Paul Nicolaou

harpist, composer, arranger

  • “[Paul] plays with a profound musicality; and what was particularly impressive was his command of the silences. This skill usually takes years to develop, and he understands it already. Every single note he played fitted into this glorious soundscape…”

    – Mark Walton; performer, composer, arranger, musical educator

  • “There was some very high quality work… but [Paul’s] stood out as an exceptional example of both compositional craft and musicality.”

    – Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music and Performance, Monash University

“I felt as though I was listening to a professional colleague, rather than a school student.”

- Mark Walton

  • Paul Nicolaou is a harpist and composer based in Sydney, Australia. He has quickly gained international recognition as a creative and virtuosic young artist, receiving numerous accolades including the 2021 Monash University Emerging Composer Prize, Most Outstanding Performer Award at the 2022 Sydney Harp Eisteddfod, First Prize in the 2023 National Youth Music Arranging Competition and was a recipient of the 2024 ABC Classic Composer Commissioning Fund.

  • Paul has quickly established himself as an accomplished, versatile and sought-after performer, appearing as Principal Harpist of the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, Australian Youth Orchestra, Willoughby Symphony Orchestra and more; as well as being Casual Harpist with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra.

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