Flinders Quartet have announced the six composers that will participate in its 2023 Emerge Program, its newly-established compositional development program for early-career composers.

The 2023 Emerge Program participants. Lisa Cheney, Ian Whitney, Pat Jaffe, Huangkai (Kaykay) Lai, Jonathan Mui and Hao Zhen.

Lisa Cheney (QLD), Ian Whitney (NSW), Pat Jaffe (VIC), Huangkai (Kaykay) Lai (VIC), Jonathan Mui (NSW) and Hao Zhen (QLD) will each write a new work for the quartet over the year-long program. They will also receive online mentoring sessions, in-person workshopping and a filmed performance of their work.

“The composers were selected for their compositional craft, willingness to delve into the masterworks of the string quartet through score study, a love of the string quartet and we were conscious to include a variety of compositional voice,” said cellist Zoe Knighton to Limelight.

With over 70 applications submitted for this year’s Emerge program, Knighton notes that it that it was inevitable that worthy composers missed out – though many of them were contacted by her personally in order to secure opportunities in lieu of their participation in...