Hatched Academy

Established in 2014, Hatched Academy supports outstanding young performers and composers to become leaders of innovative new music in Australia. This national program encompasses three annual streams: the Hatched Composer Intensive selects four composers to develop a new work for Ensemble Offspring; the Hatched Associate Artist position offers career opportunities and mentorship to one instrumentalist; and the Hatched Mentorship Program provides guidance to ten participants through virtual sessions. In 2024, esteemed composer Brett Dean remains onboard as our faithful Hatched Academy Ambassador, while clarinettist Jason Noble assumes the new role of Hatched Academy Director.

Jason Noble
Hatched Academy Director

  • Hatched Composer Intensive

    The Hatched Composer Intensive is an annual opportunity for four emerging composers from around Australia. Selected composers create a new chamber work for Ensemble Offspring, supported by their chosen composition mentors and the musicians through online check ins, performer presentations and industry sessions.

    The highlight of the program is an intensive week of workshops with the ensemble and a lead composition mentor, culminating in the Hatched Composer Showcase, a professionally documented public performance premiering the composers’ new works. Biennially, one Composer Intensive participant will be selected to receive an additional paid commission for a future Ensemble Offspring season.

    The Hatched Composer Intensive has been a launch pad for many successful composers, watch the showreel and see testimonials below.

    Download the info booklet to learn more.

    This program is valued in kind at $4,000 per participant.
    Applications open March 1 2025.

  • Hatched Emerging Performer

    Each year, one elite Australian instrumentalist who demonstrates a passion for new chamber music is selected to join Ensemble Offspring as our Emerging Performer. This flexible mentorship allows the selected artist to devise the best use of Ensemble Offspring’s expertise and resources in association with the Artistic Director and Hatched Academy Director. This may include creative and business mentorship as well as chamber performance opportunities with EO to kick start a successful performance career specialising in living new music.

    Throughout the year the selected artist is also assisted to commission, develop, premier and professionally video document a new work by a composer of their choosing. The soloist is guided throughout the process, drawing from EO's extensive experience as the most prolific commissioners of new Australian music.

    Submit an EOI to Artistic Director, Claire Edwardes, including your instrument and a sentence about why you want to be EO’s AA.

    This program is valued at $10,000
    EOIs for 2026 open March 1 2025.

  • Hatched Mentorship Program

    The Hatched Mentorship Program is a chance for emerging musicians of all practices to learn from Ensemble Offspring’s instrumentalists and artistic collaborators. A shorter and more casual mentorship compared to the Associate Artist and Composer Intensive, the Mentorship Program provides two one-on-one sessions (in person or online) with the participant’s chosen mentor.

    Participants can use these sessions in any way they deem beneficial to their artistic practice; this may include instrumental, composition or conducting lessons, or advice on career paths and project funding.

    The Hatched Mentorship Program occurs during July each year and is open to participants from the age of 16. We encourage those considering the Composer Intensive for the first time to also apply for this program that supports a wide range of experience levels. As the sessions can be held online, regional artists or artists with a disability are encouraged to apply.

    This program is valued in kind at $500 per participant
    Applications for 2025 open March 1 2025.

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Hatched Academy Showreel

Get a feel for this career-boosting program.

Showreel featuring Klearhos Murphy, Katia Geha, Courtney Cousins, Alex Maltas and Alice Morgan.

Testimonials

  • Brett Dean

    Hatched Academy Ambassador

    “The Hatched Academy alumni are a who’s who list of successful young Australian artists, many of whom have already made a name for themselves on the international stage. Navigating your way as a young musician specialising in contemporary music is not easy, but Ensemble Offspring’s Hatched Academy program, with its hands-on and focused approach, plays a central role in creating a formidable Australian new music scene.”

  • Abbey Felton

    Associate Artist 2023

    “Working with Ensemble Offspring has been an invaluable learning experience. I feel so blessed to have been given the resources to bring this project to life, making music alongside inspiring musicians and a wonderful composer. I suspect that I'll look back upon this time as a pivotal part of my artistic development.”

