“Music belongs to everyone.”
— Zoltán Kodály

Welcome to 2026! We’re waltzing into the new year in the midst of a hot summer—our energy is reinvigorated and excitement is in the air!

Lots of exciting things in the works—plenty of reasons to join the fun. Whether you’re a familiar face or just joining us, there’s a lot ahead that we think you’ll genuinely enjoy being part of.

Stay cool, stay curious, get ready: 2026 is shaping up to be a good one.

CYO for National Folk Festival 2026

First up, just around the corner, the Canberra Youth Orchestra is set to play the  National Folk Festival in April—mark your calendars!

Apart from being excited for our young musicians to hold this stage again, we are also stoked (and privileged!) to be collaborating with composer-musician Kenya Wilkins on her didgeridoo concerto Celestial Emu, which was reworked specifically for the CYO. More info to come—stay tuned!

CCC: Looking ahead to 2026

As the Canberra Children’s Choir approaches its 59th year, we’re looking ahead to an exciting new chapter. From 2026, our Training Choir and Junior Voices ensembles will come together under one unified Canberra Children’s Choir. This allows us to concentrate our efforts onto building a stronger, more powerful choral sound while continuing to support our young singers at every stage of their musical journey.

Our sincerest gratitude to outgoing conductors Greta Claringbould and Tobias Cole. We are very thankful for the care, musicianship, and leadership they have given our singers, and for the strong musical culture they have helped build. They are departing to take up further professional opportunities, reflecting the high regard in which they are held across the sector. We wish them every success.

We are delighted to welcome Olivia Swift as Acting Conductor for Term 1. Currently conducting the Woden Valley Youth Choir, Kompactus Youth Choir and the Canberra Community Chorale, Olivia is a familiar face and highly respected figure in Canberra’s choral community. She is known for building confidence, musical curiosity and a love of challenge in young singers.

Olivia will guide the choir during this period as we undertake a careful and considered search for a permanent conductor.

The Canberra Children’s Choir remains a welcoming, non-auditioned ensemble for young singers, continuing its long tradition of nurturing confidence, musicianship and community through singing.

CYO, CYCB and CCC for Floriade 2026!

Adding another year to the count, Canberra Youth Orchestra, Canberra Youth Concert Band and the Canberra Children’s Choir are all set to perform at this year’s Floriade.

We’re looking ahead to the year with energy and optimism.

Thank you for choosing music.