About Wollemi Chamber Society
Wollemi Chamber Society is passionate about curating innovative chamber music concerts.
In 2020, the founding members of the Wollemi Quintet came together, excited to present both standard and new wind quintet repertoire to Greater Sydney.
Since then, we have made the decision to expand our horizons. In addition to the quintet, we are now curating, producing and delivering regular chamber music concerts in Sydney and greater New South Wales.
Noticing the lack of regular chamber music concerts to attend, we have decided to ensure that students, professionals, and all music lovers have the opportunity to experience the magic of chamber music all year round.
Our concerts are accessible to all audiences, whether you have never listened to classical music or you are a chamber connoisseur. You can expect to hear the standard instrumental formations and favourite pieces you know and love, as well as less common combinations, and new music.
Wollemi Quintet in 2021
About the Founders
Miriam Cooney | Co-Founder & Oboe
Miriam began oboe lessons at eight years old, studying with Celia Craig, Mark Bruwel, Nicola Bell, and Shefali Pryor. While completing her performance degree at Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Miriam attended a semester exchange at the Royal Danish Academy of Music under the tutelage of Professor Max Artved.
Miriam was the 2024 Oboe Fellow with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and is now on contract with the SSO as Tutti Oboe. She has played as Guest Principal Oboe and Tutti Oboe with the Tasmania Symphony Orchestra, as well as Bass Oboe with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.
Miriam is passionate about chamber music, and is an enthusiastic co-founder of the Wollemi Chamber Society. She attended the Australian Festival of Chamber Music Winter Masterclass with the Wollemi Quintet in 2022, and participated in the Australian Youth Orchestra's Chamber Players in 2023.
Hayden Burge | Co-Founder & Bassoon
Hayden was the 2024 Bassoon Fellow with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. He is studying a Bachelor of Music Performance (Honours) and International Relations at the University of Sydney and studies with Matthew Wilkie and Andrew Barnes.
Hayden has been a guest principal with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and was the principal bassoon on the Sydney Conservatorium’s 2022 European Tour to the UK, Germany, and the Czech Republic. He performed Beethoven’s Septet with The Academy of St Martin in the Fields in the Utzon Room, Sydney Opera House in 2023. Hayden has been a member of the Australian Youth Orchestra, Sydney Youth Orchestra and the Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra.
Hayden has also been part of the Australian Festival of Chamber Music’s Winter School program and is a founding member of the Sydney-based Wollemi Quintet and Chamber Society. Notable masterclasses include Joshua Bell (Academy of St Martin in the Fields), Axel Benoit (Gewandhaus Orchester Leipzig), and Helma van den Brink (Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra).
Bryn Arnold | Co-Founder & Horn
Bryn Arnold graduated with a Bachelor of Music (Performance) from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, where he studied with Rachel Silver. During his studies, he received the Richard Merewether French Horn Fellowship and Memorial Prize, was three times awarded the Dean’s List of Excellence in Academic Achievement, and was a finalist in the Conservatorium Concerto Competition.
He has performed with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Apex, the NSW Police Band, and at the Australian Festival of Chamber Music. He is currently the Sydney Symphony Orchestra Horn Fellow, being mentored by Marnie Sebire.
He is a passionate chamber musician, and is a founding member of the Wollemi Quintet and Wollemi Chamber Society. In 2022, he performed with the Wollemi Quintet as part of the Australian Festival of Chamber Music’s Winter School, and returned in 2023 as a Festival Artist.