The AUSTA (NSW) New England String Performers’ Festival gives young string players the opportunity to perform in a friendly and supportive environment.

On Saturday March 14 at 2.30 pm soloists will perform in a graded Concerto Showcase.

On Sunday March 15 starting at 10.00 am performers can present one solo piece (either with piano or unaccompanied) in recital. Depending on the number of registrations received there will be multiple recital sessions with a pianist.

Unlike an eisteddfod there are no winners and no first or second places. It is an event to celebrate and showcase the talent of young string players. All participants will leave with a Certificate of Participation, a trophy and an adjudicator’s report.

Register here

CLICK HERE TO BOOK

Experience the AUSTA String Performance Day, an opportunity to perform in an elegant and inspiring venue.

Participants rehearse with an official AUSTA accompanist in a dedicated rehearsal space prior to presenting their performance in the Chapel.

1:30pm Concert: For unaccompanied works, chamber groups, or those with their own accompanist/teacher.

3:00pm Concert: For performers using the AUSTA SA accompanist. A compulsory rehearsal time will be emailed to you by Saturday 21 March. Parents are to bring their child to the Music Department rehearsal space at time given, then take child to the chapel between 2:45-2:55pm.

Save the date!!

AUSTA ACT

Stephen Chin

Date & Time:
28 March 2026
Session 1: Intonation 1.30-3.00pm
Session 2: Achieving Success 3.30-5.00pm

Venue:
54 National Circuit Forrest

Cost:
Members: $30.00/session or both sessions $45.00
Non-Members: $45.00/session or both sessions $65.00
Students with current student ID: $15.00/session or both sessions $25.00

Registration Link for Stephen Chin Presentations

Stephen Chin

Stephen is formerly a Principal String Teacher and Director of Orchestras at Brisbane Grammar School, is a past National President of the Australian String Teachers’ Association (AUSTA) and was inaugural conductor of the BEL Orchestra at the University of Queensland.  He is also a lecturer in String Pedagogy at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, Griffith University.  His early studies at Sydney University in violin and composition were completed under John Harding and Peter Sculthorpe respectively. He has performed with The ABC Sinfonia, The Badinerie Players, The Queensland Philharmonic Orchestra, The Queensland Symphony Orchestra, The Queensland Pops Orchestra and Corda Spiritus.  Stephen publishes a number of string compositions and arrangements which have been used as test pieces for competitions throughout Australia and as examination pieces for the Australian Music Examination Board (AMEB).

Session 1: Intonation

History of string tuning and with practical approaches to support students to refine their intonation.

Session 2: Motivating your students to achieve success

As Stephen is a violinist, this is aimed at violin & viola teachers, however cello & bass teachers are also more than welcome.

Stephen will share with us his approach to accelerate students while keeping them engaged and self motivated.

Contact: austaact@gmail.com

2026 AUSTA Vic String Performers Festival!

The String Performers Festival is an inclusive, student-centred performance event designed to nurture confidence, musical growth, and a love of performing. Hosted in a supportive, non-competitive setting, the festival provides young string players with the opportunity to share their music in front of an encouraging audience.

Students perform in small sessions, allowing for a calm and positive experience. Each performer receives individual written feedback from experienced string educators, helping to support ongoing learning and development beyond the event itself. All participants are also presented with a festival medallion in recognition of their achievement.

The festival is particularly suited to beginner–Grade 4 level performers, though students performing at higher levels are also welcome to participate with their own accompanist. Family, friends, and teachers are warmly encouraged to attend, creating a celebratory environment that supports every student on stage.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Date: Sunday 29th March

Sessions: 9:00, 10:00 and 11:00

Venue: Yarra Valley Grammar

For all performer bookings: https://www.trybooking.com/DIQAG

All enquiries please contact: austavicsecretary@austa.asn.au

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 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!”

Full review here: https://www.travis-maril.com/blog/shift-work-roger-benedict

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:

https://rogerbenedict.com/shop

Download version here (if you prefer – no code for this one):

https://partitura-verlag.com/en/shop-en/product/roger-benedict-shift-work-a-new-shifting-method-for-viola-download

AUSTA ACT

Reading Day

Date & Time:
29 March 2026
2.00-5.00pm

Venue:
54 National Circuit, Forrest

Cost:
Members: $15.00
Non-Members: $30.00
Students with current student ID: $15.00

Registration for Reading Day

Come along to our annual Reading Day to choose new music for your String Ensembles and network with your peers. We will be reading through the latest releases from Australian and International composers and publishers.

Don’t forget to bring your instrument.

Contact: austaact@gmail.com

AUSTA Q Mini-Conference 2026

When: Saturday 18th & Sunday 19th April 

Registration for the Mini-Conference is now open. Early bird registrations will be from 12th March until 30th March.

This years event promises to be packed full of interesting and pertinent sessions. Presenters this year to include David Law, Lynne Backstrom, Celia Egerton, Emily Clark, Jonathan Zorzetto, Robyne Gray and Delegates Orchestra with Jonny Ng.

https://www.trybooking.com/DJXJR

The Full Schedule of all the Mini-Conference sessions is now available below.