Australian Music Centre | Breaking sound barriers

Image: Paul Nicolaou  
© Photo supplied

"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, Australia. He has quickly gained international recognition, receiving the 2026 APRA Professional Development Award for Screen Composition.

Composer-in-Residence with Sydney Youth Orchestras for their 2026 International tour, Paul has been commissioned by ABC Classic, 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 enjoys researching, arranging, and performing music from games. He is also an experienced pianist, violinist, and accredited music arranger with the Music Arrangers' Guild of Australia.

Let's find out more about Paul's creative process, inspiration and current projects in this edition of Beyond a Bio.

How would you describe your music to someone hearing it for the first time?

For the majority of my work, I would say my highest musical priority is evoking a sense of beauty and peacefulness. With so many depictions of pain and turmoil already, I aim for my music to be my escape from that world, and hope to offer a similar escape to any listeners searching for it. I also find that my Greek-Cypriot heritage often organically emerges in a lot of my work, whether it's metrically (often through lots of shifting metres), harmonically, or melodically - it's a significant part of my musical language.

How does a new work usually begin for you?

The birth of a work really changes project to project. If I already have a concept or idea in mind, I'll try and ruminate upon that and see what naturally emerges from it. If I'm composing for harp, I'll often noodle around at my instrument, thinking more about what feels good to play than anything else (and similarly so for the piano or violin). It's always a new and refreshing experience.

Image: Paul Nicolaou (Arts8 showcase, AFTRS)

What ideas or sounds are inspiring you right now?

I think I've always gravitated towards folk music one way or another, but recently I've been embracing it much more unapologetically. Similarly I've found sounds inspired by popular media also emerging in my writing recently, I think it's because in many ways, that musical vocabulary can represent comfort and familiarity, or at least it does to me.

Can you tell us about a recent project or work?

In March 2026, The Sydney Youth Orchestra (SYO) premiered a new symphonic orchestration of my work 'but the sky is surely open', originally composed back in 2022 for the tutors of the Australian Youth Orchestra (AYO). The work depicts the Ancient Greek myth of Icarus and his flight too close to the sun. It was a very full circle moment, having previously played with SYO as an alumnus for a number of years. SYO will tour the work across Europe later this year, including in performances at the Berliner Philharmonie and St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna.

There's also been some wonderful smaller-scale projects which have been delightful to work on. I recently completed Three Songs in Solitude for violin and piano, commissioned by the Australian National Academy of Music as part of the ANAM Set, which I can't wait to hear premiered by Lili Stephens in her ANAM recital later this year. I also had the pleasure of writing a new quartet for the Highlands Music Collective titled Night Shift for violin, cello, harp & piano, which premiered back in February, and I recently premiered my latest solo harp work, Eleven Pearls of Wisdom, at an Aus Harp Fest performance in Melbourne.

What do you hope listeners experience in your music?

I would say my music generally falls into one of two categories: one of calm and meditation, and another of joy and dance, (and occasionally a blend of the two!). I think if a listener walks away in some kind of state of peace or uplift, I feel that I've done my job. I guess in many ways, I see my music as a window into how I view the world, so it's a privilege to be able to offer a glimpse of that view through my artform.

Where or how do you work best?

I'm definitely more of a night owl composer - there's just something about composing at night when I'm possibly a little less lucid than during the day which means things can flow quite naturally, probably with less self-criticism than I would have during the day. Then, the following morning when I'm more alert, I sit down and comb through the ideas to see if there's anything I might be able to develop. As far as doing other non-composing work, I definitely prefer working in a cafe or some other zen environment.

What's something people might not expect about your creative process?

I don't think I've ever written a piece fluidly beginning to end before, and only recently realised that is something other composers actually do. Generally, I compose lots of ideas in isolation with the concept of the piece in mind, and then figure out some kind of common thread between them, or a way to glue them together. Before I know it, I have a piece, and in fact it often leaves me with more material than I can keep. Sometimes trying to find that 'glue' can drive me crazy, and often the solution is to simply have none at all, but rather join two seemingly conflicting ideas side-by-side. I completely surprise myself when that happens, but it's a very satisfying outcome.

If you had to name one Australian work everyone should hear, what would it be?

There are so many I want to list, but I just cannot go past Lior and Nigel Westlake's Compassion. It's so close to my idea of a perfect piece of music. Each movement says something so profound and striking, and yet when put together, deliver such a harmonious and cohesive message, with incredibly detailed and evokative orchestration. I also think the work reveals its cultural relevance more now than ever - a musical masterclass in celebrating humanity, and how the most beautiful of art can emerge when we are brave enough to listen to one another.

What excites you about Australian art music right now?

As someone very much in their early years in the Australian art music scene, I'm inspired by how openly I've been embraced to be unapologetically creatively myself. There's no pressure to conform to a certain aesthetic or artistic direction, and I think this is a feeling shared by many composer colleagues in Australia. I think that's such an exciting prospect for Australian art music, because it ensures that things are always fresh, varied and diverse. I can guarantee that no matter where a listener's musical preferences or tastes might lie, there will be an Australian composer whose work they are sure to adore.

What's next for you?

2026 has been such an enormous year already. I've recently returned home from One Harp World presented by the American Harp Society and the World Harp Congress in Toronto Canada, where I performed programs of works by Australian composers, and presented a lecture on my research to other harpists from around the globe. I've begun my first national solo tour, Elemental Resonance, where I'll be performing seven performances of an all-Australian multi-sensory solo harp program across Australia, including a number of original works and improvisations. Looking forward, there are also a couple of chamber and orchestral commissions in the oven which I'm excited to share more about when I can!

Anything else you'd like to add?

It's an overwhelmingly fulfilling and surreal feeling when someone else wants to play or listen to my music, and I know other composers feel the same way. So to anyone who's taken the time to program or listen to my works, thank you. Please do always let us know when you're interested in performing a work - we love to hear from you!