AusArt Day: Why This Matters for Every Australian Arts Organisation—Including Ours

This month, as Australia celebrates its first-ever AusArt Day, I wanted to share some reflections on what this national movement means for organisations like Mirabilis Collective—and for the future of the arts in Australia.

As Mirabilis Collective prepares to participate in Australia's inaugural AusArts Day on 23 October, I find myself reflecting on a question that has occupied my thoughts since founding this organisation: How do we build and sustain arts organisations in Australia when the structural supports for philanthropy are so fundamentally different from those in countries where arts giving thrives?

The answer, I believe, begins with understanding the challenge—and then taking collective action to address it.

The Crisis We're Not Talking About Loudly Enough

According to Creative Australia, only one in five professional artists in Australia this year will make $48,000—deemed the minimum livable wage—by working in the arts. On average they will earn $23,000 from their artistic work and only $54,000 when all their other non-artistic jobs are added in.

Let that sink in. The professionals creating the culture that defines us are earning, on average, less than half the minimum livable wage from their actual artistic work.

As Belvoir St Theatre's Artistic Director Eamon Flack wrote recently in The Guardian, "Smaller cast sizes, fewer productions, less artistic variety, diminished cultural reach, fewer jobs for artists: that's the business model now." He describes the eternal choice facing every arts organisation: "beef up the artistic task and go broke, or diminish the artistic task and stay solvent."

For Australian arts organisations in 2025, this is daily reality.

The system hasn't been comprehensively rethought since Helen Nugent's Major Performing Arts Inquiry in 1999. That inquiry reviewed 31 major performing arts organisations and arose out of a perceived crisis in the sector—costs were spiralling while revenue was declining due to globalisation, technological change and demographic shifts. Sound familiar?

The report's 95 recommendations were accepted by the Australian government. An extra $70 million was injected into the sector by federal and state governments. The recommendations were designed to create a cohesive structure for the industry, strengthen private sector support, improve accountability, and secure the sector's artistic vitality and financial viability.

Yet despite the introduction of the majority of these changes, the overall wellbeing of major performing arts companies has not markedly improved. The world has changed dramatically, but the performing arts in 2025 are still operating on Windows 99—and facing eerily similar challenges to those the Nugent report tried to address 26 years ago.

What America Gets Right About Arts Giving

While Australia's arts sector struggles with 25-year-old policy settings, let's look at what's happening elsewhere.

The United States is home to over 1.5 million registered charities with giving reaching an estimated $499 billion in 2023, representing about 2.1% of GDP. In contrast, Australia has around 60,000 registered charities with annual giving estimated at $13 billion AUD—less than 1% of GDP.

Scale tells only part of the story. The structural differences run even deeper. As fundraising consultant Stephen Mally observes:

“US donors benefit from a well-known charitable deduction that reduces taxable income, often incentivising major gifts. The process is familiar and built into annual financial planning, especially for high-net-worth individuals.

In Australia, while donations over $2 to deductible gift recipients (DGRs) are tax-deductible, the incentive is less aggressively promoted or integrated into wealth planning. Furthermore, estate and inheritance tax advantages that drive bequests in the US are absent in Australia.”

Tax systems reflect policy priorities, and the American approach—for all its imperfections—has historically embedded arts philanthropy into financial planning in ways that Australia hasn't. This doesn't mean the US model is perfect or that we should simply copy it. But it does suggest there's untapped potential in how we structure incentives for cultural giving in Australia.

The DGR Journey: A Necessary Hurdle
I speak from experience here. Mirabilis Collective is now a registered charity with DGR status—a milestone we achieved thanks to the extraordinary tenacity of Luke Donohoe from Culture Labs, who guided us through the complex process.

Becoming endorsed as a deductible gift recipient can be a long and challenging process. Since December 14, 2021, registration as a charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission has been a precondition for DGR endorsement for all non-government DGRs. Organisations must first establish their charitable status, then meet specific requirements for cultural organisations, including maintaining a gift fund with appropriate clauses.

Having achieved DGR status, we can now offer donors tax deductibility for their contributions. But the journey highlighted a crucial reality: Australian organisations tend to take a more conservative, sometimes risk-averse approach to fundraising. Fundraising teams are often smaller and operate with tighter budgets. For volunteer-run organisations or small collectives, the DGR pathway—while essential—can be prohibitively complex without expert assistance.

