We were heartened by UK research published last month in the journal Innovation in Aging, that provides the first evidence that art and cultural engagement is linked to a slower pace of biological ageing. “Many of us know instinctively that taking part in creative and cultural activities is vital for a happy, flourishing life,” said Hollie Smith-Charles, the director of creative health and change programmes at Arts Council England, in an article in The Guardian. “These impressive new findings … demonstrate how vital it is that everyone, everywhere has access to excellent and affordable culture on their doorstep.” We couldn’t agree more!
On the topic of access to art and culture, we are thrilled to welcome our first Melbourne-based organisation to Giving Culture: Melbourne Chamber Orchestra. “Giving Culture is a great initiative that helps make the arts more accessible to a community that might not have been aware of our ‘tiny but mighty’ orchestra otherwise. It’s a real ‘win-win’ situation,” said Adele Schonhardt OAM, Executive Director at MCO. Read more about our new partnership here, and see below about how to get tickets for MCO’s upcoming concert, Under the Canopy.
Also, if you accept the research findings that participating in art and culture has a direct impact on ageing, then you have to agree with Kate Larsen in ArtsHub that “art and culture should be considered (and resourced) alongside education, health, youth, disability, ageing, housing, social services and regional development”. Larsen is writing in response to news that the Australian Government is developing a new National Cultural Policy and inviting public submissions as part of the national consultation.
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.
Melbourne Chamber Orchestra
Classical accordionist James Crabb joins Melbourne Chamber Orchestra this July to bring his unique flair to works by leading composers in Under the Canopy.
From the ornate beauty of Rameau and the bold invention of CPE Bach, to Gubitsch’s tango pulse and the raw soul of Scottish tradition, these works speak across time and place with one voice: expressive, searching, alive.
Aaron Wyatt offers a deeply moving portrait of the Australian landscape. Exploring themes of identity, Country, and connection to nature, his reflections ground the program in a powerful sense of place.
With Crabb in the spotlight, this concert promises a memorable journey through sound, land, and story, delivered with passion and imagination.
To secure tickets to Under the Canopy at Melbourne Recital Centre on either Thursday 9 or Sunday 12 July, redeem your Gold or Silver performance voucher now, or redeem Gold or Silver vouchers that go towards shows of your choice throughout the year.
Sydney Film Festival
The Sydney Film Festival 2026 program is live and sessions are already selling out! Move fast to secure tickets to the year’s biggest, buzziest films – including Olivia Wilde’s dinner party dramedy The Invite, plus, straight from glowing reviews at Cannes: Jane Schoenbrun’s surreal horror sensation Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, and Cristian Mungiu’s Fjord starring Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve. When everyone is talking about it, everyone saw it at SFF. Sydney Film Festival returns June 3-14. You’ll see.
Redeem your gold or silver Giving Culture voucher now to secure your Flexipass and start booking tickets for your film picks!
Ensemble Offspring
Tickets for Ensemble Offspring’s The Oracle concerts in Sydney and Canberra in June are selling quickly, so redeem your silver voucher now for two tickets for one of these two in-demand performances of their biggest and boldest program of the year.
Led by The Netherlands-based American conductor Clark Rundell, this concert will feature Ensemble Offspring’s expanded 14-piece sinfonietta-sized ensemble. They will be premiering two of Kate Moore‘s works, written specifically for Ensemble Offspring. The first is titled Rose of Roses, first heard in New York in 2025 and now presented in Australia to celebrate the 70th birthday of its commissioner, and the second a highly anticipated percussion concerto written for and performed by Claire Edwardes!
Incognito Art Show
The Incognito Art Show arrives at Carriageworks next month from Saturday 27 June, where 20,000 original artworks by 15,000 anonymous artists will be sold for just $100 each.
Not an ordinary sale, all artists remain a mystery until their artwork is purchased and their identity is revealed on the back of the piece.
Browse available artworks at www.incognitoartshow.com and build your wishlist to keep track of your top picks while shopping in person or online. Every purchase supports professional development programs for artists with disability.
Find key dates and details for the Incognito Art Show’s Sydney, Brisbane, Townsville and online sales here.
In preparation for this year’s exhibitions, you can redeem now for an Incognito Art Show – Gold Voucher or an Incognito Art Show – Silver Voucher.
Australian Theatre for Young People
ATYP’s upcoming production Straight Panic is a very gay comedy about very straight people in the strange far-off land of early 2000s Sydney. The play is on from 16-27 June and crashes into The Popsy, ATYP’s new 50-seat black box space at Pier 2/3 next to Sydney Harbour Bridge in Dawes Point. This frenzied and biting comedy is written by Lachlan Parry, directed by Lily Hayman and stars NIDA graduate Esha Jessy.
ATYP has also announced the courses for its Winter school holiday workshops in July – contact us at info@givingculture.com.au or on (02) 4872 4981 to find out how you can redeem your gold or silver voucher for credit towards these workshops or for tickets to Straight Panic.
Australian Chamber Orchestra
Isles of Light, Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide from 13-23 June
British string virtuoso Lawrence Power makes his long-awaited debut with the ACO, directing its upcoming national tour, Isles of Light. It’s a program that journeys through Britain’s lush, poetic soundscapes, from Vaughan Williams’s luminous Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis and its awestruck response by Herbert Howells, to the experimental universe of Kate Bush and a world premiere Viola concerto by Garth Knox.
Redeem either an ACO – Gold Voucher or ACO – Silver Voucher to put towards tickets to ACO’s exciting new national tour in June.
The Australian World Orchestra
For its 15th anniversary celebration, the Australian World Orchestra has commissioned a new work from composer Jonathan Mills: a song cycle titled Songs for the Stranger. Drawing on music from his opera Eucalyptus and expanded with newly written songs, the cycle deepens and reframes the enigmatic figure of the Stranger. This performance marks Australian tenor Michael Petruccelli’s debut with the AWO — a fitting homecoming following several years working with Oper Frankfurt.
To secure your tickets for AWO’s upcoming concerts on 19 August at Arts Centre Melbourne, or 20 August at Sydney Opera House, redeem your Gold or Silver Voucher now!