About Us

Our Vision

Our Vision  

A music-rich future for all Australians.  

Our Purpose  

To connect all Australians to something bigger than themselves: to powerful music which awakens the spirit.  

Our Mission 

With chamber music at our artistic core, Musica Viva Australia creates memorable musical experiences for audiences at every stage of life and for musicians at every stage of development through Concerts, Education programs and Emerging Artist programs.  

Our History

In 2025 Musica Viva Australia will deliver live performances, masterclasses, competitions and coaching across all seven states and territories in Australia, touching the lives of over 150,000 people from primary school students to professional musicians and from emerging artists to lifelong audiences.  

It's a long way from Vienna, and a long way from Australia of 1945, where Central European refugees Richard Goldner and Walter Dullo put together an ensemble of displaced musicians to perform Beethoven’s Grosse Fugue. There were no thoughts of touring international soloists or culturally diverse teaching ensembles at that time; no national competitions, emerging artist development or systemic music education initiatives: just a group of musicians sharing their profound love for a multifaceted artform which had shaped their lives.   

In the eight decades since, Goldner and Dullo’s initiative has become the largest chamber music organisation and the largest music education provider in the world.  

As we approach the 80th anniversary of the first concert of ‘Richard Goldner’s Sydney Musica Viva’ we are taking a moment to see where we are now. Much has changed across eight decades but Goldner and Dullo’s original instinct, to build a community around their deep love of music, is a constant. Indeed, it continues to define our stated purpose, to connect all Australians to something bigger than themselves: to powerful music which awakens the spirit.