Ethnomusicology
Explore how people around the world use music and sound to shape their lives.
Ethnomusicology at the Conservatorium
Our students examine how culture shapes music—and how music shapes culture. By studying the practices, values and ideas related to music making in a particular culture, we seek to make broader claims about social life in the modern world.
Our program is defined by its methods, which include ethnographic fieldwork, interviewing, and participant observation, as well as its questions, which draw from approaches in anthropology, media studies and other related disciplines. Our program is closely allied with Musicology and popular music studies.
Study Ethnomusicology
We will provide you with multiple pathways into learning about traditional, popular, and art musics from around the world. Undergraduate Bachelor of Music students can apply to major in ethnomusicology, taking a guided program of specialised study. Graduate student study options include the Graduate Diploma (by coursework) and research higher degrees (MMus and PhD).
Undergraduate students from other areas of the University can learn about non-Western traditions and popular music styles through related breadth study subjects such as Musics of the World, Global Pop, and Area Studies in Ethnomusicology.
World music performance ensembles
We support a diverse world music performance program featuring five non-Western ensembles. As a student, you will have the opportunity to acquire practical skills in a range of traditions, including the Chinese silk-and-bamboo ensemble, the Central Javanese gamelan, West African drumming, Japanese shakuhachi, and world choral styles.
Ethnomusicology courses
Undergraduate
Visit the University of Melbourne course site to find out more on undergraduate courses
Graduate
Visit the University of Melbourne course site to find out more on graduate courses
The most enjoyable part of my study is learning about cultural diversity through the wide array of music found around the world. Everything from Japanese rap to Brazilian samba to Hindustani classical music — it is incredibly compelling
James McKinnonBachelor of Music, specialisation in Ethnomusicology
Our people
Want to know more?
Get information on the courses you’re interested in, or ask our team a question.
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Conservatorium Events
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The University of Melbourne Symphony Orchestra: Stravinsky’s Petrushka
Sunday 23 August 2026 5:00pm - 6:30pmDrama, passion and spectacle take centre stage in the University of Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s third concert of 2026. The evening opens with Richard Strauss’s exhilarating Don Juan, an orchestral tour de force that sweeps audiences into the legendary hero’s...- Event
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Melba Hall 12: Horn Ensemble
Monday 24 August 2026 1:10pm - 2:00pmThe much-loved Melba Hall Lunch Hour Concert Series returns for Semester 2 2026. Each week will feature a different instrument or area, performed by undergraduate and postgraduate students of the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music and facilitated by academic staff. Join us for an intimate ...- Event
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Australian Wind Quintet perform Gounod, Klughardt and Coleman
Tuesday 25 August 2026 7:30pm - 8:40pmCelebrate an exciting moment in Melbourne’s musical community with the Australian Wind Quintet in a vibrant concert marking the commencement of new flute lecturer Catherine Gregory at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. The program features Gounod’s charming Petite Symphonie, performed alo...- Event
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Melbourne Conservatorium of Music Concert Band #3 2026
Wednesday 26 August 2026 7:00pm - 9:00pmThe Melbourne Conservatorium of Music Concert Band returns to the Kenneth Myer Auditorium for its third concert of the year with a program highlighting contemporary wind band music and Australian composers. The ensemble continues its consortium premiere project with Holly Harrison’s latest wo...- Event
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Melbourne Conservatorium of Music Concert Band #3 2026
Wednesday 26 August 2026 7:00pm - 9:00pmThe Melbourne Conservatorium of Music Concert Band returns to the Kenneth Myer Auditorium for its third concert of the year with a program highlighting contemporary wind band music and Australian composers. The ensemble continues its consortium premiere project with Holly Harrison’s latest wo...- Event
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Musical inquiry in a digital age
Thursday 27 August 2026 6:00pm - 7:30pmPlease join us for a Macgeorge Fellow lecture by Professor Richard Freedman (John C. Whitehead ’43 Professor of Humanities at Haverford College). This talk inaugurates a series of five workshops, culminating in a digital humanities study day. Musical Inquiry in a Digital Age What does the...- Event
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The bride revisited
Thursday 27 August 2026 7:00pm - 8:00pmJoin us for a semi-staged recital interweaving Robert Schumann’s Frauenliebe und Leben with Cheryl Frances-Hoad’s One Life Stand. Placing two women in dialogue across nearly two centuries, the performance reimagines a familiar song cycle through contemporary perspectives on love, memory, loss, re...- Event
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Melba Hall 13: Wind Symphony
Monday 31 August 2026 1:10pm - 2:00pmThe much-loved Melba Hall Lunch Hour Concert Series returns for Semester 2 2026. Each week will feature a different instrument or area, performed by undergraduate and postgraduate students of the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music and facilitated by academic staff. Join us for an intimate ...- Event
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Jazz & Improvisation staff and students in concert #2 2026
Tuesday 1 September 2026 7:30pm - 8:30pmThe Jazz & Improvisation department celebrate the rich diversity and brilliance of the Australian jazz and improvised music community in this concert, featuring many of their staff and students performing a wide range of repertoire side by side. This recital is presented as part of the Ha...- Event
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Southbank Series: In Full Flight
Saturday 5 September 2026 7:30pm - 9:00pmThe second concert in the Southbank Series draws together four composers across three centuries, each with a distinct voice. Program Igor Stravinsky Danses Concertantes Carl Nielsen Flute ConcertoLisa-Maree Amos, Section Principal Flute Paul Stanhope ApolloLudwig van Beethoven Sympho...- Event
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Melba Hall 14: String Ensemble
Monday 7 September 2026 1:10pm - 2:00pmThe much-loved Melba Hall Lunch Hour Concert Series returns for Semester 2 2026. Each week will feature a different instrument or area, performed by undergraduate and postgraduate students of the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music and facilitated by academic staff. Join us for an intimate ...- Event
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Lyrebird Brass: the timeless and the new
Tuesday 8 September 2026 7:30pm - 8:30pmJoin us for an extraordinary musical journey bridging centuries and styles. The program opens with elegant compositions by French Baroque master Jean-Philippe Rameau arranged here for brass quintet, followed by From Clans of Land and Sea by ANU Professor Chris Sainsbury, a prominent First Nat...- Event
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Get Up 2026
29 July 2026 - 9 September 2026Jazz and Improvisation students lead jam sessions. All music students welcome. Get Up Schedule 29 July 2026, 7PM - Lionel Lounge 19 August 2026, 7PM - Lionel’s Lounge 9 September 2026, 7PM - Lionel’s Lounge Venue This jam session takes place in Lionel’s Lounge. Please ente...- Event
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Melba Hall 15: Brass Chamber Music
Monday 14 September 2026 1:10pm - 2:00pmThe much-loved Melba Hall Lunch Hour Concert Series returns for Semester 2 2026. Each week will feature a different instrument or area, performed by undergraduate and postgraduate students of the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music and facilitated by academic staff. Join us for an intimate ...- Event
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Echoes of song
