Sirius Chamber Ensemble was formed in 2011 by Ian Sykes and Dr Alison Evans and is committed to premiering new works alongside the classics in a friendly, accessible atmosphere. We regularly feature programmes of music showcasing the music of local composers. Recent and upcoming collaborators include composer/performer Keyna Wilkins, composers Troy Russell, Eve Duncan, Dr Diana Blom and Dr Corrina Bonshek. We have presented co-productions with Blush Opera, Hammerings Records and Melbourne Composers League, and a collaboration with composer and saxophonist Spike Mason led to the recording of his album Flying (2017/18). 2025 saw the release of the first of two recordings featuring works by Australian women composers Margaret Sutherland and Meta Overman.

Dr Jeanell Carrigan AM is currently an Associate Professor in the Collaborative Piano Unit at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, University of Sydney. Dr Carrigan is passionate about promoting Australian Music, particularly the music of Australian women composers and has published widely on Australian solo piano repertoire and Australian composers. Her publications include many books and over eighty volumes of piano and chamber music written by Australian women published by Wirripang, Australia and 34 compact disc recordings.

Melissa Coleman is an active freelance performer on flute, piccolo and alto flute. Holding a Master of Music degree from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Melissa has performed with Sydney International Orchestra, Sydney Chamber Orchestra, Pacific Opera, Blush Opera, the NSW Police Band and Singing Bird Productions among others.

Melissa regularly performs solo recitals across Sydney, and is co-artistic Director of Sydney's prominent Sirius Chamber Ensemble. Especially passionate about promoting and performing contemporary Australian chamber music, Melissa relishes any opportunity to create recital programs that point to issues of social justice, equality and shared humanity.

Ian Sykes graduated with a Bachelor of Music (first class honours) from the University of Newcastle and a Master of Music (performance) degree at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. He is a founding member of Sirius Chamber Ensemble, with which he has toured throughout Australia and performed new works by many notable Australian composers. He is a full-time member of the NSW Police Band, and also maintains a busy career as a freelance musician, dividing his time between chamber and orchestral music, music theatre and pedagogy. Ian has performed in productions of Mary Poppins, Phantom of the Opera, West Side Story, Sweeney Todd and Annie. Ian has performed with Sydney Philharmonia, Southern Cross Symphony, Opera Australia Orchestra, Blush Opera, as well as the education programs for Musica Viva and Sydney Opera House.

Lucy Carrigy-Ryan enjoys an active freelance career playing orchestral and chamber music with various ensembles across Australia. She has a broad range of interests and studied music, Spanish, Italian and law at the Australian National University before moving to Argentina to learn traditional tango music. Most recently, Lucy studied with Maestro Bruno Giuranna at the Stauffer Academy in Italy and the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana in Switzerland, graduating with a Master of Viola Performance.

Clare Kahn completed a Bachelor of Music with first class honours at the Canberra School of Music under the tutelage of David Pereira. With the aid of a University of Sydney Postgraduate Award she then undertook a Master of Music (Performance) at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, studying cello with Susan Blake. Clare performs a wide variety of music, from chamber to orchestral, musical theatre and session work. She is a founding member of Sirius Chamber Ensemble, with whom she has toured throughout Australia and performed the premiere of many new works. Recent performances include work with the Opera Australia Orchestra, Sydney Philharmonia, and productions of West Side Story, Beauty and the Beast, Hamilton, Hadestown and Annie.

Malaysian-born Jacquelyn Koh, also known as Jacquelyn, holds a master's degree in music (Performance) from Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Under the tutelage of Australian concert pianists Prof. Gerard Willems AM, Lyall Duke, Eugene Choi, Dr. Paul Rickard-Ford, Chee Su Yen, and Yong Sue Yi, she completed her studies with a thesis supervised by Dr. Helen Mitchell. Jacquelyn received chamber coaching from Dr. Park Ji-Sook, Dr. Kirill Monorosi, Dr. Cheong Yew Choong, and Ysan Suit Yin, and attended masterclasses with Dr. Julie Bee and Sonya Lifschitz. Additionally, she had one-on-one sessions with Prof. Lev Natochenny and holds a Licentiate diploma from Trinity College London with Distinction. Active as a solo performer, collaborative pianist, researcher, and Kodaly educator in Malaysia, Australia, and Indonesia, Jacquelyn participated in the Southeast Asia Music Exchange (SEAMEX) in Indonesia in 2019, where she presented her Master's thesis on musical instrument performance enhancement. Passionate about chamber music, she frequently performs various chamber repertoire and collaborates with other musicians for chamber recitals.



Agnes Kristianto gave her first solo recital in her hometown city in Indonesia at the age of seventeen before pursuing her degree in Bachelor of Music (Performance) at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. She had studied piano with one of Australia's finest pianists, Prof. Gerard Willems, and the Russian pianist Natalia Andreeva.

Furthermore, Agnes has had the privilege to have private lessons with multi award-winning Australian concert pianist and composer Michael Kieran Harvey, Laura McDonald, Glenn Riddle, Rita Reichman, and Charles Owen. She had recently completed her Master of Music Studies (Performance) degree under the guidance of internationally renowned pianist Dr. Bernadette Harvey and Erszi Marroszeky.

In 2022, Agnes won first place in Sydney Eisteddfod Piano Competition, the category of 20th and 21st Century Music. She had recently performed at the Admiralty House on its open day in June 2023.

Jennifer Chou is the Associate Organist at the Scots Church Melbourne. She has given organ concerts in Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane town halls, and venues such as the Paris Notre-Dame Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Singapore Esplanade Concert Hall, Hong Kong Cultural Centre, and the International Bamboo Organ Festival in the Philippines. She teaches the organ at Melbourne High School and Camberwell Grammar School. She has conducted organ masterclasses, and has adjudicated the New Zealand Organ Competition.

Jennifer studied the organ with Wolfgang Rübsam at Northwestern University (USA) for her Master's. Further studies at Conservatoire National de Région de Rueil-Malmaison with Susan Landale, and with Michel Bouvard and Jan Willem Jansen at the Centre d'Etudes Supérieures de Musique et Danse in Toulouse where she completed her studies in the Cycle de Perfectionnement with Prémier Prix à l'unanimité. She was awarded Special Mention as a finalist in the Biarritz International Organ Competition.

While as a student, she competed in various international organ competitions, she was a semi-finalist in the Prague Spring and Chartres competitions, and a finalist in the Biarritz competition which she was awarded Special Mention.