Ben Dollman is one of Australia’s leading performers on baroque violin, having held the position of Principal 2nd violin in the ABO for over ten years.
Studies in early violin began at Indiana University with the Australian baroque violinist Stanley Ritchie. Upon returning to Australia, Ben was mentored by Lucinda Moon and invited to become a regular member of the ABO in 1999. He has since also performed as soloist and concertmaster on a number of occasions.
Based in Adelaide, he is active in a diverse range of musical styles: leading the early music group Ensemble Galante, previously as a core member of contemporary group Zephyr Quartet and over many years as a regular guest with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra.

With her hauntingly beautiful voice and elegant harp accompaniment, Claire Patti draws on classical, jazz, folk and contemporary popular influences in her performances of original songs and pieces, traditional Irish and Scottish songs, jazz favourites and classical repertoire.
Claire sings and plays the harp and horn with various ensembles including rising stars Co-cheòl, who were crowned State Champion at the 2014 A Cappella Victorian State Champions. They placed 1st runner up at the 2014 National A Cappella Championships, winning additional awards for “Best Band” and “Best Comedy Song.”
She has featured as a solo performer and with Scottish band Taliska at folk festivals throughout Australia, and was awarded the “Female Vocalist of the Year” at the 2014 Australian Celtic Music Awards.
As a passionate conductor and choral singer, Claire performs with The Consort of Melbourne and was a long time member of internationally acclaimed ensemble The Australian Voices. She has worked with conductors of international acclaim, and her choirs are regular award-winners in competitions. 

Samantha Cohen studied Classical guitar at the Victorian College of the Arts, where she eventually decided to abandon the guitar in favour of the lute. After undertaking studies in lute at the University of Melbourne, she won numerous awards and scholarships, including Australia Council grants and a Churchill Fellowship, which enabled her to further her studies with Jakob Lindberg in the UK. A scholarship from the Fondazione Marco Fodella sent her to Italy for a year’s study with American lutenist, Paul Beier.
Samantha works as a freelance continuo player and lutenist.  She has performed with Opera Australia, Victorian Opera, Ludovico’s Band, The Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, Australian Brandenburg Ensemble, and Pinchgut Opera as well as the Melbourne, Queensland, Tasmanian and Adelaide Symphony Orchestras.
She has appeared in the Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide Festivals, and has been recorded for radio and CD by the ABC.

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Photo credit: Albert Comper 2025

Laura Moore is a Baroque Cello and Viola da Gamba player based in Melbourne, Australia. In 2010, Laura completed her Bachelor of Music Performance (Cello) at the Victorian College of the Arts under the direction of Josephine Vains. During this time, she also studied Viola da Gamba with Miriam Morris. Since then, Laura has participated in lessons and masterclasses with experts such as Wieland Kuijken, Paolo Pandolfo, Les Voix Humaine, Jordi Savall and Vittorio Ghielmi.
Laura is a founding member of Harken Well with baroque violinist Elizabeth Welsh. She has also made guest appearances with The Australian Chamber Orchestra,
Ironwood Chamber Ensemble, Latitude 37, Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, Camerata Antica, The Orchestra of Antipodes and numerous other early music ensembles. She has participated in many ABC recordings with ensembles such as Consort Eclectus, Josie and the Emeralds and Latitude 37.
Laura is also a passionate music educator and thoroughly enjoys working with children through choirs, ensembles and classroom teaching.

Listed among Australia’s best classical performers by the ABC in 2019, New Zealand-born harpsichordist, organist, pianist, composer and arranger, Donald Nicolson is a prominent figure in performance and research of the music of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Europe, and in high demand as a keyboardist, composer, and arranger. A PhD in Musicology at the University of Melbourne in 2018, and an avid reader of the classics and ancient rhetoric, Donald teaches historically-informed performance practice at the University of Melbourne, and gives regular talks and lectures on music and history.

Since 2011, Donald has been based in Melbourne maintaining a busy performing schedule in the early music scene and on the orchestral platform. A sought-after continuo player, Donald frequently performs with Pinchgut Opera, Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Van Diemen’s Band, and regularly collaborates with Australia’s early music specialists. He works frequently as a pianist, harpsichordist and organist for the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and has directed numerous performances from the harpsichord for the MSO and ACO.