Tuesday 15 September 2026 7:30pm - 9:00pmThis recital explores the cello as a singer without words. From Chopin’s deeply lyrical Etude op. 25 no. 7, originally written for piano, to Schubert’s beloved Arpeggione Sonata, a work renowned for its beautiful song-like qualities, this program highlights the instrument’s unique ability to embo...- Event
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Melba Hall 16: Cello Ensemble
Monday 21 September 2026 1:10pm - 2:00pmThe much-loved Melba Hall Lunch Hour Concert Series returns for Semester 2 2026. Each week will feature a different instrument or area, performed by undergraduate and postgraduate students of the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music and facilitated by academic staff. Join us for an intimate ...- Event
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Bach and Shostakovich
Tuesday 22 September 2026 7:30pm - 9:00pmContrast and transformation: Bach’s Goldberg Variations unfold in a new form, with variations shared between the solo piano original and Dmitry Sitkovetsky’s string trio transcription. This interplay of textures reveals unexpected colours in one of music’s most iconic works. Completing the progra...- Event
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Tablature: Europe, 1300-1750
Wednesday 23 September 2026 6:00pm - 7:30pmPlease join us to launch the new book, Tablature: Europe, 1300–1750, co-edited by University of Melbourne Professorial Fellow John Griffiths, as well as David Dolata and Philippe Vendrix. The book will be launched by Macgeorge Visiting Fellow Professor Richard Freedman (Haverford College). Ta...- Event
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A plaine and easie introduction to digital music scholarship in five simple sessions
27 August 2026 - 24 September 2026Please join us for a series of Thursday afternoon workshops with Macgeorge Fellow Richard Freedman (John C. Whitehead ’43 Professor of Humanities at Haverford College). These hands-on workshops are designed for anyone interested in learning more about digital approaches to the study of music....- Event
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A plaine and easie introduction to digital music scholarship in five simple sessions
27 August 2026 - 24 September 2026Please join us for a series of Thursday afternoon workshops with Macgeorge Fellow Richard Freedman (John C. Whitehead ’43 Professor of Humanities at Haverford College). These hands-on workshops are designed for anyone interested in learning more about digital approaches to the study of music....- Event
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A plaine and easie introduction to digital music scholarship in five simple sessions
27 August 2026 - 24 September 2026Please join us for a series of Thursday afternoon workshops with Macgeorge Fellow Richard Freedman (John C. Whitehead ’43 Professor of Humanities at Haverford College). These hands-on workshops are designed for anyone interested in learning more about digital approaches to the study of music....- Event
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A plaine and easie introduction to digital music scholarship in five simple sessions
27 August 2026 - 24 September 2026Please join us for a series of Thursday afternoon workshops with Macgeorge Fellow Richard Freedman (John C. Whitehead ’43 Professor of Humanities at Haverford College). These hands-on workshops are designed for anyone interested in learning more about digital approaches to the study of music....- Event
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A plaine and easie introduction to digital music scholarship in five simple sessions
27 August 2026 - 24 September 2026Please join us for a series of Thursday afternoon workshops with Macgeorge Fellow Richard Freedman (John C. Whitehead ’43 Professor of Humanities at Haverford College). These hands-on workshops are designed for anyone interested in learning more about digital approaches to the study of music....- Event
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A day of digital learning: perspectives from across disciplines
Thursday 1 October 2026 9:00am - 5:00pmThis colloquium brings together scholars, data-science specialists, librarians and archivists from across the Melbourne University community for a day-long series of conversations about the futures of digital scholarship in the humanities: from the scholar’s desktop, to the undergraduate classroo...- Event
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Melba Hall 17: Guitar Showcase
Monday 5 October 2026 1:10pm - 2:00pmThe much-loved Melba Hall Lunch Hour Concert Series returns for Semester 2 2026. Each week will feature a different instrument or area, performed by undergraduate and postgraduate students of the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music and facilitated by academic staff. Join us for an intimate ...- Event
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Masters & Apprentices: the music of Kris Davis
Tuesday 6 October 2026 7:30pm - 8:30pmThe Jazz & Improvisation department celebrate the music of Canadian jazz pianist and composer, Kris Davis. This special project large ensemble features J&I third-year and Honours students alongside their director Andrea Keller. Previous directors have included Melissa Aldana (Chile/US...- Event
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Melba Hall 18: Chamber Choir
Monday 12 October 2026 1:10pm - 2:00pmThe much-loved Melba Hall Lunch Hour Concert Series returns for Semester 2 2026. Each week will feature a different instrument or area, performed by undergraduate and postgraduate students of the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music and facilitated by academic staff. Join us for an intimate ...- Event
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Canticles, rivers and horns: a homage to Britten
Tuesday 13 October 2026 7:30pm - 8:30pmJoin tenor Michael Petruccelli, pianist Andrea Katz, and horn player Carla Blackwood as they mark the 50th anniversary of Benjamin Britten’s passing. This special program pairs Britten’s deeply expressive 20th-century masterpieces with the timeless lyricism of his favorite composer, Franz Sch...- Event
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Melba Hall 19: Chamber Competition Finals
Monday 19 October 2026 1:10pm - 2:00pmThe much-loved Melba Hall Lunch Hour Concert Series returns for Semester 2 2026. Each week will feature a different instrument or area, performed by undergraduate and postgraduate students of the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music and facilitated by academic staff. Join us for an intimate ...- Event
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Dedications
Tuesday 20 October 2026 7:30pm - 8:30pmThe Sutherland Trio (Caroline Almonte, Molly Kadarauch and Elizabeth Sellars) together with their friends Danielle and Luca Arcaro perform an all-Australian program of works connected to the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music community. Featuring two world premieres, ‘Songs for Manny’ by Ella Mace...- Event
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Keyboard Festival 2026: Dmitri Shostakovich’s Complete Preludes and Fugues Opus 87
31 October 2026 - 1 November 2026The Keyboard Area staff of the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music invites pianists and music lovers alike for a rare opportunity to hear the complete 24 Preludes and Fugues of Dmitri Shostakovich at the 2026 Keyboard Festival. Among the most distinguished pianists in Australia, these performan...- Event
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Keyboard Festival 2026: Dmitri Shostakovich’s Complete Preludes and Fugues Opus 87
31 October 2026 - 1 November 2026The Keyboard Area staff of the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music invites pianists and music lovers alike for a rare opportunity to hear the complete 24 Preludes and Fugues of Dmitri Shostakovich at the 2026 Keyboard Festival. Among the most distinguished pianists in Australia, these performan...- Event
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News
New intercultural music composition captures the fragility and wonder of unique Melbourne grasslands
14 May 2026
Ahead of its premiere at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, Kate Tempany discusses her latest work, ‘Grasslands Suite’, which blends ecolog...
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Composition
- Music Performance
New ‘ParaOrchestra’ for young musicians with disability seeks members for first cohort
21 April 2026
A new music performing ensemble for young people living with disability is currently seeking members for its inaugural cohort....
