Following the incredible donation of music resources from UNE in April, Opera Australia has now followed suit and sent hundreds of opera recordings and scores to NECOM. These generous donations will help establish a community Music Library, and it is hoped that music-lovers will be able to gain access to the shared resources currently being housed in the Old Teacher’s College. Russ Bauer, CEO of NECOM said that it was his desire to see a library where students, staff and members of the public could score-read the greatest orchestral and choral works while listening to recordings of the finest ensembles performing the selected piece. “We live in an age where music is becoming an over-digitized and instantly accessible commodity”, Mr Bauer said. “While it’s true that almost any score can now be downloaded and recordings of same accessed through youtube and other streaming sites, there’s something very charming and traditional about holding a score in your hands and listening to an orchestra on vinyl or CD”, he explained. “With multiple copies of hundreds of scores, we will be able to invite music classes in to study musical masterpieces together, something that could be of particular benefit to HSC and AMEB students”.
NECOM wishes to publicly thank Dr Alana Blackburn from the UNE Music Department, and Jennifer Fung from the Opera Australia Music Library for the kind donation of hundreds of resources. If members of the community would like information about how your donations can benefit the Conservatorium, please contact Mr Bauer – director@necom.org.au
