2024 Strike a Chord Finalists

Musica Viva Australia Announces 2024 Strike A Chord Finalists

Musica Viva Australia is excited to announce the finalists and first-round prize winners of Strike A Chord 2024, in the fourth and biggest-ever iteration of its national chamber music competition for Australian school students.

irst-round prize winners include BAM from Canberra, ACT and Stop 19 Strings from Box Hill South, VIC (Australian Music Prize), Central Coast Ensemble from Erina Heights, NSW and Southern Cross Guitar Quartet from Townsville, QLD (AMEB Emerging Ensemble Encouragement Award), Senior Strings from Kenthurst, NSW, and Ngutu Ipila Kumangka from Adelaide, SA (Innovation Award) and Sturt Street Six from Melbourne, VIC (Spirit of Chamber Music Prize).

The Novice Section prize winners include ANU Junior Guitar Ensemble from Canberra, ACT (First Prize), TAS Junior Piano Trio from Armidale, NSW (Second Prize) and PLC Sydney Harp Trio from Sydney, NSW (Third Prize).

Established in 2020, Strike A Chord began as a digital-only competition, and has since grown in entry numbers with a record-breaking 617 entrants in 155 groups in 2024, from seven states and territories, with finalists preparing to compete in a live grand final held in Melbourne.

Almost 1400 young artists from 189 schools have participated in Strike A Chord since 2020 with 93% of entrants in the Novice Section coming from regional areas in 2022. Of the 157 grand finalists, nearly 50% have gone on to study music at a tertiary level in Australia and overseas.

Strike A Chord is a crucial part of Musica Viva Australia’s commitment to diversity and inclusion for students from culturally diverse backgrounds and in regional Australia, aiming to foster a love of chamber music in these students, allowing them the opportunity to work collaboratively and receive coaching from professional chamber musicians.

The program, led by Artistic Director of Competitions Wilma Smith, also acts as a bridge between Musica Viva Australia’s education work, delivered to more than 170,000 primary school children across Australia, and their Emerging Artists program.

Musica Viva Australia CEO Anne Frankenberg said “The response to Strike A Chord from schools, students and teachers has been a revelation. Record entries in both categories, and in the free Coaching Program, are a compelling reminder of the appetite among young musicians for these wonderful opportunities. We are grateful for the vision and support of Strike A Chord’s key partners, Creative Victoria and the Melbourne Recital Centre who, along with our University Partner, Monash University, and generous prize supporters and donors, enable us to champion the next generation of outstanding Australian musicians.”

The 12 finalists will perform live at the Grand Final at the Melbourne Recital Centre on Saturday 31^st August 2024.

The complete list of finalists and prize winners is as follows:

Strike A Chord – First Round

FINALISTS

NAME	STATE
Aneres Piano Trio	VIC
The Astra Octet	NSW
The Fritzi Trio	NSW
The Frosty Shosty Quartet	NSW
JPMS Ensemble Animato	QLD
Kingussie Trio	VIC
Lumina Quartet	NSW
Marryatville High School Baroque Ensemble	SA
Syncopact	ACT
Take Six	QLD
Timli Trio	QLD
Trio Fantastique	WA

 

FIRST-ROUND PRIZES

PRIZE	GROUP	STATE
Australian Music Prize	BAM Stop 19 Strings	ACT VIC
AMEB Emerging Ensemble Encouragement Award	Central Coast Ensemble Southern Cross Guitar Quartet	NSW QLD
Innovation Award	Senior Strings Ngutu Ipila Kumangka (**from Novice Section)	NSW SA
Spirit of Chamber Music Prize	Sturt Street Six	VIC
AUSTA String Prize	Comet Quartet Found Quartet Quatuor Fabriqué St. Aidan’s Anglican Girls School Senior String Quartet	NSW VIC VIC QLD
Woodwind Prize	Azzoni Quartet Cranbrook Clarinet Quartet St. Andrew’s Cathedral School the ART trio Sydney Grammar Clarinet Quartet	VIC NSW NSW NSW
Brass Prize	Darwin High School Brass Quartet St. George Junior Brass Quartet St. George Junior Brass Quintet	NT NSW NSW
Percussion Prize	Desmosedici JAMBO Percussion Quartet JPMS Ensemble Sonore	QLD QLD QLD
Keyboard Prize	Mallinson Trio Marvela Trio MLC School “40 Fingers” Ensemble Roystead Trio	VIC QLD NSW VIC
Mixed Ensemble Prize	Aurora Trio BGGS Clarinet trio Clarinet Trio Scotch College Hom Trio Trinity Grammar School Clarinet Quintet	NSW QLD VIC VIC NSW
Junior Prize	Hale Bravura String Quartet Kingsland Cello Trio Party of 3 Trinity Grammar School Quartet The Vths	WA ACT WA NSW NSW

Novice Section

Jurors: Wilma Smith, Eliza Shephard and Jonathan Békés

 

PRIZE	NAME	STATE
First Prize	ANU Junior Guitar Ensemble	ACT
Second Prize	TAS Junior Piano Trio	NSW
Third Prize	PLC Sydney Harp Trio	NSW
Highly Commended	Amethyst String Quartet	QLD
	Camberwell South Primary School Chamber Music Group	VIC
	Cellorama	QLD
	Glendalough Advanced Strings	VIC
	Ngutu Ipila Kumangka	SA
	The Pines Quartet	SA
	St Margaret Mary's Guitar Ensemble	QLD
	Tatachilla Year 10 Chamber Ensemble	SA

 

Musica Viva Australia presents Strike A Chord with the support of Principal Partner Creative Victoria, Strategic Partner Melbourne Recital Centre, University Partner Monash University, and generous support from the Robert Salzer Foundation, and the Patricia H Reid Endowment.

 

 

 ENDS   

 

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Hayley Goodlich | Hayley@kabukupr.com.au or 0434 442 997