Sixteen-year-old flautist Annabel Wouters has won the 2025 Eva Pascoe Award.

Run by the Highlands Music Collective, the award aims to nurture young talent and is for classical musicians, aged 14 to 24, who are connected to the Southern Highlands and surrounds. It was established in 2023 by Dr Timothy Pascoe in memory of his wife Eva; today the Pascoe Awards are given in memory of both Timothy and Eva.

Annabel receives a $3000 Eva Pascoe Award, as well as mentoring and chamber music opportunities with the Highlands Music Collective, while finalists each receive a $200 Timothy Pascoe Encouragement Award. Recipients this year were Oscar Dunn-Luck, 18; Fin Torpy, 19; Hana Lee, 18; Robert Nelson, 14; and Charlie Blake, 18.

The Highlands Music Collective was founded in 2019 by Myee Clohessy, a professional violinist who is now the collective’s artistic director.

The chamber music ensemble was formed during Myee’s nine-year stint as artistic director of the Bowral Autumn Festival and 12-year stint performing professionally with the Acacia Quartet at festivals throughout Australia. Myee realised there was a demand for chamber music in her hometown in the Southern Highlands region, so she gathered a committee and they turned HMCollective into a not-for-profit incorporated association dedicated to bringing concerts to the local community.

Performances feature the music of many Australian composers and the composers themselves often attend. Myee says it’s vital to provide a platform for Australian composers, as well as some lesser-known and forgotten composers (often women).

For more information, visit www.hmcollective.com.au