AWKWARDSTRA GEELONG INC.

AN INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY ORCHESTRA, EXISTING entirely for the joy of playing music.

Awkwardstra Geelong is an inclusive community orchestra. All musicians aged 17 and over are welcome to come along and play, spanning all levels of skill and experience. Our mission is to foster a supportive environment for all, regardless of the hurdles they may face in participation, be it financial, logistical, physical, cultural or psychological. As an act of harmony, balance and synchronisation, my role involves bringing the whole ensemble together in pursuit of shared learning, development and performance goals. Recent highlights include opening Australia’s largest multi-culture festival, Pako Festa in 2024, with an orchestral flash mob in front of 130,000 people, the commissioning of a brand new piano concerto from Kym Dillon, and sharing the joy of music in weekly Awkwardstra rehearsals, as we build towards our performance season later in 2025.

“Joel Carnegie is a highly sought-after musician with seemingly endless energy and a fine sense of fun. He’s clearly respected by every member of his Awkwardstra, and at this concert, that respect went both ways…”