AWKWARDSTRA GEELONG INC.

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

Awkwardstra is an inclusive, social-impact orchestra on Wadawurrung Country — open to all musicians aged 17–80+, regardless of financial, logistical, physical, cultural, or psychological barriers to participation. As Music Director and Conductor, I hold artistic ambition and radical welcome in the same hand.

In 2024 we opened Australia's largest multicultural festival, Pako Festa, with an orchestral flash mob in front of 130,000 people. We've commissioned and premiered a new piano concerto, delivered sold-out performance seasons in both 2024 and 2025, and we are currently producing a documentary to premiere alongside our 2026 season.

"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…"