducted the NSW Police band. She began her conducting training under Elizabeth Gilberthorpe with the MLC School Wind Band as the Music Captain of MLC School. She is now studying under Steve Williams, Elizabeth Scott and Benjamin Northey. Jacqueline leads ensembles across Sydney, working as a conductor, woodwind and saxophone tutor in schools, tertiary institutions and The Arts Unit. A passionate advocate for diverse voices in music, Jacqueline is a founding member of Solstice Saxophone Quartet, an all female Australian ensemble championing works by Australian and female composers. Jacqueline has toured internationally and within Australia with both Sydney University and MLC School. She currently plays with the Sydney University Wind Symphony, Saxophone Orchestra, Big Band, and in chamber groups. Jacqueline hopes to continue building her conducting career while championing diversity, and collaborating with a wide range of ensembles, communities and musicians.
Paul Nicolaou – Assistant Conductor
“Rapidly emerging as one of Australia’s most exciting young artists” (ABC Classic), Paul Nicolaou is a multi-award-winning harpist and composer based in Sydney. Praised as “brilliant” (classikON), he has quickly gained international recognition as a creative and virtuosic young artist, receiving accolades including the 2026 APRA Professional Development Award for Screen Composition, the 2026 Eva Pascoe Award, First Prize in the 2023 National Youth Music Arranging Competition and 2021 Monash University Emerging Composer Prize.
A graduate from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music with First Class Honours, Paul studied under internationally celebrated harpist Alice Giles AM. After commencing harp aged 16, he has quickly established himself as an accomplished, versatile and sought-after performer, appearing as Guest Principal Harp with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and Auckland Philharmonia, as well as Omega Ensemble, Ensemble Apex and more. Paul also regularly performs with the Opera Australia Orchestra, and was Principal Harp of the Australian Youth Orchestra (AYO) from 2022-24.
Composer-in-Residence with Sydney Youth Orchestras for their 2026 International Tour, Paul has been commissioned by organisations including ABC Classic and the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM), and was a selected composer for the Australian Music Centre’s 2025 MOMENTUM Plus project. He also has experience composing for the screen, his original score for the short film ‘Yannis’ receiving a nomination for Best Original Score (Made in the West Film Festival).
With a strong interest in music for interactive media, Paul enjoys researching, arranging, and performing music from video games. He is also an experienced pianist, violinist, an accredited music arranger with the Music Arrangers’ Guild of Australia and Australian Music Centre Associate Artist.
Jiayu (Lucas) Yang
Jiayu (Lucas) Yang is a Sydney-based pianist and violinist with extensive experience in solo and orchestral performance. He began piano at age four, earning a Grade 8 diploma, and started violin at seven, later completing an AMusA diploma with High Distinction in 2022.
He has performed with the Australian Youth Orchestra, attending National Music Camp for two years, and has participated in all levels of the Sydney Youth Orchestra program from Stage 3 through to Flagship ensembles. He has also performed in jazz settings at the Heyday Jazz Lounge in Shanghai. At school, he has held leadership roles including Concertmaster and Stringmeister at Macarthur Anglican School.
Lucas is also a music tutor at Dynamic Rhythms Music Centre, where he taught piano and violin for almost 2 years, and is still teaching. He is currently studying at Macarthur Anglican School, after attending Sutherland Shire Christian School and briefly the Sydney Conservatorium of Music High School. His achievements include first place in the 2026 Marcus Edwards Prize at the Inner West Eisteddfod and the highest individual score in the APSMO Maths Olympiad. He is fluent in English and Shanghainese.