20th Australian International Music Festival

Editorial

The 20th Australian International Music Festival is a unique series of concerts set to take place at Sydney's top music venues throughout July. The festival has been set up by a company called World Projects, which offers musicians the chance to tour to different countries and play at exclusive venues on an annual basis.

World Projects was responsible for auditioning and gathering together 2000 musicians from around the globe to create the Sydney 2000 Olympics Millennium Marching Band for the opening ceremony, and co-produced the Beijing 2008 Olympic Orchestra.

The festival caters specifically to both youth and adult orchestras, wind bands and choirs, who are selected through a stringent audition process from many countries. The festival incorporates participants from as far as the USA, New Zealand, China, Singapore and Switzerland, as well as from Australia.

Taking place from 6 to 12 July, a series of showcases, both free and ticketed, will take place at the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Town Hall, St Andrew's Cathedral and the City Recital Hall Angel Place. The competing bands will be awarded gold, silver or bronze plaques based on their quality of performance.

Julianne Gill