MUSIC NEWS: Melbourne Youth Orchestra hosts The Big Busk
Melbourne Youth Orchestras hosts The Big Busk, a community celebration and fundraiser for young musicians at Queen Victoria Market this September
Over 700 musicians, 14+ ensembles, across 4 stages
Symphony orchestras, string orchestras, jazz orchestras, and symphonic bands
All funds raised to support MYO's inspirational ensemble music program
“Being a part of Melbourne Youth Orchestras has truly changed my life for the better. The many orchestras I have been a part of, the chance to perform incredible and diverse repertoire, and, of course, the special friends and mentors I have met along the way. I am so grateful to have been a part of the MYO community for more than a decade.” - JoJo (Joanna) Ostaff (Cello), Current Member, Melbourne Youth Orchestra
Celebrating the orchestral youth of Victoria, Melbourne Youth Orchestras (MYO) is hosting the debut Naarm (Melbourne) edition of The Big Busk, a fundraising event that will be held at Queen Victoria Market on Saturday 20 September. Starting as a fundraiser in Eora (Sydney), The Big Busk's 2025 edition will be held in two cities for the first time.
Established in 1967, Melbourne Youth Orchestras fosters a vibrant community of classical and jazz musicians, engaging with over 700 young people in fourteen ensembles, running year-round on weekends, in addition to other esteemed programs. With over 700 students participating in MYO’s Big Busk 2025, the event will feature 14 ensembles across the market's iconic main stage, while chamber groups, duos and individual performers will fill the air with music at the much-loved busking sites from 8 am - 4 pm. While raising funds for the Melbourne Youth Orchestras and their integral role in inspiring and investing in young musicians, the day offers an accessible experience of their instrumental ensembles, from symphony and string orchestras to jazz and symphonic bands.
"As a regional student making an eight-hour round trip for every rehearsal, the financial support I receive from MYO is invaluable. I am not alone in needing to travel such distances. There are many talented regional musicians who can and do find participating in MYO programs exceptionally difficult without financial assistance." - Ethan Porter (Cello), Current Member, Melbourne Youth Orchestra and Regional Scholarship Recipient. (Albury-Wodonga)
“Melbourne Youth Orchestras taught me how to be passionate and work really hard at something, and feel a sense of huge achievement. When I joined the Orchestra Academy with the Berlin Philharmonic it was a daunting experience at first, but within the first week that I played with them all the repertoire we were performing, I had already played during my time at Melbourne Youth Orchestras” - Phoebe Russell ( Principal Double Bass, Queensland Symphony Orchestra. Former member, Melbourne Youth Orchestra)
Melbourne Youth Orchestras is Victoria’s leading provider of ensemble music education for young people aged 8 to 25 years of age. With thousands of alumni and students over the past five decades, MYO’s team of dedicated conductors and educators have fostered the early stages of careers for award-winning composer and conductor Nicolas Buc, who has worked with the likes of Wynton Marsalis, Nick Cave, Tina Arena, and conducted live film concert premiers including Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, Principal Double Bass for Queensland Symphony Orchestra Phoebe Russell, Chief Conductor of the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra and Principal Conductor of the MSO Benjamin Northey, and so many more.
Built on the passion of youth in music, the ensembles bring together students from all across Victoria, catering to all ages and levels to participate in one of the three symphony orchestras, five string orchestras, three symphonic bands, two jazz orchestras, and the 'Adaptive Music Bridging Program' supporting children and young people with disability.
‘Playing in a band or an orchestra can teach you more about life than almost anything else. It can teach you about love, death, struggles, fears, anticipation, and excitement. I am convinced that music ignites something in the brain like nothing else.’ - MYO Alumni Nicolas Buc (Australian composer, conductor, arranger)
Join the MYO for a vibrant day of music across Queen Victoria Market and support the next generation of Victorian musicians.
MYO Big Busk 2025
Saturday 20 September
Queen Victoria Market
8 am - 4 pm
Support The Big Busk and MYO Here
