Joshua Batty & Chroma String Quartet
Biography Joshua Batty & Chroma String Quartet
Joshua Batty
is an internationally renowned flautist who joined the Sydney Symphony Orchestra as Principal Flute in 2019 at the age of 27, following two years in the same role with Ireland’s RTÉ Concert Orchestra. He studied with Michael Cox on a full scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music in London, supported by Sir Elton John, and also trained at HEMGE in Switzerland with Jacques Zoon. During his education, he served as Principal Flute of both the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain and the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, and after his studies, he was awarded an Associateship of the Royal Academy of Music.
His early successes included prizes and competition appearances at the Royal Academy of Music, the British Flute Society, the Maxence Larrieu International Flute Competition, the Royal Overseas League, and the LSO Academy (formerly the Shell Competition).
Over the past decade, Joshua has appeared as guest Principal Flute with more than 30 leading orchestras worldwide, and as a soloist with conductors including John Wilson, Johannes Fritzsch, and Simone Young. His solo career has taken him to major venues such as Buckingham Palace, the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Town Hall, the National Concert Hall in Dublin, and Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, whilst collaborations have spanned Europe, the USA, South America, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.
Joshua is deeply committed to expanding and redefining the flute’s repertoire and artistic identity. His debut album, Perfect Imperfections (to be released in 2027 with Orchid Classics label), gathers a constellation of Australian, British, and American voices. Commissions range from Lowell Liebermann, William Barton, Aristea Mellos, and Harry Sdraulig, alongside performers Sir Stephen Hough, Konstantin Shamray, Chroma Quartet, some of which will be launched with a broadcast recital from UKARIA in July 2026. Alongside the album, Joshua has embarked on two major new concerto projects with Harry Sdraulig and Nigel Westlake, further broadening the concerto and chamber repertoire for the flute.
Passionate about education and advocacy, Joshua began teaching at 23 as a flute tutor at the RNCM and the University of Melbourne. He has recently established a national flute course model touring every state of Australia, focusing on resonance fundamentals, holistic career development, masterclasses, and the business of music. Since relocating to Australia in 2019, he has also curated a series of charity concerts, raising over $50,000 for causes including the Bushfire Appeal, the Ukraine War, Support Act for pandemic-affected artists, and WIRES animal welfare.
Having recently stepped away from his orchestral chair to focus on his solo career, the last 18 months has already seen Joshua perform and give masterclasses across France, Germany, Singapore, South Korea, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Australia, USA, UK, Estonia, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway — with an exciting future of new recital, concerto, and masterclass projects soon to be announced.
Joshua Batty is an Altus Artist currently playing on a PSII model and is represented worldwide by Emblem Artists, Australia.
The Chroma Quartet
was formed in Sydney in mid-2020, when Australia had just come out of several months of lock down due to Covid-19. We were searching for ways to create music in such a desolate time for our profession, and the idea of forming a string quartet came quite naturally. Each of us had worked together in various musical settings for years and more importantly, we knew we enjoyed each other’s company!
We love creating an inclusive environment at our concerts and are passionate about sharing both old and new works for string quartet. We feel at home performing in a range of venues, anywhere from a concert hall or traditional salon-style setting to the local bar or pub.