Donald is co-founder of ARIA-nominated trio, Latitude 37, and a key member of Anja & Zlatna, an ensemble which performs the folk music of the Balkans and infuses it with the improvisational practices of the seventeenth century. He had made several orchestrations and arrangements for Van Diemen’s Band. These ensembles have released several albums, which form part of an extensive discography that encapsulates Donald’s well-known diversity and broadness as a musician, ranging from William Byrd (Latitude 37: Royal Consorts) to John Psathas (Helix).

Meredith is a flautist and whistle player whose work spans historically informed performance and contemporary folk practice, with both traditions deeply informing and enriching one another. Her musical focus lies in the repertoire and performance practices of the late seventeenth to early nineteenth centuries, approached with a balance of scholarly respect and creative curiosity. She believes that engaging deeply with historical traditions opens up fresh sonic possibilities, allowing performers to participate more actively in the music-making process, particularly within chamber music contexts.

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Collaboration sits at the heart of her early music practice. She thrives in ensemble settings, working closely with like-minded musicians to explore the expressive potential of historical repertoire. Much of this work takes place through her ensemble The Muses’ Delight, alongside a range of other projects and collaborations. Recent performances include appearances with Genesis Baroque at the Melbourne Recital Centre, notably Holding Court with J.S. Bach in March 2024, featuring Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 2 and Brandenburg Concerto No. 5. Additional highlights include performances of Telemann’s Paris Quartets in June 2024, and Bach arias and cantatas in 2023 with soprano Sara Macliver.

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Alongside her early music work, Meredith maintains an active folk practice rooted in Celtic traditions. While drawing inspiration from Scottish and Irish sources, her focus is firmly on composing new music that reflects her connection to place and her ongoing exploration of what it means to be an Australian folk musician. This creative inquiry finds its primary expression through her band Tapsalteerie, where she collaborates with musicians from diverse and improvisatory backgrounds, allowing for open-ended musical exploration and a continually evolving sound world.

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These two musical practices are not separate, but deeply interconnected. Both draw on oral traditions, the rhythmic vitality of dance forms, and a shared aim of moving audiences and capturing something meaningful—whether that be an echo from three centuries ago or a reflection of the present moment.

Her broader performance experience includes work with Melbourne Baroque Orchestra, Orchestra of St James, Brisbane Baroque Players, Badinerie Players, and Opera at Jimbour, as well as appearances at festivals across Victoria and Queensland. She was the joint winner of the 2021 People’s Choice Award at the Cygnet Folk Festival Song & Tune Competition, and has performed as a whistle and flute player in the Good Girl Song Project’s Voyage, a new Australian folk musical.

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Originally from New Zealand, Rachel played for 7 years as a member of the Australian String Quartet and has become one of Australia's best-known cellists, performing for audiences across the country as well as in the US, UK, and Europe.
She has been an invited performer at many of the country's leading festivals including the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, the Canberra International Chamber Music Festival, the Sydney International Festival, and Musica Viva's Huntington Festival of Music, and has directed feature programs for the Perth International Arts Festival and the Adelaide International Cello Festival. Rachel has collaborated with many great artists from Australia and abroad such as Anne-Sophie von Otter, Alina Abragimova, Piers Lane, Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Liwei Qin, Pieter Wispelwey, Nicholas Altstaedt, Slava Grigoryan, Katie Noonan, Paul Capsis, Sara Macliver, Fiona Campbell and the Goldner and Juilliard Quartets, as well as local collaborations including performances with Rebecca Chan, Kristian Chong, Chris Moore, Anna Goldsworthy, Nikki Vasilakis and Daniel DeBorah.

As a sought after performer and teacher Rachel maintains a diverse calendar of commitments in Australia and abroad, and has performed, taught masterclasses and given improvisation workshops in NZ, Australia, Europe, the UK, Singapore, China and New York. She has recorded extensively for radio, toured with ARIA winning Australian artists such as Missy Higgins, Archie Roach,and iconic rockers You Am I, given premiere performances of works by Sofia Gubaidulina, Brett Dean and Elena Kats-Cherninas well as many local composers, and has recorded commercially for several labels including ABC Classics and Chandos. Her passion is exploring music across various genres while  celebrating its unique ability to unite, communicate and inspire through performance and teaching.