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Music Performance
- Partnerships
John Davis receives prestigious Sir Bernard Heinze Memorial Award
20 March 2026
John Davis has been named the recipient of the 2026 Sir Bernard Heinze Memorial Award, recognising his outstanding contributions to music in Australia....
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Prizes and Awards
Matt Laing named recipient of the Albert H Maggs Composition Award
30 January 2026
Composer and Melbourne Conservatorium of Music alumnus Matt Laing is the 2025 recipient of the Albert H Maggs Composition Award for his composition This Wa...
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Composition
- Prizes and Awards
Art and music therapies can be ‘life changing’ for people with disability
30 September 2025
From November, music and art therapists will be able to charge the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) the same as counsellors, after an independent review found they...
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Music Therapy
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 lang...
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Indigenous Arts and Culture
- Research
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
- Victorian College of the Arts
- Staff stories
Bumper crop of VCA alumni films screening at Australia’s premier 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 Internat...
- Victorian College of the Arts
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Film and Television
- Acting
- Interactive Composition
Students from University of Melbourne Wind Symphony showcase talent in interstate tour
8 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
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 Archite...
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Composition
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. T...
- Music Therapy
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Exhibit combines sound art and ecology at Venice Biennale
7 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 V...
- Composition
- Interactive Composition
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Melbourne Conservatorium of Music appoints Sophie Rowell as Associate Professor in Violin
5 March 2025
The Melbourne Conservatorium of Music is thrilled to announce Sophie Rowell’s appointment as Associate Professor in Violin....
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Music Performance
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; th...
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Music Therapy
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
- Prizes and Awards
University of Melbourne and Australian Chamber Orchestra launch life-changing music program for Victorian primary school students
11 February 2025
The University of Melbourne and the Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO) have launched an award-winning music and string instrument learning program, ACO Foundations, at Melbour...
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Partnerships
Dindin Jingyi Wang wins 2025 Dorcas McClean Travelling Scholarship
4 February 2025
Dindin Jingyi Wang has been awarded the 2025 Dorcas McClean Travelling Scholarship, Australia’s richest prize for young violinists....
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Prizes and Awards
University of Melbourne confers Honorary Doctorate on music education leader Professor André de Quadros
17 December 2024
The University of Melbourne has conferred an honorary doctorate on Professor André de Quadros, a childhood refugee and now senior international leader in music education, cond...
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Melbourne Conservatorium of Music students present two versions of the opera Hänsel und Gretel
29 November 2024
Two versions of Engelbert Humperdinck’s 1893 opera Hänsel und Gretel will be performed by Melbourne Conservatorium of Music students in December — one for children...
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Innovative music program for children with disabilities seeks new cohort for 2025
11 October 2024
A University of Melbourne research program run in conjunction with Melbourne Youth Orchestras (MYO), the Adaptive Music Bridging Program, is currently seeking a new...
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Ethnomusicology
University of Melbourne and Australian Chamber Orchestra partnership renewal spotlights the value of music and education at every level
24 September 2024
University of Melbourne students and staff, and Victorian primary school students, will be among the key beneficiaries of a seven-year extension to the University’s excl...
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Partnerships
Melbourne Conservatorium of Music appoints new Wind Symphony conductor
24 July 2024
The Melbourne Conservatorium of Music is delighted to announce Dr Jaclyn Hartenberger’s appointment as Associate Professor of Wind Conducting....
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Music Psychology student wins University’s Visualise Your Thesis competition
22 July 2024
Music Psychology PhD student Sabrina McKenzie has recently won the University of Melbourne’s Visualise Your Thesis competition....
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Music Psychology and Performance Science
- Research
Destination Opera: Opera Studies students and alumni take to stages around the world
1 July 2024
In 2024 current students and graduates of Opera Studies from the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music are being noticed, not only within the state, but internationally, writes Profe...
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Music Performance
Triennial competition opens to celebrate talented young violinists
26 April 2024
Australia’s finest young violinists will once again compete for a total prize pool of $55,000 in the country’s most generous violin scholarship, the University of...
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
'We are all artists' — Renowned human rights educator visits University of Melbourne
17 April 2024
Internationally renowned human rights speaker and educator Professor André de Quadros recently presented the public lecture ‘Freedom dreaming, storytelling, and rec...
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Musicologist Linda Barwick receives Sir Bernard Heinze Memorial Award
9 April 2024
Renowned Australian musicologist Emeritus Professor Linda Barwick has been announced as the recipient of the 2024 Sir Bernard Heinze Memorial Award....
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Melbourne Conservatorium of Music appoints two world-class pianists
5 March 2024
The Melbourne Conservatorium of Music is thrilled to announce two new appointments to its keyboard performance program, Andrea Lam and Konstantin Shamray. Both are widely rega...
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Bridging the gap: Creating a future in music for children with disabilities
12 December 2023
A University of Melbourne research program run in conjunction with Melbourne Youth Orchestras, the Adaptive Music Bridging Program, is proudly preparing the first co...
The Faculty of Fine Arts and Music is proud to present ‘The Magic Flute’
5 December 2023
This December sees students from the Master of Music (Opera Performance), Bachelor of Music (Voice), Master of Production Design (Stage), and the Melbourne Conservatorium of M...
- Victorian College of the Arts
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Anna Bao En Sing: Balancing Music and Medicine
27 November 2023
For the first time in more than five years, The University of Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (UMSO) has just completed an international tour of Singapore and Kuala Lumpur....
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Rhythms of discovery: Kate Tempany’s Great Barrier Reef Concerto
13 October 2023
Ahead of its premiere with the University of Melbourne Wind Symphony, Kate Tempany discusses her latest work, 'Great Barrier Reef Concerto'. An intricate blend of Guinean rhyt...
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Music Performance
From Melbourne to Asia with the University of Melbourne Symphony Orchestra: Meet pianist, Timothy Kan
13 September 2023
Hear from Timothy Kan, a Master of Music (Research) student, as he prepares to accompany the University of Melbourne Symphony Orchestra as soloist for piano in Ginastera'...
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Music Performance
David Arden on sharing his song lines and latest project ‘MEERTA’
10 August 2023
In the world of music, careers are often born from chance encounters. For Kokatha/Gunditjmara song man David Arden, it was a single album gifted to him in high school that hel...
- Wilin Centre For Indigenous Arts And Cultural Development
- Victorian College of the Arts
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
From Melbourne to Asia with the University of Melbourne Symphony Orchestra: Meet trombonist Joshua Dulfer
2 August 2023
Hear from Joshua Dulfer, a Bachelor of Music (Performance) student, as he speaks to his study experience and preparations for an upcoming international tour to Singapore and M...
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Music Performance
Opera student Amanda Hargreaves on performing with Victorian Opera and falling in love with classical music
6 July 2023
As a child, Amanda Hargreaves had big dreams. She wanted to become a pop star, then an actor, and later longed to grace the stage in musicals.Fast forward twenty years, and th...
- Music Performance
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Meet University of Melbourne’s Sabrina McKenzie
6 July 2023
Southbank Local News interviewed PhD candidate Sabrina McKenzie....
