It’s getting close to Christmas, so if you haven’t already organised gifts for your staff or clients, can we suggest Giving Culture vouchers as a great option? You can find out how they work here, and why they are such a great way to support our local arts industry.
Speaking of supporting the local arts industry, we’d like to call out a great new initiative from Creative Australia, who has set up a new national giving day. AusArt Day 2025 on Thursday 23 October 2025 is Creative Australia’s nationwide, sector-wide fundraising initiative designed to mobilise artists and arts organisations to raise funds for their work and creative ambitions on a single, powerful day.
Over 300 artists and arts organisations have registered to participate, including our partners Australian Theatre for Young People and Sydney Film Festival!
You can find out about how you can support ATYP and SFF below, or search through the list on the AusArt Day 2025 webpage to find out how you can donate to other artists or organisations involved in the day.
Beyond AusArt Day, there’s a lot more coming from our other partners. The Australian Chamber Orchestra has a new national tour starting in November, and the Australian World Orchestra is announcing its 2026 Season in late November. Also, look out for new promotions coming from Incognito Art Show – we took advantage of a special offer on frames recently and couldn’t resist buying the piece pictured below – you’ll see why! We discovered it was painted by an eight-year-old artist, which makes it even more special.
If you’d like more information about Giving Culture, contact us or sign up to our monthly emails at givingculture.com.au/contact. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn for other updates and posts on what’s happening at Giving Culture, and in the arts and culture scene in Australia.
Australian Theatre for Young People
ATYP is taking part in Creative Australia’s inaugural AusArt Day on Thursday, 23 October 2025, aiming to raise $10,000 to launch its brand-new black box theatre, The Popsy, as a versatile space for artists to experiment, collaborate, take risks and tell new stories.
On the 23rd, we’d love for our voucher holders to choose the Donate Gold or Donate Silver option, select ‘Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP)’ from our list of partners, and click redeem. That way, the full value of your voucher will go directly to ATYP’s campaign to build The Popsy.
Why should you support ATYP? For over 60 years, ATYP has nurtured the next generation of theatre-makers, providing young and emerging artists with an accessible, flexible environment to experiment, collaborate, and bring new ideas to life. To find out more about ATYP’s plans for The Popsy, go to https://atyp.com.au/atyp-build-the-popsy.
Sydney Film Festival
With only 33% of annual income coming from ticket sales, Sydney Film Festival relies on donations to not only keep the Festival running each year but ensure it continues for generations to come.
That’s why Sydney Film Festival will be joining Creative Australia’s national day of giving to the arts – AusArt Day on Thursday 23 October 2025. On the day, you may notice SFF rallying for support to help build the 2026 Festival. You can help by sharing the message with your network or, of course, donating! Every dollar truly makes a difference.
To support SFF on the day, our voucher holders can choose either the Donate Gold or Donate Silver option, select ‘Sydney Film Festival’ from our list of partners, and click redeem. By doing so, you will be making a meaningful contribution to the Festival’s ongoing sustainability. You can read more about SFF’s donation program here: https://www.sff.org.au/support-us/donate-now.
Incognito Art Show
Incognito still has more than 4,000 artworks for sale, so go online now to www.incognitoartshow.com to pick your favourite pieces or merchandise. There will be new sales promotions until the end of the year, so check back in regularly or sign up to their mailing list to take advantage of any new offers.
You can take advantage of any upcoming promotions by redeeming for an Incognito Art Show – Gold Voucher or an Incognito Art Show – Silver Voucher.
Australian Chamber Orchestra
Cocteau’s Circle
8-22 November
Touring to Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne Newcastle, Adelaide and Canberra.
A spectacular evening of storytelling, song and surrealism, Richard Tognetti directs the ACO as it dives into an era of innovation and wonder in 1920s Paris, featuring Le Gateau Chocolat, of La Clique and La Soirée fame, as maître d’. You’ll hear the music of Erik Satie, Lili Boulanger and the group dubbed ‘Les Six’ – composers including Francis Poulenc and Darius Milhaud, who took their inspiration from the transgressive jazz they heard at legendary cabaret bar Le Boeuf sur le Toit as well as Cocteau’s avant-garde poetry.
Link for more performance details: https://www.aco.com.au/whats-on/2025/cocteaus-circle
To take advantage of ticket prices, it would be best to redeem either an ACO – Gold Voucher or ACO – Silver Voucher for these performances.
Australian World Orchestra: Reflections from our 2025 Academy Player
As the AWO prepares to launch its 2026 Season this November — with presale and general release scheduled for December — we’ve taken a moment to reflect on the year that’s been.
It’s been wonderful to revisit the experience through the eyes of AWO’s 2025 Academy Player, Sola Hughes, whose passion and insight truly capture the spirit of the AWO. Ahead of the full interview in AWO’s upcoming newsletter, here’s an excerpt we couldn’t resist sharing:
Did you receive any words of wisdom from another player that you’d want to pass on to other young musicians?
“My deskies were so kind and gave me lots of tips. One that made a big impact on me was that just because I was new to the orchestra — the student — it doesn’t mean I should play small. I was told to play with lots of shape, how you’d normally play a sonata or something. I tried it in the rehearsal after that, and I almost cried (in a cathartic way). It always feels vulnerable to give more of yourself, but it’s so worth it to actually be a part of something rather than to hide away.”
You can keep an eye on AWO’s upcoming announcements here.