From starting the Suzuki program with a cardboard piñata-violin, to winning the Theodore Holland Viola Prize at the Royal Academy of Music, Lucas’ performance career already spans two instruments and four continents.
As many violists, chamber music holds a special place in his heart, and he is currently a member of the Florizel Quartet whose recent performance highlights include recitals in Tuscany, Italy, at China Exchange in Soho, London, Colston Hall in Bristol and winning the Wolfe Wolfinsohn String Quartet Prize for their performance of Mozart's "Hoffmeister" quartet. He is a former member of the Melbourne-based “Quartet Non Troppo,” playing in pre-concert series for the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Borodin Quartet and winning multiple local competitions and finalists at Musica Viva’s Sydney Eisteddford in 2014. The quartet played in the 2nd Summit of the Pacific Alliance of Music Schools in Beijing, China and were selected to participate in the Mimir Chamber Music Festival in Fort Worth, Texas USA.
Lucas also has a wealth of orchestral experience, having played in many conservatoire and youth orchestras in London, Melbourne and Paris, and under renowned conductors including Sir Mark Elder, Semyon Bychkov, Benjamin Northey, Christian Badea, Larry Rachleff, Stefan Ashbury and more. He played in Victorian Opera’s production of Wagner’s “Der Fliegende Holländer” with the Australian Youth Orchestra and recently he led the viola sections of the Royal Academy String Orchestra, Amadeus Orchestra, the London Mahler Orchestra, Pro Youth Philharmonia, as well as for the Academy's production of Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld.
Lucas currently studies on scholarship with Jon Thorne. He has previously learnt with Julian Quirit (student of Dorothy DeLay) and Simon Oswell (former principal violist of the Holywood Bowl Orchestra), and has played in masterclasses to Máté Szűcs, Frank Huang (NY Phil. concertmaster), Hartmut Rhode and more. At his alma mater, the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, he was a recipient of the Corinna D’Hage Mayer String Scholarship.
Outside of music, Lucas has diplomas in acting and French, and a Bachelor of Science.
