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Learn more about the Australian Art Orchestra and what we do.
AusArt Day
2025
AusArt Day, on Thursday 23 October, is Australia’s first giving day for the arts.
Australian Art Orchestra is participating in AusArt Day 2025 and will be raising funds for our new Composer in Residence Program in partnership with TarraWarra Museum of Art.
Via application, a selected composer will be commissioned to create a new work for AAO, inspired by the exhibited and archived works on site at the Museum - created by some of Australia's most celebrated contemporary visual artists. The successful applicant will also have access to on-site accommodation at TarraWarra for a period of up to 3 weeks, and will see their work premiered at the Eva & Marc Besen Centre by the Australian Art Orchestra.
This is your opportunity to contribute to securing the funding for this commission.
Adam Manning
and AAO
perform at
New Annual and MIJF
The Australian Art Orchestra will feature at the 2025 New Annual Festival and Melbourne International Jazz Festival with First Nations Artist in Residence Adam Manning’s work First Rhythms.
Reimagining the ancient resonance of clapsticks through a contemporary lens, First Rhythms brings together traditional percussive elements, modern instrumentation, improvisation, and multimodal visual art. At the heart of the work is an Indigenous understanding that everything is alive and carries a pulse—the heartbeat of Country
First Rhythms will feature the dynamic interplay of some of Australia’s top improvising musicians, creating an experience that’s as technically masterful as it is culturally resonant. The work offers deep insight into the ongoing relevance and application of First Nations knowledge systems in contemporary art forms, demonstrating how rhythm can act as a bridge between ancestral memory and present-day creative practice.
First Rhythms will be presented at Harold Lobb Concert Hall in Newcastle on Thursday 2 October at 7:30pm and Melbourne Recital Centre on Sunday 19 October at 7pm.