Melbourne Recital Centre has announced a new artistic leadership partnership, appointing Iain Grandage as Chief Curator and Anna Melville as Head of Programming.

The appointments bring together Grandage’s artistic and curatorial vision with Melville’s international programming expertise, with a focus on new commissions, creative collaborations and a program spanning classical and contemporary music.

The restructure follows the September opening of The Peter and Ruth McMullin Beacon, the Centre’s third performance space, expanding its capacity to present live music and engage new audiences.

Melbourne Recital Centre CEO Sandra Willis said the partnership would strengthen the organisation’s position as a year-round festival of music, with more than 500 events presented annually.

Iain Grandage. Photo supplied

Grandage, who joined the Centre as Director of Programming in 2025, will lead its curatorial direction, commissioning and Artist in Residence programs, while building artistic relationships in Australia and internationally, particularly with First Nations artists and communities.

A seven-time Helpmann Award winner, Grandage has previously led Perth Festival and Port Fairy Spring Music Festival. His creative work spans theatre, dance, opera, film and the concert hall, with collaboration a central feature of his practice.

Anna Melville

Melville brings 17 years of programming experience across Australia, the United Kingdom and New Zealand. Her previous roles include artistic planning positions with the Australian Chamber Orchestra and City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, consultancy work with London’s Philharmonia Orchestra and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, and curating the inaugural Sound Unbound festival at London’s Barbican Centre. She is currently Interim Director of Programming at the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra.

As Head of Programming and a member of the Centre’s Senior Leadership team, Melville will work in close creative partnership with Grandage to shape programming at Melbourne Recital Centre. Alongside MRC’s Programming Manager, El Chantry and the broader programming team, Melville will lead a coordinated approach across the Centre’s three venues, delivering on MRC’s remit to support artists and build audiences.

Melville said she was interested in how music, artists and performance settings combine to create compelling experiences for audiences, whether encountering familiar repertoire or hearing something for the first time.

Melbourne Recital Centre announces its 2027 season on 26 October, unveiling programs across all three venues.