  • Tristan Coelho

    Composer Intensive Mentor 2021-2022

    “In order for music to stay fresh and relevant, we need to embrace and support the music of young composers. Hatched Academy offers an amazing opportunity… it’s a safe space for composers to explore, take risks, experiment, but also to refine a personal voice.”

  • Sophia Mackson

    Mentorship Program 2021

    “I loved chatting to Véronique about contemporary music in Australia and my own compositions. She has such a wealth of knowledge and passion. She was supportive of all my ideas and gave the best feedback. Such an amazing musician, belonging to such a cool ensemble!”

  • Ben Perche

    Mentorship Program 2021

    “It was fantastic talking to Jason about his experiences in new music ensembles, and to hear his advice about starting new groups to perform modern music. I was able to think big picture about my future career in music, and Jason gave me a lot of new ideas for future projects.”

  • Will Hansen

    Associate Artist 2020-2021

    “My time as Ensemble Offspring’s Hatched Academy Associate Artist has been an invaluable next step in my musical career. I’ve gained insights into the inner machinations of a high-class new music group.”

  • Christine Pan

    Composer Intensive 2020

    “The overall Hatched experience was really amazing. Fun, but also challenging at times! That’s the point, to feel challenged and question the way you compose and create and think about music.”

  • Matthew Kneale

    Mentorship Program 2021

    “The Hatched Mentorship Program is a great resource. It is a safe space to share experiences and learn how to be a better musician. What better way than to pick the brains of people who have been in the industry for decades.”

  • Kate Neal

    Composer Intensive Mentor 2019

    “The Hatched Composer Intensive is fantastic and vital for the community of composers Australia-wide. It's about forming a community between composers – Sydney composers, Melbourne composers, regional composers – and also relationships with players.”

  • Henry Justo

    Henry Justo

    Hatched Associate Artist 2019

    “Getting to work alongside players who have done this for 20 years or so is really incredible. Thinking back it's been a massive year, but something that really sticks with me is having a solo curated concert as well as an ensemble concert playing staple works by Sarriaho and Romitelli.”

  • Samantha Wolf

    Composer Intensive 2018

    “The Hatched Composer Intensive has challenged me in ways that I probably wouldn't be able to challenge myself. It has broadened my horizons and introduced me to new musicians and composers whom I never would have had contact with otherwise, so for that I feel very very grateful.”

Alumni & Works

  • Hatched Associate Artist

    Abbey Felton, guitar (WA)
    Commissioned work: Christine Pan – Infused with Silent Voices (2023)

    Hatched Composer Intensive

    Isabella Rahme (NSW)
    Noemi Liba Friedman (VIC)
    Matthew Laing (VIC)
    Isabella Gerometta (QLD)
    Jessica Lindsay Smith (VIC)

    Mentor: Damien Ricketson

  • Hatched Associate Artist

    Eliza Shephard, flute (VIC)

    Hatched Composer Intensive

    Lewis Mosley (NSW) – the Donkey and especially the Toad
    Ceridwen McCooey (VIC) – Arrhythmia
    Andrea Guterres (NSW) – Aion
    Sean Quinn (VIC) – a hollow heart’s temptation
    Alexander Voltz (QLD) – Operetta

    Mentor: Tristan Coelho

    Hatched Mentorship Program

    Brent Keogh (NSW), Katia Geha (NSW), Robert McIntyre (VIC), Paul Nicolaou (NSW), Julia Vlahogiannis (NSW), Rob Hao (NSW), Claire Litwinowicz (QLD), Courtney Cousins (NSW), Michelle St Anne (NSW), Tilly Jones (NSW), Ronan Apcar (ACT), Mitch Brown (NSW), Jaidyn Chong (QLD), Naomi Dodd (NSW), Isabella Rahme (NSW), Samantha Raftery (SA)

  • Hatched Associate Artist

    Will Hansen, double bass (NSW)*
    *Will Hansen held the Associate Artist position for two years due to COVID lockdowns in this period.

