Welcome to the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music

Latest News

• Indigenous songwriting project brings Kimberley languages to life through music

  19 September 2025

  A new album of children’s songs, launched today as part of a project led by University of Melbourne musician and researcher Dr Gillian Howell, is bringing Kimberley languages to life through music while offering a playful and practical way to learn.

  • Melbourne Conservatorium of Music

  View article

• Hutchinson Indigenous Fellowship supports projects exploring truth-telling and celestial knowledge

  11 September 2025

  Themes of truth-telling, celestial knowledge and divinity will be explored as part of two new Indigenous theatre and circus projects supported by the 2025/26 Hutchinson Indigenous Fellowship.

  • Victorian College of the Arts

  View article

• Two profound but different ballet legacies: vale Colin Peasley and Garth Welch

  11 September 2025

  September has seen the passing of two of Australia’s ballet legends, Colin Peasley and Garth Welch. Their passing signals the end of an era—but not the end of their influence. An examination of their lives shows us how much has changed for men and ballet in Australia, writes Yvette Grant.

  • Victorian College of the Arts

  View article

• The Art of Us: Celebrating disability art in all its forms

  10 September 2025

  A recent concert and multimedia exhibition The Art of Us celebrated the talents of artists and musicians living with disability from the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music.

  • Melbourne Conservatorium of Music

  View article

• Destiny is a fierce new stage show exploring love, loss and rebellion under the shadow of apartheid South Africa

  28 August 2025

  Award-winning playwright and actor Kristy Marillier’s new work, Destiny, is an ensemble drama set in 1976 South Africa, against a backdrop of rising resistance to the apartheid regime.

  • Victorian College of the Arts

  View article

• Bumper crop of VCA alumni films screening at Australia’s premiere film festival

  19 August 2025

  An abundance of alumni talent from the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music is currently on display in cinemas across Melbourne and the state at this year’s Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF).

  • Victorian College of the Arts

  View article

• Faculty of Fine Arts and Music joins Epic Games’ Unreal Academic Partner Program

  12 August 2025

  The Faculty of Fine Arts and Music has recently joined Epic Games’ Unreal Engine Academic Partner Program to enhance teaching and learning in the emerging field of real-time 3D graphics, animation, and virtual production.

  • Film and Television

  View article

• Students from University of Melbourne Wind Symphony showcase talent in interstate tour

  08 August 2025

  The University of Melbourne Wind Symphony will perform an interstate tour this month with its first-ever visits to Brisbane and Sydney.

  • Melbourne Conservatorium of Music

  View article

• Navigate MIFF without losing your mind – or missing a masterpiece

  06 August 2025

  The Melbourne International Film Festival program can be overwhelming, so here’s a few tips to help you find your way through Australia’s premier film fortnight.

  • Victorian College of the Arts

  View article

• New exhibition Ritual Eternal explores the outer limits of perception and knowledge

  31 July 2025

  Project8 Gallery will this week launch a new exhibition Ritual Eternal, bringing together artists whose practices engage with ways of knowing, perceiving and experiencing the world that sit outside prevalent language and knowledge systems.

  • Victorian College of the Arts

  View article

• Campus Canteen launches at Southbank

  23 July 2025

  After the successful launch of Campus Canteen at Parkville in February, the University of Melbourne is excited to open Campus Canteen at Southbank.

  • News

  View article

• I created a Vivaldi-inspired sound artwork for the Venice Biennale. The star of the show is an endangered bush-cricket

  17 July 2025

  It was late January when I got the call. I’m asked to bring my sound art to a collaborative ecology and design project, Song of the Cricket, for the Venice Biennale of Architecture. When such an invitation arrives, you have no choice but to jump in.

  • Melbourne Conservatorium of Music

  View article

• Pride is still a protest

  01 July 2025

  Pride month is more than a time of recognition. It’s a call to action, and reminds us that while visibility is empowering, it can come at a cost, writes Andrew Blogg from VCA Film and Television.

  • Victorian College of the Arts

  View article

• In conversation with Bachelor of Design graduate and Broadway Tarot creator Ella Witchell

  19 June 2025

  Ella Witchell graduated in 2023 from the Bachelor of Design (Graphic Design & Performance Design). On the same week she graduated, she was offered a job at Broadsheet Media, where she has worked on two magazines for Domain Real Estate, and events for global companies like Netflix and Mastercard.

  • Design

  View article

• Faculty of Fine Arts and Music alumni receive 2025 King’s Birthday Honours

  13 June 2025

  The Faculty of Fine Arts and Music extends its congratulations to alumni recognised in the 2025 King’s Birthday Honours.

  • News

  View article

• VCA50 Creative Development Grants: Enabling artists to innovate and inspire

  10 June 2025

  A creative practice grants scheme for graduates of the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) has recently been significantly expanded to support 16 talented artists this year.

