Entertainment

Film concerts boost classical music audiences in Australia

ABC News

May 18, 2026 5:08 pm

source: ABC

Classical music isn’t dead, but who’s listening, and how, is changing.

One of the clearest signs of that change is the rise of live orchestral concerts paired with blockbuster film screenings.

These concerts are significantly driving the growth in live performance of classical music in Australia.

According to the latest Live Performance Australia data, the most popular classical music performances in 2024 included Star Wars, How to Train Your Dragon, Pirates of the Caribbean, and The Man from Snowy River in Concert.

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According to Screen Sounds presenter Dan Golding, watching a film with a live orchestra isn’t new.

“In the 19th-century, film was something that was added into a musical context,” Golding says.

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