The Sydney Conservatorium of Music will forge a new partnership with one of India’s leading music institutions after receiving a $180,000 grant through the Australian Government’s 2026 Maitri Grants Program.

The three-year initiative, A Partnership for Indian-Australian Music, Diaspora Empowerment, and Cultural Exchange, aims to embed Indian musical traditions more deeply within Australian tertiary music education while creating new opportunities for artistic exchange between Australia and India.

The project, one of 41 funded through this year’s Maitri Grants, will link the Conservatorium with Bengaluru’s Subramaniam Academy of Performing Arts (SaPa), enabling student exchanges, collaborative performances, workshops and teaching residencies.

Musicians from Sydney Conservatorium of Music with musicians from India’s Subramaniam Academy of Performing Arts at the 2024 Australia-India Youth Dialogue. Photo © Tim Dyer

Conservatorium students will travel to India to study alongside SaPa musicians and educators, while Indian artists will undertake residencies in Sydney. The program will also draw on the expertise of Sydney’s Indian-Australian musicians through workshops, performances and creative collaborations, particularly as the Conservatorium expands its presence in Parramatta and Western Sydney.

The project reflects a growing recognition of Indian classical and contemporary musical traditions within Australia’s increasingly diverse cultural...