“Dame Elisabeth is passionate about bringing the joy of music to all people and enabling our musicians to flourish. This new fund will encourage and enable others to follow in Dame Elisabeth’s footsteps and support programs that nurture musical talent and provide opportunities for Victorians to experience music at its very best.” The Hon Ted Baillieu, Premier of Victoria and Minister for the Arts

The Elisabeth Murdoch Creative Development Fund is an opportunity to join Melbourne Recital Centre in bringing exciting projects to life and making a real difference to young artists and the development of Australian music.

The number of inspiring and diverse projects the Centre wants to realise is enormous:

• Enable an emerging artist to create a professional recording
• Provide master classes and workshops for students
• Support our annual children’s music festival
• Establish a season of rising star recitals that celebrate the next generation of musicians
• Commission a new work from a leading composer
• Help ensure our concerts are available online for live streaming
  
   

There are always more ideas and deserving young talents than available funds.

We invite you to support an artistic project, new event or series of concerts and have your name associated with these initiatives. Apart from taxation benefits and opportunities to become more closely involved in the life of Melbourne Recital Centre, you will have the satisfaction of knowing that your support has provided vital professional development opportunities for local artists and increased access for a broader audience.

Our current priority projects are:
 

MusicPlay Children’s Music Festival - The Mega Drum Machine – January 2012
Commissioned especially for MusicPlay, the Mega Drum Machine is a series of nine interactive machines/installations created by Graeme Leak, musician, composer and inventor. Assist us to realise this commission as The Mega Drum Machine is a vital centrepiece of the Festival’s free activities and is a fun and exhilarating way for small hands to make a big noise!
 

Rising Stars – A four recital series in the Salon throughout 2012
Enable us to engage exciting young Melbourne pianists Benjamin Martin and Peter de Jager to join Kristian Chong and Amir Farid, whose performances have already been generously supported, in a new four concert solo piano series.
 

Great Performers master classes throughout 2012
Seven great performers will give recitals at the Centre in 2012 and ensuring Melbourne’s young artists benefit from their experience and expertise through master classes is a high priority that is currently unfunded. Master classes offer an incomparable learning opportunity for young musicians working toward professional careers. Held in the Salon, master classes are also an exceptional experience for audiences.
 

Elisabeth Murdoch Hall choral master classes
Enable us to offer larger scale master classes designed for secondary students that combine a practical master class component with career coaching and an informative Q&A with high profile visiting ensembles like Britain’s The King’s Singers.
 

St John Passion – April 2012
Fast becoming a signature event, our annual Easter concert is a celebration of some of the most moving, religious-inspired music in the canon. In 2012, JS Bach’s St John Passion will be conducted by Stephen Layton, Director of Music, Trinity College, Cambridge and Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the City of London Sinfonia. Joining Layton will be a number of international guest soloists and in a tradition inaugurated in 2010, emerging Australian artists selected by Layton will also feature as soloists.
 

Local Heroes Chamber Music series compilation CD
Support Melbourne Recital Centre to record and release a compilation CD featuring a selection from the 21 Australian ensembles performing in the 2012 Local Heroes Chamber Music series. The CD will assist the artists in their own promotion and career development as well as enabling the Centre to promote the series more widely.
 

Without support like yours, these kinds of programs simply cannot happen. For more information about these projects or to discuss other proposals that interest you, please contact:

Sandra Robertson
Director of Development
03 9207 2641
sandra.robertson@melbournerecital.com.au