Arafura Music Collective is a group of professional Darwin-based chamber musicians founded in 1996.

“It started with a group of friends who just loved playing music together and we gradually got ourselves organised,” says Artistic Director and flautist Claire Kilgariff. 

Despite its humble origins, Arafura Music Collective is now one of the beating hearts of both classical and art music in the Northern Territory, boasting a roster of around 25 members.

Arafura Music Collective’s Netanela Mizrahi, Claire Kilgariff, Kate Stephens and Rhiannon Oakhill-Steel. Photo © Paz Tassone

“We’ve got strong beliefs that the place we’re in really shapes our practice as artists, and we want to explore that concept in our performances. What that means is we develop strong relationships with the First Nations people from our community, the Larrakia people,” says Kilgariff.

The group’s annual season – three performances, named after the Gulumoerrgin (Larrakia) seasons – attracts a devoted audience of music-lovers for its varied programs, offering music from Baroque to modern Australian. With the audience capped at 200 to retain an “intimate” connection, the concerts often sell out, says Kilgariff.

The dedication of its audience is just one of the rewards of the group’s efforts....