  • Victorian College of the Arts

  View article

• VCA graduate and John Truscott Prize winner Ishan Vivekanantham designs ‘The Lyrebird’s Voice’ for Victorian Opera

  29 May 2025

  Master of Design and Production graduate, Ishan Vivekanantham is the 2024-2025 winner of the John Truscott Prize. This prize is part of a new, five-year collaboration with the Victorian Opera and the University of Melbourne, supporting graduates of the Victorian College of the Arts.

  • Design

  View article

• Vivid, thrilling and ghastly: new theatrical adaptation of The Birds evokes climate disaster, terrorism and lockdown

  29 May 2025

  Malthouse’s new production of The Birds is a thrillingly realised take on the 1952 short story by Daphne Du Maurier. Adapted by Louise Fox and directed by Matthew Lutton, this vivid realisation is a chilling treatise on fear and resilience in the face of an external threat.

  • Theatre

  View article

• The one-two punch threatening to knock out the Australian film industry

  28 May 2025

  A 100 per cent tariff on films and a streaming market saturated with overseas content threatens not only Australia’s film industry, but also our unique film culture, writes Stephen Luby.

  • Film and Television

  View article

• Familiar songs may help maximise recovery in children with brain injuries

  19 May 2025

  A simple nursery rhyme can elicit brain responses that other stimuli cannot in children with severe brain injuries, a new study led by the University of Melbourne has found. The research provides hope for families and clinicians seeking non-invasive ways to reach children in states of reduced consci...

  • Music Therapy

  View article

• New exhibition Sounds of Clouds explores hidden worlds of clouds

  13 May 2025

  Project8 Gallery will this week launch the new exhibition Sounds of Clouds, a meditation on clouds and the limits of interpretation.

  • Visual Art

  View article

• Exhibit combines sound art and ecology at Venice Biennale

  07 May 2025

  University of Melbourne researchers will unveil the ‘Song of the Cricket’ at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, opening in Venice Saturday 10 May. The exhibit blends ecological conservation and interactive sound art in the heart of the Venice lagoon...

  • Composition

  View article

• The subtle theatre of Australia’s election season

  28 April 2025

  Australian politics tends to shy away from grand spectacle, but Albanese and Dutton both need to reassure a restless public that, amid global chaos, Australia remains anchored in pragmatism.

  • Victorian College of the Arts

  View article

• Floribunda: Capturing an entire world through flowers

  15 April 2025

  “In joy or sadness, flowers are our constant friends,” wrote the Japanese scholar and critic Okakura Kakuzō.Associate Professor David Sequeira from the Victorian College of the Arts — who has curated the new exhibition Floribunda, exploring the enduring connection between humans an...

  • Visual Art

  View article

• Left Write Hook now streaming on Netflix

  11 April 2025

  Award-winning feature documentary Left Write Hook, directed by Dr Shannon Owen, is now streaming on Netflix Australia.

  • Film and Television

  View article

• By filming in a single shot, Adolescence is choreographed with the precision of live theatre

  09 April 2025

  Each one-hour episode of Netflix’s Adolescence is realised in a single, unbroken take. No edits. No resets.

  • Film and Television

  View article

• Apple Cider Vinegar is part of a trend of ‘true-ish’ TV shows

  03 April 2025

  Hit shows like Apple Cider Vinegar and Baby Reindeer may be pulling in big audiences, but for the creative teams behind them, they come with a risk.

  • Victorian College of the Arts

  View article

• One-night-only exhibition Next to Nothing explores the limits of performance

  19 March 2025

  Project8 Gallery will this week host a special one-off exhibition exploring the nature of performance and its central role in the generation and presentation of the creative arts.

  • Victorian College of the Arts

  View article

• New play The Robot Dog reminds us there are some knowledges we hold that AI will never have

  12 March 2025

  Set in 2042, new play The Robot Dog revolves around Janelle (Kristie Nguy), of Cantonese heritage, and her partner Harry (Ari Maza Long), a First Nations man.

  • News

  View article

• Melbourne Conservatorium of Music appoints Sophie Rowell as Associate Professor in Violin

  05 March 2025

  The Melbourne Conservatorium of Music is thrilled to announce Sophie Rowell’s appointment as Associate Professor in Violin.

  • Melbourne Conservatorium of Music

  View article

• Why does music make us feel things?

  27 February 2025

  Imagine a scene from the movie Jaws, with the great white shark closing in on another helpless victim. The iconic semi-tone pattern builds and your heartbeat rises with it; the suspense pulls you further to the edge of your seat.Now picture that scene without the score. Much of the tension evaporate...

  • Melbourne Conservatorium of Music

  View article

• Renowned violinist Wilma Smith receives 2025 Sir Bernard Heinze Memorial Award

  19 February 2025

  Distinguished violinist Wilma Smith has been announced as the recipient of the 2025 Sir Bernard Heinze Memorial Award.

  • Melbourne Conservatorium of Music

  View article