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Research
The Faculty of Fine Arts and Music celebrates the success of alumni and staff at the 40th Annual Green Room Awards
5 July 2023
The Faculty of Fine Arts and Music would like to extend our warmest congratulations to alumni and staff who were recognised at the 40th Annual Green Room Awards....
- Victorian College of the Arts
- Prizes and Awards
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Meet Melbourne Conservatorium of Music student Joshua Morton-Galea
15 June 2023
Southbank Local News interviewed Master of Music (Opera Performance) student Joshua Morton-Galea about his study experience and involvement in the Victorian Opera's upcoming p...
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
‘Australian Canvas’: Dr Nicholas Enrico Williams to deliver his final concert as Conductor of Wind Symphony at Melbourne Recital Centre
23 May 2023
Dr Nicholas Enrico Williams’ three-year term as Music Director and Conductor of the Wind Symphony at the Conservatorium has drawn to a close, and he has taken up a posit...
Miriama Young: Kinds of Blue
1 May 2023
Ahead of its premiere with the Canberra Symphony Orchestra, the composer Miriama Young discusses her new work, Kinds of Blue, outlining the inspiration that helped shape it....
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Music, animation, and dance students take over Fed Square’s digital façade on New Year’s Eve
20 December 2022
Students from the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music and the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) at the University of Melbourne will take over Fed Square on New Year's Eve with...
- Dance
- Interactive Composition
- Film and Television
- Victorian College of the Arts
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Piers Lane (AO) announced as recipient of 2022 Sir Bernard Heinze Memorial Award
1 November 2022
Acclaimed pianist, Piers Lane (AO), has been awarded the Sir Bernard Heinze Memorial Award at a concert with Joseph Calleja and Amelia Farrugia....
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
A powerful musical experience: University of Melbourne Orchestra to perform Mahler 2
25 August 2022
The University of Melbourne Symphony Orchestra will be returning soon to the Hamer Hall stage with Mahler’s mighty Second Symphony (The Resurrection), led by their Chief...
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Music Performance
Inside the musician: Stuart Greenbaum: Emerging from the darkness
15 August 2022
Professor in Composition at the Conservatorium, Stuart Greenbaum, has released 'A Trillion Miles of Darkness', a new album of soulful, evocative music featuring the clarinet....
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Staff stories
- Composition
New partnership brings students into the concert hall with the world’s leading musical talent
11 August 2022
A new exclusive partnership with the Australian World Orchestra (AWO) will enable University of Melbourne Conservatorium of Music students to have unparalleled access to a net...
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Partnerships
With My Self in That Moment, Chamber Made gives us a dystopian view of our lost soul in the digital age
2 August 2022
Senior Lecturer in Music at the Conservatorium, Miriama Young, reviews My Self in That Moment, a new hybrid performance by Chamber Made for The Conversation....
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Music Performance
- Research
Soprano Stacey Alleaume on nerves, wardrobe malfunctions and international success
27 July 2022
Soprano Stacey Alleaume is a superstar of Australian opera; a regular at the Sydney Opera House who has performed in some of the artform’s best-known roles. And she&rsqu...
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Alumni
- Music Performance
Diploma in Music and Bachelor of Science student Thien Pham wins $10,000 James Morrison Jazz Scholarship
27 July 2022
Diploma in Music student Thien Pham was announced the 33rd winner of the $10,000 James Morrison Jazz Scholarship for solo instrumentalists under 19 on 8 May. The announcement...
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Jazz and Improvisation
Congratulations to Leah Columbine, 2022 recipient of the MSO Snare Drum Award
7 July 2022
Leah Columbine is a third year Bachelor of Music (Performance) student and the 2022 recipient of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) Snare Drum Award....
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Becoming the Selfish Giant
3 June 2022
When understudy Nick Sheppard was called to play the lead in a recent Victorian Opera production, the opera performance student stepped into his biggest role yet....
- Music Performance
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Hannah Shin wins top prize at the Lev Vlassenko Piano Competition
1 March 2022
Melbourne Conservatorium of Music graduates, Hannah Shin (Bachelor of Music 2021) and Tian Tian Lan (Diploma of Music Studies 2020) were awarded first and second place at the...
- Alumni
- Music Performance
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Prizes and Awards
Compose Queer: Bringing queer stories into the mainstream of classical music
24 February 2022
Compose Queer is an initiative that empowers young queer composers and was conceived by vocal consort the Divisi Chamber Singers, a talented group of musicians who met and for...
- Alumni
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Leanne McGowan wins Dorcas McClean Travelling Scholarship
14 February 2022
Leanne McGowan has been awarded the Dorcas McClean Travelling Scholarship, Australia’s richest prize for young violinists....
- Music Performance
- Prizes and Awards
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Violinists compete for Dorcas McClean Scholarship, richest prize for violinists in Australia
8 February 2022
Regarded as Australia's most important prize for violinists aged 25 years and younger, the Dorcas McClean Travelling Scholarship competition is now underway for 2022....
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Music Performance
Students band together to bring the Skyrim theme to life
5 November 2021
Led by their Chief Conductor, Richard Davis, students from the University of Melbourne’s Symphony Orchestra have banded together to record and film the theme tune of Sky...
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Music Performance
Two Faculty violinists among Dorcas McClean award semi-finalists
6 October 2021
Seven semi-finalists and four jurors have been announced for the prestigious triennial Dorcas McClean Travelling Scholarship for young violinists....
- Alumni
- Giving
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Prizes and Awards
- Music Performance
Ablaze: Tiriki Onus resurfaces vital Indigenous history through a film about his grandfather
6 August 2021
Academic, advocate, singer and now filmmaker, Tiriki Onus discusses the film made by his grandfather William "Bill" Onus and the new documentary it inspired....
- Research
- Victorian College of the Arts
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Wilin Centre For Indigenous Arts And Cultural Development
Is our thinking about emotions wrong? Dr Frederic Kiernan, University of Melbourne
29 June 2021
Thinking about "doing" emotions, rather than just "feeling" them, offers a new perspective on the mechanisms of social change....
- Research
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
The art and science of teaching music online: Dr Carol Johnson at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
15 June 2021
Lockdown has accelerated the shift towards online music teaching, making Dr Carol Johnson’s expertise in the field, earned over nearly 20 years, more sought-after than e...
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Research
- Performance Teaching
Bells Make Me Sing: re-recording a Brian Brown classic to celebrate 40 years of Jazz and Improvisation
31 May 2021
In April this year, 13 students and staff from the Jazz and Improvisation course at the University of Melbourne came together to perform a new version of a very special track....
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Jazz and Improvisation
Meet Nicholas Williams, Associate Director of Performance – Ensemble Studies at the Melbourne Conservatorium
20 May 2021
Dr Nicholas Enrico Williams is an Associate Professor of Music, Music Director and Conductor of the Wind Symphony and Concert Band at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, Un...
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Meet Monica Lim, Master of Music (Research) in Interactive Composition student
22 April 2021
Monica Lim’s practice investigates the composition of sound through movement. Her electromagnetic piano, created in collaboration with composer and lecturer David Shea f...
