GRAND FINAL SCHEDULE 2021

1 JPMS ENSEMBLE SPIRITO [QLD] 2 JAMES CAMPBELL STRING QUARTET [VIC] 3 BARTHOLDY TRIO [NSW] 4 FOUR STRINGS [WA] 5 TRIO FINIFUGAL [VIC] 6 PICCOLO STRING QUARTET [NSW] 15 AUG 2021 1—5PM

[QLD] SHELL-SHOCKED PERCUSSION QUARTET 7 [SA] SPIRULÍ STRING QUARTET 8 [NSW] FALSE RELATIONS 9 [QLD] AMOGUS TRIO 10 [ACT] THE CANBERRA REDS 11 [VIC] VDUB 12 LIVESTREAM from Brisbane > Melbourne > Sydney > Perth > Adelaide > Canberra

[ THE CHAMPIONSHIP

Strike A Chord is an initiative developed by Musica Viva Australia for its 75th anniversary in 2020, with critical funding from Creative Victoria, and is presented in partnership with Melbourne Recital Centre and the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM), and supported by a generous and collaborative group of organisations and supporters.

The brainchild of Musica Viva’s Artistic Director of Competitions, Wilma Smith, Strike A Chord was created to encourage the next generation of Australian musicians to experience the lifechanging possibilities of chamber music, giving students the opportunity to explore their potential and discover the joy in making music with friends, whatever their level of ability. Although the inaugural two years of Strike A Chord have not been what we’d originally planned, logistically speaking, the spirit of the music-making has shone through each and every entry received.

The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown challenge after challenge to our prospective participants and our management team with lockdowns, cancellation of school co-curricular programs, border closures, and restrictions on the number of people permitted to gather. In light of this we have again transitioned to a virtual event in 2021, repeating the model that was devised in 2020 to meet the challenges that COVID-19 presented. The Strike A Chord Teachers’ Conference is designed to build capacity in the teaching of chamber music at secondary school level. Comprising panel discussions, interactive online workshops and open coaching sessions presented by 13 prominent musicians and teachers, the 2021 conference welcomes teachers at all career stages working with a wide range of students. This event is again fully online this year, happily increasing its easy accessibility to music teachers from metropolitan and regional areas all over Australia.

We hope that the seeds planted in the inaugural two years of Strike A Chord will take root, and help to create a connected community of people who are passionate about introducing the joy and challenge of chamber music to each new generation of young musicians.