Rhapsody: A Celebration of Youth

About

Newcastle Youth Orchestra and Sydney Youth Orchestras join forces for an afternoon of music by young musicians, including new compositions from young people in our communities.

More than 90 young players from NYO and SYO share the stage under internationally acclaimed conductor Leonard Weiss, joined by NYO Artistic Director Lachlan Snow. Together they mark the 50th anniversary of Benjamin Britten’s death with excerpts from his well-loved Simple Symphony and The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, alongside the second movement of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 11.

The program also champions the next generation of composers. The premiere of Rhapsody, a new work by Hunter teen Thomas Parmeter, sits alongside SYO harpist and composer Paul Nicolaou’s ‘but the sky is surely open’, commissioned for SYO’s international tour, Odyssey, in December.

Program

BENJAMIN BRITTEN – Movements from Simple Symphony and Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra

DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH – Movements from Symphony No. 11

THOMAS PARMETER – Rhapsody (Premiere)

PAUL NICOLAOU – ‘but the sky is surely open’

Orchestras

Newcastle Youth Orchestra (proudly supported by the University of Newcastle)

The Philharmonic Orchestra (Powered by SYO)

Conductors

Leonard Weiss

Lachlan Snow

Celebrating the next generation of Australian composers

Thomas Parmeter

Thomas Parmeter is 16 years old and has been composing since he was 12. He began writing for small chamber ensembles; duets and trios, and he wrote his first Symphony when he was 14 years old; it was premiered in the the Harold Lobb Concert Hall (in the Newcastle Conservatorium of Music) by Orchestra Nova. He wrote his second (No. 1.5) in 2025; it was premiered at the Hunter Regional Conservatorium by the HRC Orchestra and various bands that rehearse at the HRC. He is currently writing his third symphony (No. 2) which will be premiered in 2027 by the Fernleigh Arts Wind Orchestra. In 2026 he scored his first film; a 7 minute short-film written and directed by Max Nightingale for the Blue Heeler Film Festival.

He plays several musical instruments. Including Piano, Bassoon, Cello, Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, Tuba and Drums. After completing his 6th Grade AMEB Cello Exam he began studying with Anthea Scott-Mitchell and has been for the last 2 years. He is sitting for 8th Grade AMEB Bassoon and Clarinet exams at the end of 2026. He studies Bassoon with Anthony Grimm and Clarinet with Janelle French. He studies Piano with his father, Vincent Parmeter and is preparing for a Licentiate AMEB Piano Exam in 2027 . He has been a Cellist in the NSW Regional Youth Orchestra since 2024 and toured with them to Germany and Austria in 2025.

He write novels and short stories. He enjoys knitting, crocheting, cross-stitching, origami, playing boardgames, watching movies and reading books. He has been studying Japanese with a tutor for 7 years, and has also dabbled in German, Polish and French.

Paul Nicolaou

“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 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 the 2021 Monash University Emerging Composer Prize.

A graduate from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music with First Class Honours, Paul studied performance under internationally celebrated harpist Alice Giles AM. He has quickly established himself as an accomplished 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 as Guest Principal Harp 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 ABC Classic, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM), and was a selected composer for the Australian Music Centre’s 2025 MOMENTUM Plus project.

With a strong interest in music for interactive media, Paul is passionate about bridging the worlds of video game music and the classical repertoire. Quickly becoming known for his diverse skillset, Paul was an Assistant Conductor with The Beecroft Orchestra in 2026, the host of podcast miniseries “Passing Notes: An AYO Podcast”, is a writer and critic for Limelight Magazine, and has presented his ludomusicological research as a lecturer in Australia and Canada. He is also an experienced pianist, violinist, an accredited music arranger with the Music Arrangers’ Guild of Australia and Australian Music Centre Associate Artist.