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Interactive Composition
Bridging ethnic divides at the Mitrovica Rock School: an interview with Dr Gillian Howell
10 March 2021
Dr Gillian Howell's research investigates the contributions of music and participatory arts to post-war peace, reconciliation, cultural development and community cohesion. Her...
- Research
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Hiraeth: a new solo guitar work to celebrate 100 years since Manuel de Falla's Homenaje a Debussy
8 March 2021
A century to the day since Spanish composer Manuel de Falla's iconic Homenaje a Debussy enjoyed its first major performance, Ken Murray performs a new companion piece com...
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Music Performance
- Research
Conservatorium trombone student wins prestigious Margaret Sutherland Bursary Competition
11 February 2021
Melbourne Conservatorium Bachelor of Music student Jessica Gillham has won the Margaret Sutherland Bursary competition 2020....
- Music Performance
- Prizes and Awards
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Gondwana Choirs founder Lyn Williams named 2021 Heinze Award recipient
8 February 2021
The creator and driving force behind the Gondwana Voices, Sydney Children’s Choir and Gondwana Indigenous Choir has been recognised for transforming the country’s...
- Prizes and Awards
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Resilience and connection through music – in person and online
28 January 2021
COVID-19 and its attendant lockdown restrictions occurred while Professor Jane Davidson's team was already developing a range of face-to-face elements for its intercultural mu...
- Research
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Professor Barry Conyngham – reflections of the outgoing Dean of Faculty of Fine Arts and Music
17 December 2020
When Barry Conyngham finishes up as Dean at the end of 2020, he will leave behind a faculty transformed in everything from its name to its trajectory. Here, in an edited inter...
- Victorian College of the Arts
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Melbourne Conservatorium of Music Lecturer Sunny Kim presents the 2020 Peggy Glanville-Hicks Address
14 December 2020
Lecturer in Jazz & Improvisation at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music Sunny Kim was invited to deliver the prestigious Peggy Glanville-Hicks Address earlier this month...
- Jazz and Improvisation
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Nigel Westlake wins University of Melbourne Albert H Maggs Award for Composition
23 November 2020
The University of Melbourne last week decided the 2020 winner of the Albert H Maggs Composition Award as Nigel Westlake for his piece, Sacred Sky....
- Composition
- Contemporary music
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Words Seemed Unnecessary: the VCA's David Sequeira and Isolation Improvisation Collective make artful music
17 November 2020
Patrick Telfer, founder of the Isolation Improvisation Collective, and visual artist and lecturer at the University of Melbourne David Sequeira release a new collaborative wor...
- Interactive Composition
- Visual Art
- Staff stories
- Victorian College of the Arts
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Frisson, a new short film from Alex Wu, will give you goosebumps
20 October 2020
Does listening to your favourite song give you goosebumps? Musical chills, or "frisson", are explored by VCA Film and Television alum Alex Wu in a new film entitled Frisson. C...
- Alumni
- Film and Television
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Victorian College of the Arts
New Dean appointed at the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music
6 October 2020
The University of Melbourne has appointed Professor Marie Sierra as the new Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music, home of the Victorian College of the Arts and Melb...
- Victorian College of the Arts
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Guitar Perspectives 2020 – some student works to savour, right here
16 September 2020
The Guitar Perspectives Online Celebration 2020, held late last month, featured 42 videos showcasing the breadth and diversity of the Melbourne Conservatorium's renowned...
- Music Performance
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Dr Richard Letts receives the 2020 Sir Bernard Heinze Memorial Award
9 September 2020
Australian musician, author and advocate Dr Richard Letts AM has been awarded the 2020 Sir Bernard Heinze Memorial Award....
- Prizes and Awards
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
From Southbank to West Side Story: The Maverick Brass Quintet perform Bernstein
25 August 2020
The Maverick Brass Quintet is a group of musicians based all around the world that meets seasonally to take on creative projects such as summer festivals and international com...
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Music Performance
- Alumni
Guitar Perspectives 2020: music made in isolation by Melbourne Conservatorium staff, students and special guests
24 August 2020
Yes, we would have preferred to be celebrating together in person but the Guitar Perspectives 2020 Online Celebration still provides as much excitement, passion and inspiratio...
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Meet Jordine Cornish, Master of Creative Arts Therapy student at the University of Melbourne
12 August 2020
Jordine Cornish has lived, worked and danced across Israel and Europe. Now her feet have landed back in Melbourne, where she is strengthening her creative career with a Master...
- Creative Arts Therapy
- Dance
- Victorian College of the Arts
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Meet Samantha Hargreaves, Master of Music (Opera Performance) student
30 July 2020
Samantha Hargreaves entered the Master of Music (Opera Performance) with her singing voice quavering, but now has many production credits to her name. Meet Samantha and learn...
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Music Performance
The William Tell Overture – performed by the University of Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and VCA dancers, at home
28 July 2020
Apples were the order of the day for University of Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and a select number of Bachelor of Fine Arts (Dance) students. After the great success of the...
- Music Performance
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Dance
- Victorian College of the Arts
Welcome to Interactive Composition Open House
20 July 2020
The Melbourne Conservatorium's Interactive Composition students are well positioned to innovate in times of trouble. Indeed, in their recent Open House streaming concert, stud...
- Interactive Composition
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Finding voice – Katy Abbott on composing Hidden Thoughts II: Return to Sender
20 July 2020
Celebrated Melbourne Conservatorium composer Katy Abbott discusses her latest work, incorporating letters sent by members of the Australian public to detained asylum seekers o...
- Research
- Composition
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Ronald Farren-Price, a legend of Australian music, turns 90
2 July 2020
Friends, family and colleagues of distinguished Australian concert pianist and music educator Ronald Farren-Price AM gathered for a small online ceremony today to mark his 90t...
- Music Performance
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Mongrel 2020: music theatre, cabaret, and live performance to watch online
1 July 2020
What happens when Music Theatre students and Interactive Composition students from the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music bring together their creative talents in the lockdown era...
- Interactive Composition
- Music Theatre
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Victorian College of the Arts
Meet Danna Yun, Composition alum at the University of Melbourne
24 June 2020
Multi-instrumentalist Danna Yun talks composition, collaboration, video-game music and life goals....
- Alumni
- Composition
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Meet Jade Nye, Jazz and Improvisation student at the University of Melbourne
24 June 2020
Jade Nye auditioned at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music for voice studies, so she certainly wasn't expecting to graduate on the saxophone. And yet .....
- Jazz and Improvisation
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
How to play a simple blues guitar solo
19 May 2020
In the latest in our How To series – shot from home while the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music operates virtually due to COVID-19 restrictions – Head of Guitar Dr Ke...
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Music Performance
104 Concert Halls: Ravel's Boléro (from home) by the University of Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
12 May 2020
Most arts and music disciplines rely on collaboration, but maybe none more so than orchestral performance. By its nature, an orchestra is a collective – the trick, more...
