Percy Aldridge Grainger was an Australian-born composer, arranger and pianist who moved to the United States in 1914 and became an American citizen in 1918. In the course of a long and innovative career he played a prominent role in the revival of interest in British folk music in the early years of the 20th century. Although much of his work was experimental and unusual, the piece with which he is most generally associated is his piano arrangement of the folk-dance tune "Country Gardens".
Dame Nellie Melba was an Australian operatic lyric coloratura soprano. She became one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian era and the early 20th century, and was the first Australian to achieve international recognition as a classical musician. She took the pseudonym "Melba" from Melbourne, her home town.
The Arts in Australia refers to the visual arts, literature, performing arts and music in the area of, on the subject of, or by the people of the Commonwealth of Australia and its preceding Indigenous and colonial societies. Indigenous Australian art, music and story telling attaches to a 40–60,000-year heritage and continues to affect the broader arts and culture of Australia. During its early western history, Australia was a collection of British colonies, therefore, its literary, visual and theatrical traditions began with strong links to the broader traditions of English and Irish literature, British art and English and Celtic music. However, the works of Australian artists – including Indigenous as well as Anglo-Celtic and multicultural migrant Australians – has, since 1788, introduced the character of a new continent to the global arts scene – exploring such themes as Aboriginality, Australian landscape, migrant and national identity, distance from other Western nations and proximity to Asia, the complexities of urban living and the "beauty and the terror" of life in the Australian bush.
Raymond Douglas Lawrence is an Australian organist who is director of music at the Scots' Church, Melbourne and Teacher of the Organ at the University of Melbourne.
The Mechanics' Institute, Sorrento is a building classified by the National Trust of Australia and located at 827 Melbourne Road, Sorrento, Victoria, Australia.
The Australian Music Centre (AMC), founded as Australia Music Centre in 1974 and known as Sounds Australian in the 1990s, is a national organisation promoting and supporting art music in Australia. It operates mainly as a service organisation, and co-hosts the Art Music Awards along with APRA AMCOS. It also publishes Resonate Magazine.
"Country Gardens" is an old English folk tune traditionally used for Morris dancing. It was introduced by traditional folk musician William Kimber to Cecil Sharp near the beginning of the twentieth century, then popularised by a diverse range of musicians from Percy Grainger and David Stanhope to Jimmie Rodgers.
The Melba Memorial Conservatorium of Music was a school of music located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. During its early days it was closely associated with opera diva Dame Nellie Melba, after whom it was later named. In 1994 it became affiliated with Victoria University. Founded in 1901 as the Conservatorium of Music, Melbourne, the Melba Conservatorium ceased teaching at the end of 2008. However, the Melba Opera Trust continues to fund scholarships to help young opera singers develop their skills.
Arthur Fickenscher was an American composer and academic. The first head of the music department of the University of Virginia, he is credited with being an early 20th-century pioneer of microtonal music.
Vera Florence Bradford was an Australian classical pianist and teacher, with a very long career. Her playing was admired for its depth and beauty of tone, classical unity and tremendous power.
The Australian Performing Arts Collection at Arts Centre Melbourne, formerly known as Performing Arts Museum (PAM), is the largest specialist performing arts collection in Australia, with over 780,000 items relating to the history of circus, dance, music, opera and theatre in Australia and of Australian performers overseas.
John Harry Grainger was an Australian architect and civil engineer, who was also the father of musician Percy Grainger. He designed 14 bridges, notably Princes Bridge in Melbourne. As an architect, he designed half a dozen major public buildings, mainly in New Zealand, Perth, and Melbourne, notably the WA Supreme Court, while he was Principal Architect in the Architectural Division of the Public Works Department of Western Australia. He also designed some major commercial buildings in Melbourne such as Georges Store over his long career, between 1878 and 1915.
Penelope Mary Thwaites, is a concert pianist and composer, recording artist and editor. Born in the United Kingdom of Australian parents, she is a citizen of both countries. Thwaites is best-known for her interpretations of the music of Australian composers, particularly Percy Grainger.
Behind the Legend is 1972 anthology series based on the lives of various Australians hosted by Manning Clark.
Australian classical music has developed from early years in the Australian colonies, until today. Today, each state has an orchestra and there are many major venues where classical music is performed.
Woof! or Woof! Percussion Ensemble were an Australian classical music, four-piece percussion ensemble formed in February 1995 by Robert Cossom, Matthew Goddard, Stephen Hardie and Tracey Patten. In July 1997 they appeared on Australian Broadcasting Corporation's radio, ABC Classic FM's Sunday Live presented by Peter Clarke performing at Iwaki Auditorium, Melbourne. Instrumentation used included xylophone, marimba, vibraphone, drums, key and non-pitched percussion, and log drums.
Thérèse Radic is an Australian musicologist and playwright.
Helen Dora Lempriere was an Australian painter, sculptor and printmaker.
The Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio (MESS) is an Australian independent non-profit arts organization founded by sound artists Robin Fox and Byron J Scullin in 2016. MESS features a collection of synthesizers, drum machines, and other electronic instruments which are available to use.
This is a list of exhibitions held by the Australian Performing Arts Collection at the Arts Centre Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, organised chronologically and grouped by decade until 2017. Since 2017, the Australian Music Vault has housed a permanent exhibition utilising the APAC collection. The collections on display are rotated regularly. Previous exhibitions have toured nationally and internationally, while other collections are occasionally loaned.
