Music for Canberra (MfC) provides a variety of community music programs that provide enrichment and educational opportunities that enhance life skills, while supporting mental health & wellbeing and strengthening engagement and belonging in the ACT and surrounding areas.
MfC has a rich history dating back to the formation of a number of community music groups in the ACT during the 1960s, including the Canberra Youth Orchestra and the Canberra Childrens’ Choir. MfC offers programs for people of all abilities, including group instrumental tuition, choirs for children and senior citizens, an orchestral program and music classes for people living with a disability.
We are international leaders in the presentation and fearless exploration of music on period instruments with a focus on Baroque and early music. Our experiences are excellent, passionate, uniquely Australian, and are presented in enlivening and unexpected ways. For over 35 years, we have been inspiring, uplifting and been inclusive of Australian communities and international audiences.
Our work extends across six mainstage seasons annually in Sydney and Melbourne, and one in Brisbane, as well as regional tours throughout New South Wales and Victoria. Through our performances, events, collaborations, and digital platform, we engage over 51,000 audiences each year and provide more than 200 performance and employment opportunities for specialist musicians across the country.
We are also deeply committed to fostering the next generation of musicians. Our mentoring, outreach activities, and workshops provide high school and tertiary-aged students with direct engagement opportunities to learn from world-class Baroque and early music specialists, both local and international. Through our Mentorship program, promising young artists receive vital paid performance opportunities, personalised lessons from Brandenburg core musicians, instrument hire, and the chance to participate in new productions, helping them build sustainable careers on both the national and international stage.
In addition to supporting young talent, we actively commission new Australian works to amplify local voices and contribute to the richness of our cultural landscape.
By supporting the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, you are helping us continue to inspire, educate, and elevate the Australian and global music community through live Baroque and early music performance.
Mission Statement:
Our mission is to assist underprivileged individuals in accessing education and art services, to close the gap on learners missing out on extra assistance, and to open opportunities for inclusive education and art activities for all individuals.
Goals and Objectives:
– To provide financial assistance, resources, and support to underprivileged individuals to access education and art services.
– To bridge the gap for learners who may be missing out on extra assistance by providing tailored educational support programs, mentoring, and tutoring services.
– To promote inclusive education and art activities by advocating for accessibility, diversity, and equity in educational and artistic environments.
– To collaborate with schools, community organizations, and government agencies to develop and implement programs that address the needs of underprivileged individuals and promote educational and artistic opportunities for all.
Ensemble Offspring is Australia’s leading new music group, standing at the forefront of musical innovation. Led by internationally acclaimed percussionist Claire Edwardes OAM, the ensemble unites the country’s most fearless and virtuosic instrumentalists. Together, they create “visceral, joyous music” (Sydney Morning Herald) through kaleidoscopically varied performances that blaze a trail for Australian music.
At the heart of Ensemble Offspring’s mission is an unwavering commitment to the creation and dissemination of living new music. Since forming in 1995, they have commissioned and premiered over 350 new works, solidifying their position as the foremost champions of contemporary music in Australia. In particular, they actively promote underrepresented voices including female-identifying, First Nations, and emerging artists. This dedication has earned the ensemble the 2022 Classical:NEXT Innovation Award, the 2019 Sidney Myer Performing Arts Group Award, multiple APRA Art Music Awards and two ARIA Award nominations.
Ensemble Offspring’s annual development programs are an essential pillar of Australia’s musical ecosystem. Hatched Academy is an incubator for emerging Australian artists which nurtures the next generation of cultural leaders through a composer intensive, individual mentorships, and an associate artist position; the Noisy Women Commission amplifies the voice of an exceptional female-identifying or non-binary composer; and the First Nations Composer in Residence and Ngarra-Burria: First Peoples Composers programs elevate the music of Indigenous artists, foregrounding their rich cultural perspectives.
By boldly subverting classical traditions, Ensemble Offspring deliver concerts that “burst with imagination, energy and inspiration” (Seesaw Magazine). Through their pioneering spirit, pursuit of excellence and relentless commitment to equality,
Supporting education, health, the environment and the arts. Contact us to enquire about supporting this fund.
General charitable purposes.