For artists and organisations without DGR status, the Australian Cultural Fund provides an alternative pathway. Managed by Creative Australia, it enables artists to raise tax-deductible funds for their projects through a fee-free platform. It's an important resource, particularly for independent artists and small organisations that either don't yet have, or due to their structure don't qualify for, DGR endorsement.

Tax Reform: Necessary But Not Sufficient

Across Australia, conversations are happening about tax reform for the arts. While NSW has recently convened a summit on the topic, these are national issues affecting all of us.

The newly released Bass Line report from Music Australia reveals the median music artist income is just $14,700 per year. Even more stark: approximately 82% of Australian artist income is earned by the top 25% of income earners. For the vast majority of musicians, sustaining a career is financially untenable.

The current system creates perverse outcomes. Artists must pay income tax on prizes and grants—the rare windfalls meant to sustain their practices. While the median music income is $14,700, most artists supplement this with non-arts work to survive. When a $5,000 prize pushes their total income into a higher tax bracket, a significant portion disappears to tax—diminishing the very support mechanism designed to help sustain their artistic practice.

Reform proposals include clearer deductibility arrangements for freelance artists, better rates to encourage donors, fringe benefits tax concessions, and tax exemptions for grants and awards. These could save many organisations from going broke.

But as Eamon Flack pointedly asks: "Is solvency really the best we can hope for when it comes to the artistic and cultural life of the country?"

The real goal of arts policy shouldn't be to keep organisations solvent; it needs to keep each artform alive for the next generation.

Tax reform addresses symptoms. But the disease is deeper: a fundamental undervaluing of artistic work in Australian society.

Why AusArt Day Is a Watershed Moment

AusArt Day, taking place on Thursday 23 October, invites all Australians to show their support for artists and arts organisations by making a donation—big or small, to support the creativity they love. More than 330 artists and arts organisations have signed up to take part in the inaugural celebration.

Creative Australia is supporting AusArt Day, contributing $500,000 in microgrants upfront, alongside resources, workshops, and advertising materials to help participants prepare fundraising campaigns. Mirabilis Collective was privileged to receive a $5,000 grant to enable us to engage a videographer to create our campaign video. We also held an event with some of our wonderful supporters to launch the campaign, which was a beautiful celebration of what we've achieved and where we're heading.

What makes this significant isn't just the coordinated fundraising effort—it's the collective consciousness-raising. For one day, the entire Australian arts sector will speak with one voice about the importance of private support for creativity. Beloved names including singer Kate Miller-Heidke, actor Rob Collins, Collingwood AFL captain Darcy Moore, and actor Angourie Rice are among the heavy hitters lending their voices to the campaign.

This visibility matters enormously. Australian arts organisations operate in a context where most organisations are stuck between the rock of structural deficit and the hard place of artistic purpose, where government funding comes and goes with budget cycles, and where—unlike our American counterparts—we can't easily leverage the sophisticated tax planning mechanisms that drive transformational gifts in the US.

It reminds Australians why they value the arts, as sources of beauty, connection, and meaning in their daily lives. When funding models fail, it's not just organisations that suffer; it's every person who turns to live music for stress relief, for social connection, for the experience of beauty that makes life richer.

AusArt Day creates something we've desperately needed: a cultural moment that normalises arts giving and positions it as a civic responsibility, not an optional luxury.

"Take Enough Pieces Off a Plane and It's Just a Bus with Wings"

Eamon Flack uses a devastating metaphor: "Take enough pieces off a plane and it might still look like a plane, but if it can't fly it's just a bus with wings."

We cannot trade off any more than we already have without risking the basic purpose of the arts. Every dollar not spent on artists making art contributes to the growing loss of knowledge, purpose, virtuosity and livelihood that are the lasting currency of these artforms. If so few dollars continue to flow to the creatives, there will be no artists or art left in the arts.

This reality occupies my thinking constantly as I consider Mirabilis Collective's future.

From Volunteer-Run to Sustainable: The Mirabilis Journey

I founded Mirabilis Collective after serving as national syllabus consultant for the Australian Examinations Music Board, updating the oboe syllabus with a more diverse repertoire. That work opened my eyes to a glaring gap in our sector: the systematic under-representation of works by women composers on Australian stages and in teaching syllabuses. If young musicians never see themselves reflected in the repertoire, how do they imagine their place in the profession?

But there was another gap too. Conversations with my Mirabilis colleague Tresna Stampalia crystallised something we'd both experienced: young women musicians on the cusp of professional careers needed knowledge, support, and affirmation in a safe environment. They needed mentors who could help them navigate a profession that wasn't always designed with them in mind.

As a mother of two professional musician daughters, I've witnessed firsthand the challenges facing emerging artists. I've seen talented young women question whether they can sustain careers in music when the economics are so brutal. The mentoring Tresna and I had provided informally—drawing on our own hard-won experience—needed to become intentional and ongoing. But building a sustainable organisation while remaining true to our mission—addressing both repertoire equity and artist mentorship, and doing so largely through volunteer labour—has required constant innovation and, frankly, sacrifice. That same commitment to mentorship now drives our vision to evolve from a volunteer-run ensemble to a sustainable organisation with the capacity to commission new works, employ musicians fairly, and mentor the next generation.

The journey to DGR status was essential but demanding. Luke Donohoe guided us through the process—navigating the ACNC registration, establishing proper governance structures, creating the gift fund with appropriate clauses, and ensuring we met all the requirements for cultural organisations. Without his expertise, we would have struggled to achieve this crucial milestone.

Now, with DGR status, we can offer donors tax deductibility for contributions over $2. This is significant—but it doesn't change the underlying economics. Chamber music ticket sales rarely cover costs. Government grants are increasingly competitive. And while we can now attract donors who value tax deductibility, we're still operating within a system that provides fewer incentives than comparable countries.

Our campaign for AusArt Day, "Let Her Be Heard," supports our goal to perform 100 works by 100 women at Hear Her Now: A Festival of Women in Chamber Music. This programming actively reshapes the canon, provides role models, and creates opportunities for women composers whose work has been systematically excluded from performance.

But the questions persist: How do we fund this work sustainably? How do we pay the artists who mentor generously with their time and expertise? How do we grow from volunteer-run to professionally staffed without losing our soul? How do we avoid sacrificing artistic ambition just to stay solvent?

As Eamon Flack reminds us: "Artistic talent doesn't spontaneously come to fruition. The knowledge and craft that makes an artist is passed down from the generation before. A good artist needs as much lifelong training and practice as a good sportswoman."

This work—mentoring young women musicians, commissioning and encouraging works by emerging women composers, creating safe spaces for artistic development—requires sustainable funding. The intergenerational transfer of knowledge depends on it.

The Opportunity Before Us

AusArt Day won't solve Australia's structural arts funding crisis overnight. It won't transform our tax system to match America's incentives. It won't make the DGR application process simpler for organisations still navigating it. It won't address the policy settings that haven't been meaningfully updated since 1999.

But it does something arguably more important: it normalises the ask. It creates visibility and builds community.

As Creative Australia Chair and AusArt Day Ambassador Professor Wesley Enoch AM said: "It really makes a difference when your community gets behind you. AusArts Day is a chance for Australians to show their support by getting behind the musicians, painters, dancers, actors, singers, sculptors, writers and all the creative people who make our country so vibrant and fun to be a part of."

For Mirabilis Collective, this day represents validation of what we've always known: the arts matter, not as entertainment luxury but as essential nourishment for civic life. Every young woman we mentor, every work by a woman composer we perform, every barrier we break down—this work has value beyond what can be captured in grant applications or box office receipts.

There is untapped potential to grow the giving economy in Australia. The challenge is to normalise large-scale giving through structured stewardship, major donor programs, and cultural shifts that celebrate philanthropy.

That cultural shift begins with conversations like this one—and with collective action like AusArt Day.

What's at Stake

Eamon Flack uses a sports metaphor that should haunt us all. The West Indies used to be the greatest cricket team in the world, with legendary performances. But years of underfunding and neglect of grassroots development decimated their system. Two months ago, Australia bowled out the entire West Indies team for 27. "If we leave the country's arts policy settings as they are, we'll be bowling ourselves out for 27.”

What's at stake is the survival of artforms that take lifetimes to master and generations to pass on.

In 20 years, will Australians still have access to the live music that offers stress relief after difficult weeks, the beauty that provides respite from digital overload, the shared experience of a concert that counters isolation? Will women composers have their works performed? Will young artists be able to imagine sustainable careers creating what they love and what society needs?

What This Means for You

Whether you're someone who turns to live music when life feels overwhelming, who finds connection in shared cultural experiences, who values beauty in an increasingly utilitarian world—or whether you're an arts organisation wondering if this coordinated effort will make a difference, or a donor considering where to direct your support—AusArt Day matters.

It matters because it says: we're not waiting for tax reform to be enacted (though we desperately need it). We're not waiting for government funding to stabilise (though it must). We're not waiting for the policy settings to be updated from 1999 (though they're catastrophically outdated).

We're building a movement of Australians who understand that supporting the arts is supporting the soul of our nation—and the livelihoods of the artists who create our culture.

For Mirabilis Collective, this day is both practical—we need funds to deliver our 2026 festival and compensate our artists fairly—and symbolic. We're part of something larger than ourselves. We're on Creative Australia's participant gallery standing alongside organisations from every corner of this country, each telling their own story about why creativity matters and why it's worth fighting for.

AusArt Day is our chance to prove that collective action can begin to address a crisis that's been 25 years in the making. It won't solve everything. But it's a start.

And in a sector where musicians are earning $14,700 annually from their creative work, where orchestras are reducing positions, where chamber music groups program only the safe classics, where works by living composers—particularly women—go unperformed—we need to start somewhere.

Will you be part of it?

On Thursday October 23, Mirabilis Collective will join hundreds of organisations for AusArt Day — a nationwide moment of unity and generosity for the arts. If you believe women’s voices deserve to be heard and celebrated, please visit mirabiliscollective.com/support-us to make your tax-deductible donation and help us reach 100 works by women performed at our Hear Her Now Festival.

About the Author
Stephanie Nicholls is the Artistic Director and founder of Mirabilis Collective, an oboist, pianist, and advocate for women in music. She founded the ensemble in 2022 to champion works by women composers and mentor young women musicians entering the profession.

L–R: Julia Nicholls, Stephanie Nicholls, Lucinda Nicholls, Tresna Stampalia, and Elena Wittkuhn of Mirabilis Collective at the AusArt Day Launch Let Her Be Heard — a celebration of women’s voices, creativity, and community in music.

Photo credit – Perth Classical Music Events

Women’s Voices Reshape Classical Music: A Closer Look at the 2025 Grammy Awards

The 67th GRAMMY Awards marked a decisive shift in classical music, celebrating artists who are redefining the genre and making space for voices long overlooked. This year’s winners not only demonstrated technical brilliance but also showed how classical music can respond to contemporary social movements while honouring its traditions. Through bold interpretations, rediscovered works, and genre-blurring compositions, these women are reshaping what classical music can be.

Gabriela Ortiz’s Revolución Diamantina: A Soundtrack to Resistance

Mexican composer Gabriela Ortiz emerged as a standout, winning three major awards:

• Best Classical Compendium

• Best Contemporary Classical Composition

• Best Orchestral Performance (awarded to conductor Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic)

Her ballet score, Revolución Diamantina, is a powerful example of how classical music can engage with social movements without sacrificing artistic complexity. The piece mirrors the energy of feminist protests in Mexico City, shifting between structured precision and moments of controlled chaos. Ortiz’s innovative use of choral writing departs from conventional Western classical traditions, evoking raw, primal emotions that capture the urgency of political resistance.

In her acceptance speech, Ortiz dedicated the award "to all the brave women in Mexico and around the world who fight against injustice every day," reinforcing the work’s deep connection to activism.

Mexican composer Gabriela Ortiz accepts her Grammy Award at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards, where her album Revolución Diamantina won multiple awards, including Best Classical Compendium and Best Contemporary Classical Composition.

Karen Slack and Michelle Cann Illuminate Florence Price’s Hidden Legacy

Soprano Karen Slack and pianist Michelle Cann won Best Classical Solo Vocal Album for Beyond the Years — Unpublished Songs of Florence Price, a groundbreaking recording that brings 19 of Price’s previously unpublished works into the spotlight.

Florence Price, a pioneering African-American composer, faced immense racial and gender barriers during her lifetime, and much of her work remained unheard for decades. This album’s recognition is part of a broader effort to correct historical oversights in classical music. Slack and Cann’s passionate performances bring Price’s compositions to life, proving their rightful place in the canon.

