Musicians from the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra have returned home after spending the past eight weeks taking orchestral music well beyond the concert hall, with projects spanning virtual reality at the Edinburgh Fringe, cultural exchange at Garma Festival in northeast Arnhem Land and a decade-long music education partnership in Indonesia.

The initiatives have seen MSO musicians work with young performers, First Nations artists, cultural leaders and arts administrators in Australia and overseas, reflecting the Orchestra’s growing emphasis on community engagement alongside its concert program.

Concerts of the Future. Photo © Andrew Parry

At the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, MSO performances were at the centre of Concerts of the Future, an immersive virtual-reality project developed by Australian arts platform House of Oz in collaboration with The Sonicrats, Monash University’s SensiLab and the MSO.

Presented from 1–28 August, the experience invited audiences to put on VR headsets, take a seat within a virtual MSO and perform Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 using futuristic instruments.

Designed to accommodate participants regardless of musical experience, the project used SensiLab technology, instruments developed by social enterprise The Sonicrats and MSO performances recorded at Robert Blackwood Hall at Monash University.

Musicians of the MSO at the 2026 Garma Festival.

The MSO’s physical presence in remote Australia came through an invitation from the Yothu Yindi Foundation to participate in the 2026 Garma Festival in northeast Arnhem Land.

In early August, MSO musicians Sarah Curro, Monica Curro, Caleb Wong and Aidan Filshie travelled to Garma with conductor Aaron Wyatt, joining musicians from the Darwin Symphony Orchestra and Arafura Music Collective for three days of cultural immersion, musical exchange and performance.

The program included a performance with Gumbaynggirr singer-songwriter Emma Donovan celebrating her album Take Me to the River, Wyatt’s viola concerto Djeran, with the Noongar musician as soloist, and collaborations with Arnhem Land songman and cultural leader Ngulmiya. The festival culminated in a performance with the Andrew Gurruwiwi Band.

Wyatt said the experience brought together musicians from the Darwin and Melbourne symphonies in a celebration of First Nations artists.

“It really is an event like no other, and the Orchestra’s presence there shows a real commitment to reconciliation, cultural exchange, and learning,” he said.

Musicians of the MSO and students of the Yogyakarta Youth Music Camp

In Indonesia, meanwhile, the MSO has marked 10 years of annual community engagement with the Special Region of Yogyakarta, sending five musicians to the region in July for its Youth Music Camp.

The program gives young Indonesian musicians the opportunity to work and perform alongside MSO musicians, while the Orchestra’s management team delivers workshops covering operations, marketing, finance, fundraising, programming and arts management.

The exchange also provides a pathway to Melbourne. Each year, two participants are selected for month-long internships with the MSO. In October, arts administrator Ajeng Kusuma and violinist Rifki Adriansyah Arif will join the Orchestra, gaining practical experience with its musicians and staff.

The Yogyakarta Royal Orchestra, established in 2019, has become an important part of the exchange. Combining Javanese gamelan with Western orchestral instruments and supported by the region’s royal patronage, the orchestra also has an associated youth ensemble.

MSO first violinist Sarah Curro, a longtime participant in the Indonesian program, said the exchange was as valuable for the visiting musicians as it was for the students.

“The program is about sharing knowledge, developing skills and broadening the possibilities for these young musicians,” she said. “So many students who have been through the program have gone on to study in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and the United States. Just as importantly, it’s about building confidence – and confidence in the music business is everything.”

MSO chief executive Richard Wigley said the three projects reflected the Orchestra’s commitment to widening access to orchestral music and creating opportunities for musicians beyond Melbourne.

“Great music and music-making, shared with as many people as possible, is the heart of what we do,” he said.

“We are dedicated to taking the beauty of symphonic music and the sound of Melbourne beyond the concert hall and beyond borders, inspiring young musicians and audiences alike.”