A Kind of NFP
A company incorporated in 2025 under the Victorian Incorporations Association Reform Act 2012. It was registered as a cultural charity under the ACNC in the same year. We are planning to run events in 2026 and 2027 to meet the ATO’s requirement for DGR status.
How the Board got Together
It has five shareholders, all members of the Board. Each member of the Board has spent a significant portion of their adult life supporting commissions and performances variously through ANAM, MSO, ACO, MCO, AWO, AO, the Australian Dance Theatre, Australian Ballet, Acclaim, Melba Opera Trust, Melbourne Opera, Musica Viva and the Melbourne Recital Centre to give a summary list.
How we chose the name
“First the Music” is a partial quotation from Mozart. When asked about his Italian operas composed with Lorenza da Ponte, he offered the opinion that first came the music then the words.
He did mention the words, so we will commission music with words and without, and support performances with instrumentalists, singers and dancers in any combination. Of equal importance, we will try to get repeat performances of the works we have commissioned while working on new commissions.
How we will roll out our vision
In the first instance, we will concentrate on our Dante project ( Commissions, Performances) in tandem with Coady Green, the artistic Director and virtuoso pianist for that project. This will take most of 2026. You can support us initially by joining the mailing list for our newsletters and then attending events, financially supporting project, offering to be a salon host for running intimate fundraising concerts or contributing other specialist skills.