Upon receiving the award, Slack reflected on this moment:
"Back then, this award only went to very famous superstar singers on major classical labels. But today, I get the opportunity to be here among the greats that have come before me to represent the inimitable American composer Florence Price, a trailblazing Black woman who wrote extraordinary music at a time when it was believed that only European and male composers belonged in the concert hall."

Cover of Beyond the Years: Unpublished Songs of Florence Price by soprano Karen Slack and pianist Michelle Cann. The Grammy-winning album, released on Azica Records, brings to life 19 previously unpublished songs by the pioneering African-American composer Florence Price.

Caroline Shaw and Sō Percussion Break Boundaries with Rectangles and Circumstance

Composer Caroline Shaw, in collaboration with Sō Percussion, won Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance for Rectangles and Circumstance. Shaw, a Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, continues to redefine what contemporary classical music can be, fusing rhythmic experimentation with lush harmonic textures.

This album blends classical precision with a freewheeling, improvisatory spirit, proving that contemporary classical music can be both artistically rigorous and deeply accessible. By expanding the expressive possibilities of percussion and embracing genre-fluidity, Shaw and Sō Percussion create a sonic landscape that speaks to both devoted classical listeners and those new to the genre.

Composer Caroline Shaw with members of Sō Percussion, winners of the Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance for Rectangles and Circumstance. Their innovative collaboration blends classical precision with contemporary experimental soundscapes, redefining the boundaries of chamber music.

Kaija Saariaho’s Adriana Mater: A Posthumous Tribute to a Visionary

The late Kaija Saariaho was posthumously awarded Best Opera Recording for Adriana Mater, performed by the San Francisco Symphony and Chorus, under conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen. Featuring vocalists Fleur Barron, Axelle Fanyo, Nicholas Phan, and Christopher Purves, this recording captures the depth and complexity of Saariaho’s unique compositional voice.

Composed in 2005, Adriana Mater tells a harrowing story of war and trauma, themes that remain painfully relevant today. Recorded just before Saariaho’s passing, the opera serves as a final testament to her legacy.

Mezzo-soprano Fleur Barron noted the emotional weight of the recording:
"This opera explores issues most of us are processing—war, cycles of violence. Kaija’s music speaks to these struggles in a way that feels both urgent and timeless."

Saariaho’s deeply atmospheric, colour-rich style revolutionised modern opera. This Grammy win cements her status as one of the most influential composers of our time.

Cover of Adriana Mater by Kaija Saariaho, performed by the San Francisco Symphony and Chorus under the baton of Esa-Pekka Salonen. This Grammy-winning opera recording, featuring Fleur Barron, Axelle Fanyo, Nicholas Phan, and Christopher Purves, explores themes of war, trauma, and resilience, cementing Saariaho’s legacy as one of the most visionary composers of our time.

Elaine Martone: Classical Producer of the Year

Among the celebrated women at this year’s GRAMMYs, Elaine Martone was honoured as Producer of the Year, Classical, marking her sixth GRAMMY win. With a career spanning decades, Martone has collaborated with leading ensembles, including the Cleveland Orchestra, and her recent work features four recordings with the orchestra, further solidifying her reputation as a masterful producer.

Reflecting on her career, Martone emphasised the importance of mentorship and leadership in the industry:
"I never felt held back as a woman. I felt very lucky to grow a department and hire the right people," she says. "A key skill for my work as a producer is that I'm nurturing. I like being of service, including mentoring young women. Women represented about half of my staff."

Martone’s dedication to excellence and advocacy for gender balance continues to shape the classical music landscape, highlighting the vital role of producers in bringing complex musical projects to fruition.

Elaine Martone celebrates her Grammy win for Producer of the Year, Classical at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards. A six-time Grammy winner, Martone has been a leading force in classical music production, championing artistic excellence and mentoring the next generation of women in the industry.

This year’s classical GRAMMY wins highlight a significant transformation in the field. These women—composers, performers, and collaborators—are proving that classical music can honour its traditions while embracing new perspectives. Whether through Ortiz’s politically charged orchestral writing, Slack and Cann’s rediscovery of Florence Price, Shaw’s redefinition of chamber music, or Saariaho’s deeply affecting operatic storytelling, these artists are expanding what classical music can be.

Though Beyoncé’s historic Album of the Year win dominated headlines, the impact of these classical awards cannot be overstated. They signal an ongoing shift—one that moves beyond recognition and towards a future where classical music is more inclusive, innovative, and relevant to today’s world.

Sisters in Sync: 3-2-1 with Sally Whitwell

3 Questions - 2 Insights - 1 unique photo with remarkable women musicians

We are thrilled to share an incredibly insightful interview with Sally Whitwell, a distinguished Australian pianist, composer, conductor, and educator living and working on Ngunnawal and Ngambri land. Known for her versatility and innovative contributions to classical and contemporary music, Whitwell's achievements include multiple ARIA awards, five solo albums on ABC Classic, and a prolific output of compositions spanning solo piano, choral works, and chamber music. She has created numerous choral works and has worked with renowned ensembles such as the Gondwana Choirs, Adelaide Chamber Singers, and Sydney Children's Choir. Her collaborations extend to visual artists and theatre directors, highlighting her commitment to interdisciplinary creativity.

One of Whitwell’s notable recent projects is Margaret and the Grey Mare, a unique opera and immersive video installation co-created with artist Katy B Plummer. This innovative work features a chatbot coded to act as a channel to an ancient Celtic land spirit. Anchoring the project is a sprawling hour-long video opera, with a score composed and performed by Whitwell. The opera, filmed at Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, was produced in collaboration with award-winning filmmaker and video artist Kuba Dorabialski. The libretto was generated using a specially coded machine learning tool designed to simulate conversation with The Grey Mare, treating AI as a mystical link to the collective unconscious.

In this interview, Whitwell explores her experiences of collaboration, the challenges and rewards of creating interdisciplinary art, and her perspectives on the future of classical music.

Can you share an experience where collaborating with other women significantly influenced your work?

Finding the right collaborators is absolutely crucial. Done wrong, it can compromise your voice to a point that it becomes not representative of your work. Done right, their perspective can help you to see yourself more clearly and bring you into worlds where your message will be received more openly. Two cases in point, Katy B Plummer and Rosa Campagnaro, with whom I’ve started writing opera. I never previously thought of writing opera, because that part of the classical sector is so closed. Instead of trying to knock on that door that no one will answer, I made these operas with my fabulous collaborators in their worlds instead of mine. It’s changed my life!

With artist Katy B Plummer, I co-created Margaret and the Grey Mare, a multi-channel video installation fever dream about an opera. Katy commissioned a bespoke artificial intelligence from coder Flora Suen who trained it to speak as a kind of oracle, and we used it to co-write the libretto. It is set during the 17th century European witch trials where Margaret, an imagined ancestor, is visited each night by a mysterious horse ghost The Grey Mare, and each day by a Witch Finder. Accused by the latter of being a witch, Margaret eventually capitulates and gives up the Grey Mare to him.

With theatre director/writer and commedia dell’arte specialist Rosa Campagnaro, I co-created The Attempted Rape of Susanna (or The Marriage of Figaro) an adaptation of the Mozart/Da Ponte opera. Think Mozart meets Kath & Kim meets Emerald Fennel’s Promising Young Woman. Unlike the original Mozart, our adaptation is actually funny, very fast, extremely relatable and finishes more plausibly but more horrifyingly: Susanna raped by her husband Figaro with all the other characters, complicit in the rape culture of the story, looking on.

Stylistically and aesthetically, these operas are chalk and cheese, but they’re about the same theme: how privileged white women capitulate to patriarchal systems in order to keep themselves safe. Such women often think that they benefit from the system, when in reality we all lose. One such system is the opera system, which is why when I invited them to come along, the practitioners there either ignored my work or attacked it. They just don’t like folks who hold up a mirror to them. But the visual arts and theatre sector loved my works. Margaret and the Grey Mare is touring three cities over 2024-2025, and Rosa and I are doing a writing/development residency on our next Mozart adaptation Don Giovanni: Celebrated Sex Pest. The whole situation is kinda bewildering because I am finding the thing opera says it wants i.e. new audiences, but they refuse to innovate to find those audiences. I tried to help them but they won’t accept outside perspectives. Good luck to ‘em!

How do you think the music industry can better support and uplift women artists and composers?

There’s a lot of talk about how we have to have more women at the top. I don’t disagree, but I think for real progress to be made, what we actually need is more feminists at the top. 

Let’s compare two women conductors in Australia right now: Simone Young, Chief Conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and Jessica Cottis, Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Canberra Symphony Orchestra. Both sensational musicians and deeply committed to the music they champion. It’s very impressive that Simone Young is going to conduct The Ring Cycle in Bayreuth. Amazing achievement to be the first woman to do so, but what is it achieving for women? Nothing really. Her programming for SSO doesn’t fill me with much excitement, because I’ve probably seen all the Strauss and Mahler I need to see live in concert in my lifetime. Young has the position to be able to make a difference, but refuses to use it, having absolutely no demonstrable interest in diverse voices. It’s frustratingly disappointing that she’s not a feminist, but that’s her choice I guess. I wish her all the best.

Jessica Cottis, is from a younger generation of women conductors, clearly just as talented, skilled and passionate about music but has also has a clear commitment to diverse programming. She’s Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of my local band, Canberra Symphony Orchestra, and programs more Australian music and more music by women than any other orchestra in the country. She’s as happy there are she is in the more traditional repertoire which she conducts all over the world which just goes to show, you CAN do both! The Australian composers’ works in the CSO program are not hidden away like they are in other orchestra’s programming. These composers’ works are held up in the foreground, their creators taken seriously for their compelling and relatable contribution to the repertoire, to what it means to be alive here in Australia in the 21st century. What Jess is doing here for the creatives who actually make the repertoire… this is the future of classical music that gets me excited.

Is there a particular piece of music composed by a woman that energises or motivates you? 

Difficult by Amy X Neuburg, for mezzo-soprano, electronics and cello chixtet. https://youtu.be/n6Bl7eXUXVg?si=_mCVRh1OV313tJ1C There’s one line in this sardonically hilarious song that gets me every time: “Everyone knows that nothing is any good unless it’s difficult”. 

Contemporary classical music is a broad church. At one end of the continuum are the art music crowd, where you’ll find all the wild experiments in noise. I like to play and to listen to this kind of stuff (currently on high rotation, ‘Car Pig’ from Zubin Kanga’s album Machine Dreams https://zubinkanga.bandcamp.com/track/car-pig-composed-by-alex-paxton). At the other end are folks who write approachable, pretty stuff, including pop/jazz cross-over etc. I quite like playing and listening to this stuff too, I’ve friends and colleagues who create it and do a wonderful job, like Nat Bartsch and Sally Greenaway. There is sense that ‘serious’ music folks think the latter are somehow… second rate? Whatever, they’re getting much more airplay than the rest of us, so I reckon they’re pretty happy. Haha.

For myself, I used to write only the approachable stuff, which worked pretty well for me when it got around to airplay on Drivetime/Breakfast radio and votes in the ABC Classic 100 (I was the highest placed Australian composer in the Classic 100 Love at no. 27 for a choral setting of She Walks in Beauty, the first work I ever composed in my life). These days, my work sits pretty much exactly in the middle of those two extremes. No one knows where to put it any more. It’s not ‘difficult’ but it’s much more than just ‘pretty’ because of what it’s communicating, particularly in terms of the texts I write. 

I feel good about this situation, because it means I’ve found my voice, my niche. That it doesn’t fit into any of the existing boxes like ‘difficult’ or ‘approachable’ must mean that it’s all mine. And every time I hear Amy X Neuburg singing about what gatekeepers find to be acceptable or not, I laugh my arse off and get on with writing more of my stories in music.

What strategies have you found effective to overcome creative blocks or periods of self doubt?

In 2020, at the height of the Covid lockdowns, I suffered a complete creative block. It was debilitating, terrifying. I let opportunities slide because, for several months, nothing would come out. It was a conversation with my late mother Hoon Chee that shook me out of it, a conversation about that proverb by Lao Tzu, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. She looked at me sternly on FaceTime and said “When are you taking that first step, Sal?” 

