Musica Viva Announces 2024 Strike A Chord Finalists

Musica Viva Australia has announced 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.

First-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.

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