On Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s recent US sojourn, she made an official gift to President Obama of an iPod of Australian music. While the playlist contained many notable pieces of Australian rock, pop and folk music, it did not include a single work by a classical musician or composer. This public failure to acknowledge Australian classical music has inspired a group of prominent musicians to create an alternative playlist, based partly on Limelight readers’ comments on the original article.

The collective, which includes composers Brett Dean and Ross Edwards, conductor Richard Gill and pianist Gerard Willems, will send two new iPods – each packed with tracks which, they say, truly represent Australian classical music culture – to Julia Gillard and Barack Obama next week.

“As an Australian composer I’m deeply unimpressed by this display of cultural ignorance”, said Edwards of the original iPod gift.

“It is a sad state of affairs that we, the performing arts community who are acknowledged throughout the world for our achievements, are not recognised in our own country by our leaders”, added Willems.

The new classical iPod will feature Willems playing Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations on a handcrafted grand piano by Australian instrument maker Stuart &...