So I started a practice of Daily Composition Exercises. I started on 14 October 2020 and haven’t missed a day since. I salute the morning with a cup of coffee, and sit down at my desk with my favourite black roller ball pen and a Spirax manuscript book, and I write. Each day I set a different task, manipulating motifs, creating modes or harmonic languages, working with ostinati or isorhythms or extended techniques or whatever. I write it and put a double bar at the end of it and call it a piece. Some of them are shit and I never look at them again. Some of them are great and become new works like these:

Tiny Dances https://youtu.be/u1UERAZLK24?si=GB5Zvn1E1INYur7r 

The Lockdown Alphabet https://youtu.be/rMkPVKzeYQw?si=pDOPfCgzWMMchs9G

Pictures at an exHERbition https://nga.gov.au/audio-learning-tours/pictures-at-an-exherbition/

I’m proud of these results, but it’s actually not the result that matters so much. It’s the process of doing it. I have really worked hard at building my arsenal of skills, so I now know that I can always write, even on days when I really don’t feel like it. I might have become a bit superstitious about the practice now? I’ve been known to get up at 4am to make sure it’s done before an early flight. I’ve written in bus stations, hospital emergency departments, during hotel breakfasts, when I’ve been struck down with migraines, and during both times I’ve had Covid. I highly recommend creating a daily habit. Perhaps this is the year I’ll finally start running that 8-week course on how to do it.

What advice would you give to young women aspiring to build a career in music?

Three words: Do Not Capitulate.

I see a lot of young classical musicians in my life, high school age musicians, and they have great politics. They’re thoughtful, passionate, justifiably angry about injustices they see and desirous of effecting change. When they grow up and move into tertiary music education and thence into the professional sphere, they start to separate into basically two groups. 

The first group move into the traditional parts of the sector, orchestras, opera companies etc. and give up all their politics. They become invested in the patriarchal systems of classical music because they believe they benefit from it and the approach to the creative life becomes somewhat superficial. Everything is just ‘beautiful’. They’re like the jocks of our industry, doing one thing very well. I think of one young friend who excitedly informed me that she was booked for her first big role in Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte (La Scola Degli Amanti). This opera title translates as “Women Are Like That (or The School for Lovers)”. When I challenged her by asking “Women are like… what, exactly?!” she ghosted me. I’m not hurt. It makes sense for her to capitulate, to embrace the patriarchal misogyny of the canonic repertoire. She’s invested in it because it provides her with a glamorous high profile job, so of course she’s uncomfortable with anyone challenging that. Best of luck to her.

The second group see the problems in the sector and move further into their politics. They tend to do their own thing, work in new music or cross-genre, multidisciplinary stuff. They are more vocal about diversity in the sector and basically try to make a difference. These kids are artists and they give me hope that there is future for the sector.

From Commissioning to Performance: A Glimpse into Mirabilis Collective's Musical Process

Embracing Musical Diversity

At Mirabilis Collective, diversity isn't just a word; it's our musical philosophy. From classical to contemporary, from folk to world music, we explore genres and styles that resonate with our mission. It's an exciting journey that uncovers hidden gems and brings fresh perspectives to our repertoire.

Commissioning New Works

One of the important aspects of our ensemble is our commitment to commissioning music by West Australian women composers and songwriters. It's more than a project; it's a passion. It's about supporting creativity, fostering talent, and giving a platform to voices that might otherwise go unheard.

The Thrill of a New Score

Opening a new score for the first time is a thrill, like turning the first page of a book you know you'll love. This was precisely the feeling when we opened Emily Gelineau's new work, "Her Time." It was a connection, an anticipation of the music yet to be explored and shared. The notes on the page were not just symbols; they were an invitation to a musical journey.

Creating Arrangements and the Joy of Collaboration

Creating arrangements is part of our process, a collaboration that involves understanding, translating, and adapting music for our ensemble. It's a challenge, but one that brings satisfaction and enhances our connection to the music.

For Concert One of our series Her Voice Resounds, we gave our arranger, Julia Nicholls, the challenge to arrange three pieces of contemporary music by Indigo Girls, Emily Wurramara and Kate Bush for chamber ensemble. Julia has beautifully captured the essence of these songs—and we all share in the satisfaction of performing something truly special.

Sharing Our Discoveries

Our work comes together on stage, where discoveries, commissions, and arrangements find their place. The audience connects with the music, and we, in turn, connect with them, sharing not only the notes but the stories behind them. It's a reminder of why we do what we do.

Join Us

We invite you to join us on this journey. Come to our concerts, listen to the music we've discovered and arranged, and share in the joy of creation and performance. Because at the end of the day, that's what Mirabilis Collective is all about: discovering, creating, and sharing music that resonates with all of us.