The Musica Viva (MVA) Historical Collection is a diverse and significant collection of administrative, personal and creative documents that record the activities of a major non-government Australian performing arts organisation over its 80-year history.
The documentation within this collection consists of official publications both text and aural/visual, oral histories of early founders, published and unpublished transcripts, music scores of Australian composers for concert performances, official records of meetings and selected memorabilia.
These documents describe the emergence of chamber music in Australia as European refugees from World War II chose this country to rebuild their lives. The professional development of that artform throughout the nation over the decades that followed provided fresh musical experiences for audiences and schoolchildren and a platform for artists as the Musica Viva.
The collection documents themes of community-led creative arts presentation and practice; the adoption and translation of European and other musical and performance traditions to an Australian context, the administrative and creative history of community-led performing arts organisations in Australia; and the contribution that key individuals have made to shaping the organisation and Australian cultural life.
As a national corporate body in the arts, 80 years old in 2025, the documentation of survival and flourishing to become the largest private provider of small ensemble music not only in Australia, but in the world, is invaluable.
As a promoter of performance, the documentation of theatre programs and related material shows a history of print and graphic style, and the development of communication with audiences over time. The ways in which performance and repertoire are described are a rich source of musical history peculiar to Australia. Newspaper and journal reviews also record a history of reporting, reviewing and changes in artistic sensibility.
Musica Viva Australia is a national leader in music education in schools. The company’s education program, known originally as Musica Viva in Schools, (now Musica Viva Australia in Schools) includes teaching materials, administration records and reports or reviews over its history. Artists from all parts of Australia and the world have provided thousands of concerts in remote and regional communities as well as in city concert halls, sharing their talents with audiences and music students who participate in masterclasses, further enriching the musical life of Australia.