One of Australia's most prestigious opportunities for emerging chamber musicians has been awarded, with Melbourne's Cedar Quartet named the 2027 Australian Festival of Chamber Music Fellowship Ensemble.
Earlier this year, violinists Sara Barbagallo and Jessica Leigh, violist Edmund Mantelli and cellist Sarah Wang arrived in Cairns-Gimuy as emerging musicians in AFCM's Pathways Program and Artistic Director Jack Liebeck was listening. Now, in 2027, they will return as AFCM's Fellowship Ensemble, performing on the Festival's main stage, working alongside some of the world's finest chamber musicians and sharing the Festival with 2027 ensemble-in-residence, the internationally acclaimed VOCES8.
It is a remarkable progression in just 12 months, and exactly what AFCM's artist development pathway was created to achieve.
"I first heard Cedar Quartet in Cairns in 2026 through Pathways, and what struck me was how closely they listen to each other," Liebeck said. "That is who the Fellowship is for. Bring a young ensemble back to Cairns, put them among extraordinary colleagues and an audience that is really listening, and you hear them grow."
Cedar Quartet is a Melbourne-based, conservatorium-trained contemporary string quartet whose work stretches from the great classical and romantic repertoire through to new music, creative collaborations and contemporary crossover performance. In 2027, they will swap Melbourne's city lights for Tropical North Queensland, working with emerging composers and world-class artists before taking their place on AFCM's main stage.
"We officially came together in 2025 after years of crossing paths. Sarah, Sara and I met at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, Edmund's from Geelong and studied in Queensland, and we all connected through uni times, mutual friends and AYO programs. Some of us have played together for longer in different projects, but from early 2025 we started doing projects and concerts together, and this has grown into the Cedar Quartet," said Jessica Leigh.
Their Fellowship will also take the music well beyond the concert hall, with the Quartet performing for hundreds of school students and presenting free concerts in regional communities.
Cedar Quartet becomes the fourth ensemble to make the journey from Pathways to the AFCM Fellowship, following 2026 Fellowship Ensemble Orpheus Quintet, and before them, Victoria's Kingussie Trio and Andromeda Sax. During its Fellowship year, Orpheus premiered and recorded composer Sam Wu's Along the Pacific Flyway, inspired by the extraordinary migration of the bar-tailed godwit and commissioned through AFCM's inaugural Emerging Composers Initiative. The work was performed during the main Festival and taken on AFCM's regional tour. This progression - Pathways to Fellowship, mentorship to professional performance, emerging artist to the main stage, is becoming one of AFCM's most important legacies.
Guided by mentors including AFCM Pathways Program Director and clarinet virtuoso Lloyd van't Hoff, AFCM Executive Producer - Festival & Pathways Manager Nick Duff and Artistic Director Jack Liebeck, Cedar Quartet is now embarking on a year designed not simply to showcase four exceptional emerging musicians, but to help shape what comes next.
ABOUT CEDAR QUARTET
Melbourne-based Cedar Quartet is one of Australia's exciting emerging chamber ensembles, bringing together four accomplished young musicians: Sara Barbagallo and Jessica Leigh (violins), Edmund Mantelli (viola) and Sarah Wang (cello). The quartet is passionate about collaboration, championing Australian composers and creating engaging musical experiences that connect performers and audiences.
The four musicians have already established impressive individual careers, performing with leading ensembles including the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Australian World Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria and Australian Youth Orchestra, and appearing on international stages including Carnegie Hall. Their collective experience spans classical and contemporary music, orchestral performance and innovative cross-genre collaborations.
Violinist Jessica Leigh, founder and director of Cedar Collective, has performed with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and was selected as an Emerging Artist for the international Mimir Chamber Music Festival. Fellow violinist Sara Barbagallo has toured Europe with the Australian Youth Orchestra, performed with the Australian World Orchestra and studied with members of the Grammy Award-winning Pacifica Quartet. Violist Edmund Mantelli, a recipient of Orchestra Victoria's prestigious Richard Bonynge Fellowship, has performed at New York's Carnegie Hall and regularly works with leading Australian orchestras. Cellist Sarah Wang, a Melbourne Conservatorium graduate and chamber music competition winner, brings a passion for musical exploration spanning classical, jazz, musical theatre and contemporary music.
In 2026, Cedar Quartet performed in Hobart's String Quartet #1 Project, collaborating with Australian composers before being selected for the AFCM's prestigious Pathways International Masterclasses Program in Cairns-Gimuy. During their two-week residency, they worked alongside internationally acclaimed artists including Lloyd van't Hoff, Leon Bosch, Doretta Balkizas and Isang Enders, an experience that helped shape their artistic direction and strengthen their commitment to chamber music.
ABOUT AFCM
The Australian Festival of Chamber Music (AFCM) is one of the world's most loved classical music celebrations and the largest chamber music festival in the Southern Hemisphere. The Festival continues its exciting new chapter in 2027 at its new home in Cairns, positioning the Festival at the cultural heart of Far North Queensland. Building on its 35-year legacy, AFCM Cairns 2027 will combine world-class chamber music with the region's extraordinary natural beauty, diverse communities, and cultural infrastructure.
The AFCM Pathways Program
The AFCM Pathways Program is the Festival's year-round work, and the cornerstone of our commitment to the next generation of chamber musicians and arts professionals. Emerging Australian ensembles receive mentorship from Festival artists, main-stage performance opportunities, and support to tour regional Queensland - assisted by the Ian Potter Foundation. Recent ensembles include Melbourne's Cedar Quartet, Sydney's Orpheus Quintet, and Victoria's Kingussie Trio, winners of Musica Viva's 2026 Strike A Chord. Pathways runs through several strands: International Masterclasses, the Emerging Composers Initiative, the Outreach Tour and Workshops, Pathways for Schools, and Digital Outreach. The Theodore Kuchar Scholarship, established in the founder's name, supports young Australian chamber musicians directly.