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Music Performance
Meet Dr Brad Merrick, Senior Lecturer in Music (Performance Teaching) at the Melbourne Conservatorium
5 March 2020
Dr Brad Merrick is a passionate educator and performer who has been involved in music and performance teaching for many years. What does his life look like since he joined the...
- Performance Teaching
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Staff stories
Four new faces at the Melbourne Conservatorium in 2020
23 December 2019
2020 promises to be an exciting year at the Melbourne Conservatorium, with milestone anniversaries, an incredible array of public performances, and teaching, research and musi...
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Musicology
- Staff stories
- Jazz and Improvisation
- Music Performance
Dr Kim Dunphy, Dance Movement Therapist: ‘It’s our moral obligation to make a contribution’
4 December 2019
Digital archives of sung poems might seem a long way away from dance movement therapy, but for Dunphy it’s all part of a broader engagement with art, culture and communi...
- Creative Arts Therapy
- Victorian College of the Arts
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Research
A chance for teachers to upskill and make music accessible to students with disabilities
3 December 2019
A new course at the University of Melbourne will help equip music teachers with the skills to work with students with special needs and ensure they have equal access...
- Music Therapy
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Short courses
Conversations on Country: experiencing Indigenous cultural and creative practices with the Wilin Centre
26 November 2019
Each year, the Wilin Centre for Indigenous Arts and Cultural Development takes University of Melbourne students out on Country. Mireille Stahle joined the team in Yorta Yorta...
- Wilin Centre For Indigenous Arts And Cultural Development
- Victorian College of the Arts
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Operation opera: the secret of success at the Melbourne Conservatorium’s Voice department
15 November 2019
What do Georgia Wilkinson, winner of the 2019 Herald Sun Aria competition, and Chloe Harris, who won this year’s prestigious Richard Divall Prize, have in common? Well,...
- Music Performance
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Homeside: music therapy for people living with dementia goes global
31 October 2019
Homeside is training family carers worldwide to use music interventions to manage behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia....
- Music Therapy
- Research
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
The need for truthing in language rematriation
29 October 2019
In this edited extract of her recent 2019 Lin Onus Oration at the University of Melbourne's Faculty of Fine Arts and Music, Dr Lou Bennet makes a compelling case for the impor...
- Wilin Centre For Indigenous Arts And Cultural Development
- Victorian College of the Arts
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Dr Katy Abbott wins for Hidden Thoughts at the 2019 Paul Lowin Prizes
28 October 2019
Dr Katy Abbott, Senior Lecturer in Music (Composition) at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, has been announced as one of the winners of the 2019 Paul Lowin Prizes in a ce...
- Composition
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Meet Krishan Meepe, Ethnomusicology student at the University of Melbourne
14 October 2019
Melbourne Conservatorium of Music student Krishan Meepe says Ethnomusicology has given him the tools to unpack some of the complex intersections of music, and politics....
- Ethnomusicology
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Meet Tilly Webb, Interactive Composition student at the University of Melbourne
3 October 2019
Now in her third year, musician Tilly Webb explains why she chose to study Interactive Composition, and how she learned to trust her gut....
- Composition
- Interactive Composition
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Richard Tognetti: 'Creatives should be able to test the waters and pour in as much acid as they like'
13 September 2019
Richard Tognetti is Artistic Director and leader of the Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO). Here, the violinist, composer and conductor reflects on the University of Melbourne...
- Music Performance
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Master of Creative Arts Therapy: an Australian first at the University of Melbourne
6 September 2019
A new Master of Creative Arts Therapy course has been announced by the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music at the University of Melbourne....
- Creative Arts Therapy
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Victorian College of the Arts
Welcome to the new Director of the Melbourne Conservatorium
9 August 2019
The Faculty of Fine Arts and Music at the University of Melbourne welcomes a new Director to the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, Dr Richard Kurth....
- Arts Precinct
- International
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Yamandu Costa, virtuoso guitarist: ‘I believe in the beauty of people’
30 July 2019
Ahead of Yamandu Costa’s performance at the Melbourne Conservatorium in early August, guitarist and Faculty of Fine Arts and Music alumna Rose de La Montaña speaks to th...
- Music Performance
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Meet Ng Sze Min, Bachelor of Music (Interactive Composition) graduate from the Melbourne Conservatorium
25 July 2019
After completing a three-year diploma in music composition at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore, Ng Sze Min moved to Melbourne to study Interactive Compositio...
- Interactive Composition
- Contemporary music
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Sally Smart: “First Commissions takes our artists to the world”
24 July 2019
Ahead of the First Commissions exhibition in Melbourne on 27 and 28 July, multidisciplinary artist – and Vice-Chancellors Professorial Fellow of the University of M...
- International
- Visual Art
- Victorian College of the Arts
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Elijah Wald: how the guitar shaped – and didn’t shape – the world
16 July 2019
Elijah Wald is a musician, writer and historian who has been playing guitar for more than 50 years. Ahead of his keynote address at the Melbourne Conservatorium of M...
- Music Performance
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
The origins of musical expertise: beyond born versus made
16 July 2019
The International Symposium on Performance Science (ISPS) is a biennial meeting of performers and scientists that provides a platform to discuss all facets of performance and...
- Music Performance
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Research
Southbank Campus to open for Open House Melbourne
16 July 2019
Open House Melbourne visitors can be among the first to see the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music’s new world-class spaces at Southbank on 27 and 28 July, as part of a broa...
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Victorian College of the Arts
- Visual Art
- Music Performance
- Arts Precinct
Bill Henson: ‘There is no formula for how creativity unfolds’
10 July 2019
Bill Henson is one of Australia’s best-known contemporary photographers – but it was not always thus. As the First Commissions art project launches ahead of an exh...
- International
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Victorian College of the Arts
- Alumni
Brazilian guitarist Yamandu Costa in six videos
10 July 2019
His talents and virtuosity are recognised and celebrated worldwide. Ahead of Brazilian guitarist Yamandu Costa’s performance at the Melbourne Conservatorium next month,...
- Music Performance
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
First Commissions art project launches in Florence
4 July 2019
A major Australian arts project presented by the University of Melbourne has been launched at the feet of Michelangelo’s David, the world’s most famous statem...
- International
- Alumni
- Victorian College of the Arts
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
The International Symposium on Performance Science, Melbourne – what you need to know
1 July 2019
The International Symposium on Performance Science (ISPS) is a biennial meeting of performers and scientists that provides a platform to discuss all facets of performance and...
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Research
- Music Performance
Deborah Cheetham AO wins the Sir Bernard Heinze Award
7 June 2019
Acclaimed Yorta Yorta soprano, composer and Artistic Director of Short Black Opera, Deborah Cheetham AO, has been awarded the 2019 Sir Bernard Heinze Memorial Award....
- Music Performance
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Photo gallery: Ian Potter Southbank Centre launch
4 June 2019
More than 250 student and staff musicians helped bring The Ian Potter Southbank Centre to life for the official launch on 1 June 2019, with a program featuring orchestral work...