    Hatched Composer Intensive

    Ben Robinson (NSW) – Eat Your Damn Vegetables
    Gabrielle Cadenhead (NSW) – We Demand Our Equal Rights
    Julia Potter (NSW) – My Heart Skips a Beat
    Azariah Felton (WA) – palpitate
    Cayn Borthwick (VIC) – Deep Water, Breaking Wave
    William Gardiner (NSW) – Ruby C

    Mentor: Tristan Coelho

    Hatched Mentorship Program

    Ceridwen McCooey (VIC), Matthew Kneale (VIC), Michael Grebla (WA/USA), Sean Quinn (VIC), Sophia Mackson (QLD), Wesley Stormer (NSW), Bianca Gannon (QLD), Alexei Caulfield (NSW), Bryn Wood (NSW), Chloe Chung (NSW), Kayla Ludlow (NSW), Mikaela Thomsen (QLD)

  • Hatched Associate Artist

    Will Hansen, double bass (NSW)*
    *    Will Hansen held the Associate Artist position for two years due to COVID lockdowns in this period.

    Hatched Composer Intensive

    Christine Pan (NSW) – The May Queen
    Rhys Little (NSW) – Five Kinds of Seeing
    Connor D’Netto (QLD) – Largely Motivated
    Andrew Chen (VIC) – Lip
    James Hazel (NSW) – Entangled Labours
    Monica Lim (VIC) – Disensemble

    Mentor: Kate Neal

    Hatched Mentorship Program

    Eduardo Ruiz (VIC), Liam Wooding (VIC), Nick Ashwood (NSW), Phoebe Bognàr (NSW), Katherine Howarth (NSW), Nadia Burgess (NSW), Gabrielle Cadenhead (NSW), Lily Bryant (ACT), Christopher Healey (VIC), Anna Rabinowicz (VIC), Liam Mulligan (NSW), Marlene Radice (ACT), Robert McIntyre (VIC), Ellie Harrison (QLD), Abigail Sutherland (SA), Tim Newhouse (WA)

  • Hatched Associate Artist

    Henry Justo, viola (VIC)

    Hatched Composer Intensive

    Lisa Cheney (VIC) - The Secrets of Shadows
    Thomas Misson (VIC/TAS) - Adieu
    Sarah Elise Thompson (NSW) - Striking Out
    Lewis Ingham (VIC) - Jovian Glimpses
    Angus Davison (NSW/TAS) - Warhol in The Tenderloin
    Dr Steve Barry (NSW) - Microsonata

    Mentor: Ken Thompson (USA), Kate Neal (AUS)

  • Hatched Associate Artist

    Georgina Oakes, clarinet (NSW)

    Hatched Composer Intensive

    Solomon Frank (NSW)
    Kirsten Milenko (NSW/NL)
    Joseph O’Connor (NSW)
    Jakob Bragg (VIC)
    Josten Myburgh (WA)
    Samantha Wolf (VIC)

    Mentors: Matthew Shlomowitz, Cathy Milliken & Amanda Cole

  • Hatched Associate Artist

    Kieran Welch, viola (QLD)
    Luke Carbon, clarinet (VIC)

    Hatched Composer Intensive

    Ciaran Frame (NSW)
    Jasmin Leung (QLD)

    Mentors: Cathy Milliken & Jessica Aszodi

  • Hatched Associate Artist

    Mary Rapp, cello (NSW)
    Julia Reidy, guitar (NSW)
    David Moran, cello (SA)

    Hatched Composer Intensive

    Julia Reidy (NSW)
    James Bradbury (WA)

  • Hatched Associate Artist

    Jodie Rottle, flute (QLD)
    Jacob Abela, piano (VIC)

    Hatched Composer Intensive

    Dan Thorpe (SA)
    Samuel Smith (VIC)

  • Hatched Associate Artist

    Callum G’Froerer, trumpet (NSW)
    Jeremy Rose, saxophone (NSW)

    Hatched Composer Intensive

    Jeremy Rose (NSW)