Classical aspirations: An orchestra for all

A MUSICAL group full of personalities, skill and community spirit is providing opportunity for lapsed classical musicians around the region, free of judgment and available to players of all ages and skill.

Two years on from its inception, Awkwardstra Geelong continues to provide a unique opportunity to local musicians – a chance to be a part of an orchestra regardless of expertise.

Awkwardstra president and founder Scott Popovic started the musical group after finding out through his daughter and cellist Alex that opportunities to continue playing classical instruments were few and far between around the Geelong region.

This led to the formation of Awkwardstra, providing a haven for all types of musicians to maintain their love of playing both in a practice and concert setting.

 

 

“Most orchestras require you have Australian Music Examination Board minimum of fifth or sixth grade, which can be nerve-wracking for some people and in Alex’s case, all of the local music groups were full of cellos,” Mr Popovic said.

“She then found a place in Melbourne called Squawkestra, which is quite similar to us and was started 30 years ago, providing a community orchestra people can play at with the minimum skill amount.

“I went up and attended one of their practices and I just loved it, so I came back and started up a similar group with the support of the Vines Road Community Centre has hosted our practices and concerts and have been really supportive of us and we’ve just continued to grow.”

Awkwardstra had 24 members in its orchestra during its inaugural year. The group number has now increased to more than 40, with more and more musicians deciding to join up.

The Awkwardstra performs at several local events each year, including Pako Festa earlier in 2024 as part of a pop-up performance, but all efforts at practices go towards the group’s annual concert, which was held in November.

Characterised as the Awkwardstra’s “Super Bowl”, the orchestra curated a list of songs for a night of performance in front of 200 friends and family.

The concert playlist featured a mix of classical staples and modern releases, ranging from Beethoven’s Waltzes to the James Bond Theme to Steppenwolf’s Born To Be Wild.

Led by conductor, music director and ABC Classic presenter Joel Carnegie says the group’s dedication over the past year had been nothing short of spectacular leading up to the concert, filling him and the committee with immense pride.

Mr Carnegie first joined the group by hearing there was a need for a fill-in conductor two years ago when the group was formed but was without their original conductor for six weeks.

He volunteered his services, enjoyed his time with the group, and now finds himself still conducting the Awkwardstra two years later.

“It’s a really proud time of the year for me personally, this is influence-based for a lot of our musicians, it’s not just about making music for our members, it’s also about meeting new people and being part of a community and something bigger than themselves.

“We are all part of a supportive culture here, creating fun and not perfectionism, while also having a laugh along the way.

“I’ve been part of a lot of other ensembles across the country as part of my work, but this space is unlike any other I’ve been a part of.

“We have members ranging from 17 years old to 75 years old, all playing the instruments they love and contributing in their own way.”

 

 

With the concert now in the rearview mirror and a whole year to prepare for the next one, Mr Popovic said now was the perfect time to consider joining Awkwardstra Geelong.

“It’s so relaxed and fun, people who join us after being part of more conventional orchestra find it quite refreshing and different, so much so we expected to become a feeder orchestra into the other groups around Geelong, but it has turned out to be the opposite.

“I’d advise any new players to head to the website and contact us, that way I can email all the relevant sheet music and then they can see in advance what they need to practice before arriving to our practices.

“We also have people arriving to our practices first, which is perfectly fine as well. Now is certainly a great time to join, we already have a handful of new players who were waiting for the concert to end so they could join.”

All information about Geelong Awkwardstra can be found at awkwardstrageelong.com.au