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Music Performance
Australian Chamber Orchestra partners with University of Melbourne
3 June 2019
Students and staff at the University of Melbourne will have unparalleled access to education and research opportunities with a $1 million partnership with the Australian Chamb...
- Music Performance
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Alumni stories: Eugene Ughetti
28 May 2019
The percussionist, composer, conductor and artistic director of Speak Percussion is known for tackling complex and ambitious art music projects. Here, he discusses his time at...
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Alumni
- Visual Art
- Music Performance
Albert Herring by the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music: review
8 May 2019
The University of Melbourne’s new Master of Music (Opera Performance) proved its mettle in this fully-staged operatic production of Britten’s classic opera. B...
- Music Performance
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Herbie Hancock comes to the University of Melbourne for International Jazz Day
15 April 2019
UNESCO’s 2019 International Jazz Day will be presented this month in partnership with the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. Head of Jazz and Improvisation Associate Pro...
- Jazz and Improvisation
- Music Performance
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Five questions for Dr Anthony Lyons, Interactive Composition lecturer, University of Melbourne
8 April 2019
Composer, performer and academic Dr Anthony Lyons has created an incredibly diverse range of music in his career, from orchestral works to EDM to multimedia installations. But...
- Interactive Composition
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Staff stories
The Ian Potter Southbank Centre opens for Melbourne Conservatorium students and staff
27 March 2019
More than 1,000 students and staff have moved into the new state-of-the-art Ian Potter Southbank Centre, home to the new Melbourne Conservatorium of Music....
- Arts Precinct
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Meet Hannes Lackmann, Master of Music (Performance Teaching) graduate, University of Melbourne
15 March 2019
Percussionist Hannes Lackmann was performing regularly on the Melbourne music scene after graduating – so what inspired this Jazz & Improvisation graduate to pursue...
- Alumni
- Performance Teaching
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Music Performance
What is Interactive Composition at the University of Melbourne?
14 January 2019
It defies easy definition, but those who have had anything to do with Interactive Composition at The Faculty of Fine Arts and Music know its value. It’s a course for inn...
- Interactive Composition
- Music Performance
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Tiriki Onus: five questions for the Acting Head of the Wilin Centre for Indigenous Arts and Cultural Development at the University of Melbourne
3 December 2018
The Faculty of Fine Arts and Music, percentage-wise, has the highest number of Indigenous students of any faculty at any university in Victoria, and now there are plans to ren...
- Wilin Centre For Indigenous Arts And Cultural Development
- Victorian College of the Arts
- Arts Precinct
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Research
- Partnerships
Five questions for Dr Erin Helyard, Senior Lecturer (Historical Performance and Musicology), University of Melbourne
27 November 2018
As part of our ongoing Staff Stories, Dr Erin Helyard discusses conducting, his favourite writers and the trait he most deplores in others.As told to Kelly Southworth....
- Staff stories
- Early Music Studio
- Musicology
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Explainer: what is artistic research?
20 November 2018
The role of artistic researchers is not to describe their work – it’s something else entirely.By Professor Barb Bolt, Faculty of Fine Arts and Music....
- Research
- Victorian College of the Arts
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Meet Chloe Uhrmacher, Diploma in Music student, University of Melbourne
19 November 2018
French horn player Chloe Uhrmacher is in the final year of a Bachelor of Science at the University of Melbourne with a concurrent Diploma in Music at the Melbourne Conser...
- Music Performance
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Sneak preview of the new Ian Potter Southbank Centre in the Melbourne Arts Precinct
15 October 2018
Victoria’s Minister for Creative Industries Martin Foley was welcomed to The Ian Potter Southbank Centre today, with a performance by Conservatorium brass students Hanna...
- Arts Precinct
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Music Performance
- Contemporary music
101 Sensations: on tour with the University of Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in Asia
12 October 2018
Between 23 September and 29 September 2018, the University of Melbourne Symphony Orchestra performed in Singapore and Shanghai, the first time it had ever travelled overseas....
- Music Performance
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Showcase
- International
A tour of Melbourne’s Arts Precinct and the people who make it
21 September 2018
The reimagining of Melbourne’s Southbank is a source of disruption, possibility and hope for the people and organisations of the Arts Precinct. By Susanna Ling...
- Arts Precinct
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Partnerships
- Victorian College of the Arts
- Wilin Centre For Indigenous Arts And Cultural Development
Tillman Jex: life as an Interactive Composition grad in Berlin
19 September 2018
Berlin was always part of the plan for Tillman Jex – and he knows how to make it work for him.By Paul Dalgarno...
- Interactive Composition
- Alumni
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Alice Humphries: turning the Tide with the University of Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
14 September 2018
More than 100 young musicians will embark on their first international tour when the University of Melbourne Symphony Orchestra travels to Singapore and Shanghai later this mo...
- Music Performance
- Composition
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Alumni
Judy Bailey OAM honoured with the Sir Bernard Heinze Memorial Award
3 September 2018
Prominent jazz pianist and teacher Judy Bailey has been awarded the 2018 Sir Bernard Heinze Memorial Award.by Susanna Ling...
- Music Performance
- Prizes and Awards
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Music Therapy: from Melbourne to Würzburg
29 August 2018
The University of Melbourne’s Music Therapy team has a strong connection with the German city of Würzburg – and it’s only going to get stronger.By...
- Music Therapy
- International
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Research
Meet Anneliese Gill, PhD candidate in Music Psychology and Performance Science
16 August 2018
Third-year PhD candidate at the Melbourne Conservatorium Annaliese Gill would like to create a resource to help music students and their teachers develop complementary psychol...
- Music Psychology and Performance Science
- Research
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Martyn Myer: ‘A world-class cultural capital needs a world-class arts training faculty’
6 August 2018
Philanthropists come in all shapes and sizes, but for Martyn Myer there’s only one approach: roll up your sleeves and don’t take no for an answer. By Paul Dal...
- Arts Precinct
- Giving
- Victorian College of the Arts
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Mimir Chamber Music Festival returns – with world-class mentoring
27 July 2018
The 2018 Mimir Chamber Music Festival will be held at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music in August and September. Founded by the Conservatorium’s ...
- Music Performance
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Showcase
Listen: How to turn musical “failure” into a rewarding career
20 July 2018
Susan de Weger is not your typical classical musician. The self-confessed “failed musician” now helps young musicians connect with modern audiences and compete wit...
- Music Performance
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Two-minute interview: Stephen Goss, composer and guitarist
19 July 2018
Ahead of his visit to the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music next week, world-renowned and acclaimed composer Stephen Goss speaks to Ken Murray about his composi...
- Composition
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Music Performance
Meet Andrew Bucknall, Master of Music Therapy student
18 July 2018
After working in hospitality, retail, and as an electrician, Andrew Bucknall finally heeded his calling to help others through music. Now a second-year Master of Music Therapy...
- Music Therapy
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Alumni
William Tell-all: behind the scenes of the epic Victorian Opera production
12 July 2018
Victorian Opera’s latest production is set to be bigger than Ben Hur. Ahead of opening night on 14 July, we caught up with former Melbourne Conservatorium of Music stude...
- Music Performance
- Production
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Alumni
Two-minute interview: Dr John Carpente, music therapist for children on the autism spectrum
2 July 2018
Dr John Carpente is a world expert in music therapy for children on the autism spectrum. In advance of his 9 July seminar on Musical Play to Support Children on the...
- Music Therapy
- Research
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Explainer: what are Lieder?
22 June 2018
World-renowned Lieder accompanist Dr Graham Johnson OBE explains the origins and delves into the poetic beauty of this enduring musical form.By Graham Johnson OBELieder accomp...
- Music Performance
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Five questions for Andrea Keller, Lecturer in Music (Jazz and Improvisation – Piano)
18 June 2018
She’s won multiple ARIA and Australian Jazz “Bell” Awards, written and recorded dozens of albums, and is a strong voice for women in jazz – so what wou...
- Jazz and Improvisation
- Staff stories
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Does the radio keep you company? The Melbourne Conservatorium needs you
15 June 2018
Dr Amanda Krause is a postdoctoral research fellow in the ARC Centre of Excellence for the History of Emotions and Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. Here, she explains her ne...
- Research
- Music Performance
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
How to prepare for peak performance, for musicians and non-musicians alike
13 June 2018
For the latest in our How To video series at the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music, Dr Margaret Osborne, Lecturer in Music (Performance Science) and Psychology, Melbour...
- Music Psychology and Performance Science
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Carol Johnson, online music expert: “I saw people’s lives change because they had the opportunity to learn music”
5 June 2018
Having moved from the northern hemisphere to join the Melbourne Conservatorium as Senior Lecturer in Music (Online Learning and Educational Technologies), and having just publ...
- Staff stories
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Performance Teaching
Two-minute interview: Alex Pertout, percussionist
18 May 2018
He’s a multi-award-winning artist whose playing has graced iconic Australian number-one hits by Daniel Braithwaite and Powderfinger, and a founding member of the Austral...
- Jazz and Improvisation
- Music Performance
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Glenn Branca: four guitar works by the late composer
18 May 2018
His music has influenced musicians and divided critics the world over – but his impact on our understanding of what guitars can do can’t be denied. By Dr Ken...
- Contemporary music
- Music Performance
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Elliott Gyger at 50: the composer takes us through seven of his works
18 May 2018
The Melbourne Conservatorium is about to present seven works by the award-winning composer Associate Professor Elliott Gyger, who will also conduct the performance. Here, he e...
- Composition
- Staff stories
- Music Performance
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Meet Lauren Gorman, Master of Music (Orchestral Performance) student
18 May 2018
It was only after spending time studying in Europe that Melbourne flautist Lauren Gorman realised everything she wanted was available back home.By Susanna Ling...
- Music Performance
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Ronald Farren-Price AM receives the prestigious Sir Bernard Heinze Memorial Award
14 May 2018
Melbourne Conservatorium of Music Honorary Principal Fellow Ronald Farren-Price AM has been awarded the 2017 Sir Bernard Heinze Memorial Award....
- Prizes and Awards
- Music Performance
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Handing over the reins at The Stables – a new home for the arts in Melbourne’s Southbank
11 May 2018
The University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Fine Arts and Music today celebrated the completion of The Stables – a world-class visual arts and performance space in th...
- Arts Precinct
- Victorian College of the Arts
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Wilin Centre For Indigenous Arts And Cultural Development
Event: Catch the Synthi 100 streaming live
10 May 2018
It’s iconic, and so are the people playing it. Don’t miss your chance to see and hear the Synthi 100 in action.By Alex Parade...
- Interactive Composition
- Contemporary music
- Music Performance
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Two-minute interview: Jonathan Paget, classical guitarist
7 May 2018
Jonathan Paget is passionate about performing 19th-century guitar music on period instruments. We caught up with him before his 11 May Guitaromanie! performance to find o...
- Music Performance
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Gloria and Beatus vir – meet the cast and crew
27 April 2018
An all-sensory experience in the historic St Paul’s cathedral blending early music, modern visual spectacle, and the timeless genius of Vivaldi? Uh, yes please! &nb...
- Early Music Studio
- Music Performance
- Production
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Felicity Baker on Music Interventions for Dementia and Depression
17 April 2018
Professor Felicity Baker is Head of Music Therapy at the Melbourne Conservatorium. She talks here about her upcoming symposium, Music Interventions for Dementia & Depressi...
- Music Therapy
- Staff stories
- Research
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Ade Vincent, composer: from The Tiger & Me to Melbourne Symphony
11 April 2018
Ade Vincent, a Phd candidate at the Melbourne Conservatorium, is the inaugural Cybec Young Composer in Residence with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. His work Hood...
- Composition
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Meet Alexandra Czarnecki-Roper, Bachelor of Music (Jazz & Improvisation) graduate at the Melbourne Conservatorium
19 March 2018
Recent percussion graduate Alexandra Czarnecki-Roper discusses what it was like to study at the Conservatorium....
- Contemporary music
- Music Performance
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Podcast: Jane Davidson, Marshall McGuire and The Voices Of Women
14 March 2018
Professor Jane Davidson, of the Melbourne Conservatorium and Centre for the History of Emotions at the University of Melbourne, talks to Marshall McGuire (Ludovico’...
- Research
- Music Performance
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Staff stories
Proof of the Conservatorium’s reach is in the Magic Pudding
13 March 2018
Victorian Opera’s latest opera season celebrates Norman Lindsay’s enduring Australian classic children’s book, The Magic Pudding, which turns 100 this y...
- Alumni
- Music Performance
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Meet Chiara Anderson, Bachelor of Music (Performance) at the Melbourne Conservatorium
12 March 2018
Chiara Anderson recently started her second year in the Bachelor of Music (Performance) program. Here, she reflects on why she decided to study at the Conservatorium and what...
- Alumni
- Music Performance
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Let it go: remembering Dr Ben Leske
8 March 2018
A colleague and friend pays tribute to one of Melbourne Conservatorium’s brightest and most-loved researchers, who died this week aged 37. By Dr Katrina...
- Music Therapy
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- Research
Meet Amy You, Bachelor of Music (Music Performance) at the Melbourne Conservatorium
6 March 2018
Having now completed her first year at the Melbourne Conservatorium, violinist Amy You gives us a glimpse into her daily life and musicianship....
- Music Performance
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Singing to remember: music therapy and dementia study to launch at the Conservatorium
13 February 2018
Music Therapy researcher Dr Jeanette Tamplin’s latest study will examine how singing can improve the lives of dementia sufferers and their carers....
- Music Therapy
- Research
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Dr Imogen Clark wins the Hazel Hawke Research Grant in Dementia Care
24 January 2018
...
- Music Therapy
- Research
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
Put the Melbourne in Melbourne Conservatorium
23 January 2018
How to situate the Melbourne Conservatorium in the city it belongs to? That was the question with which we approached our latest photoshoot, starring our current students.&nbs...
- Arts Precinct
- Music Performance
- Melbourne Conservatorium of Music