About The Wish List

The Wish List brings together fiddlesingers Emma Nixon and Nicole Murray, who invite other musicians to collaborate with them, exploring the possibilities of strings and voices. Surprising and joyous musical moments are revealed as their wish list grows!

Emma Nixon

Winner of three Golden Fiddle Awards in both teaching and playing categories, Emma Nixon is a star of the Australian fiddle scene, her powerful and passionate performances of traditional and contemporary Scottish music enchanting audiences across Australia and around the world.

She has completed a Master of Music in Folk and Traditional Music at Newcastle University (UK). She is currently undertaking a PhD in Australia, researching methods of dissemination of traditional Scottish fiddling.

Emma was the joint recipient of the 2012 National Folk Fellowship, awarded by the National Library of Australia. She has researched Scottish music in the Library’s collections, record a CD, compiled a tune book and presented papers at national and international conferences based on this research.

Emma is also interested in community music making. She established and directs the Brisbane Celtic Fiddle Club and is in demand as a fiddle teacher at summer schools and workshops in Australia and the UK.

Nicole Murray

Prior to joining forces with Emma Nixon, Nicole Murray has performed with singer John Thompson as the duo "cloudstreet", recording seven albums and touring internationally and around Australia. A multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, she has concentrated on trad music, harmony work and song writing. Nicole plays flute, tin whistle and guitar and violin, and is an accomplished writer of songs and flute tunes. 

As well as devoting her time to making gorgeous music, she is an accomplished visual artist. Her most recent works comprise an exhibition of portraits of prominent traditional fiddle players, "Fiddle Icons" and were exhibited in Derry at the 2012 North Atlantic Fiddle Convention.

Nicole's passion for traditional music, innovative arrangements and soaring vocals make her performances uniquely compelling.

Nicole directs Brisbane's Morningsong Choir and is the founding director of the Brisbane Folk Choir.