Our year began with a great buzz of activity and seeing so many friends old and new at the inaugural AUSTA WA Summer Conference held at UWA on January 23. AUSTA WA will present a range of thought provoking and social events in 2026. Would you like to be a part of shaping what we do? We have an active community of professionals and students who are motivated to create more opportunities for strings in WA. If you would like to join us, please contact our state president Stephanie Fraser: wapresident@austa.asn.au
Join AUSTA WA on Facebook for AUSTA posts, and join the AUSTA WA Facebook Group for sharing all your news, instruments for sale, concerts coming up, auditions and opportunities.
AUSTA WA is a member of the Chamber of Arts and Culture, Western Australia
The Chamber is a place of research and resources for the arts and arts-related activities in WA, and has many useful resources for arts advocacy in our state. Our committee members participate in Chamber professional development and other opportunities, which in turn will benefit AUSTA and our work in the community.
10th to 15th January
Five days of immersive baroque music on the WA south coast.
Join singers and instrumentalists for an inspiring and intensive workshop in beautiful Denmark, Western Australia –
Event Details
10th to 15th January
Five days of immersive baroque music on the WA south coast. Join singers and instrumentalists for an inspiring and intensive workshop in beautiful Denmark, Western Australia – combining expert tuition, chamber music, and a relaxed coastal retreat.
AUSTA WA is pleased to present a cello masterclass for 2025 with Musica Viva artist, Rachel Johnston. This masterclass presents ideal opportunity for students of all playing levels to participate.
Event Details
AUSTA WA is pleased to present a cello masterclass for 2025 with Musica Viva artist, Rachel Johnston. This masterclass presents ideal opportunity for students of all playing levels to participate. Students are invited to perform an excerpt or short work to receive feedback/workshop with Rachel. The afternoon will conclude with a ‘Q and A’, with opportunity to ask Rachel further questions about cello playing, performing and teaching.
Saturday 13 September 1:15 – 5:00pm
Free Audience ticket for AUSTA members
Beginner to Grade 3 (Four 10 min participant places)
Grade 4 to Grade 7 (Four 15 min participant places)
Grade 8+ (Three 20 min participant places)
Save $10 with Early Bird participant bookings till August 30th.
Please note participant ticket will include free entry for one accompanying adult.
Sunday 22nd February, 10:30am to 5:00pm
Manning Community Centre
Directed by Laurence Jackson
Join fellow adult string players for a rewarding day immersed in one of the most glorious works in the chamber
Event Details
Sunday 22nd February, 10:30am to 5:00pm
Manning Community Centre
Directed by Laurence Jackson
Join fellow adult string players for a rewarding day immersed in one of the most glorious works in the chamber orchestra repertoire – Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings.
Under the expert guidance of Laurence Jackson, participants will explore ensemble playing, musical interpretation, and the art of achieving a truly unified sound.
Why take part:
Expert coaching by Laurence Jackson, internationally acclaimed violinist, former leader of the Maggini String Quartet, and concertmaster at WASO.
Inspiring repertoire: Discover the depth, passion, and beauty of Tchaikovsky’s Serenade.
Collaborative atmosphere: Enjoy a supportive, collegial environment encouraging musical growth.
Sunday March 29 11am-noon AWST online
Roger Benedict introduces his latest publication!
Free for AUSTA members. $20 for non-members.
This event will be recorded.
Book here
A generous discount code for
A generous discount code for purchasing the physical book “Shift Work for Viola” AND Roger’s other publication on technique, “Scale Up!”, will be sent to all who register, a total value of over $24!
Viola player Roger Benedict has had a distinguished career as soloist, orchestral principal and chamber musician, and has earned a reputation as an inspiring and insightful pedagogue. His career includes experience as Principal Viola of SSO, tertiary level string teaching, creating viola publications including a viola scale book. Helen Tuckey worked with him in recent years as he was the Diploma Level Consultant for the most recent AMEB viola syllabus. His latest book is “Shift Work. A new shifting method for viola”.
Roger says: “Shifting is such a fundamental part of string playing technique; it enables us to navigate the fingerboard with ease but is also an integral part of our expressive vocabulary. Many players struggle to shift reliably under pressure – when a player leaves the concert stage saying “I didn’t play in tune” it could often be expressed more accurately as “I didn’t shift well”.
My comprehensive book of shifting exercises provides a guide not only to shifting, but to all facets of left-hand technique, and is a perfect companion to my scale method Scale Up! It is a structured system with foolproof exercises that cover all the different types of shift, both single- and double-stopped, to help build real resilience and reliability. As a result, I hope that violists will develop a fearlessness and freedom in their playing that will enable them to broaden their expressive and interpretive range.
Influential viola blogger Travis Maril says: “Roger Benedict’s “Shift Work” is a fantastic pedagogical resource that belongs on the stand of any violist looking to improve their left hand, and a great companion to his scale book, “Scale Up.” Intermediate to professional players will find helpful exercises to increase their confidence, comfort and ease navigating the fingerboard, clear and concise instructions on the mechanics of each kind of shift, and intuitive exercises to develop fluency in them. Players seeking to improve their double stop shifting will find this book particularly helpful. IMHO, regular practice of the exercises in “Shift Work” will lead players to faster improvements than time spent on that old shifting warhorse, Ševčík Op. 8: this was certainly the case for me!”
Australian customers should order physical copies here – register for the AUSTA online event first, and then apply the discount code which will arrive with registration email:
