Christian Orchestra & Choir Makes Space for Next Gen Classical Talent

The church may have a rich history in the creative arts, but for young composers or orchestral musicians there’s not many forums to combine talent with faith. The Australian Christian Youth Orchestra and Choir has designed a program to change that.

Key points:

• The Australian Christian Orchestra and Choir is creating a space where young musicians can grow in both faith and creativity.

• The youth program invites 13–19-year-olds to develop their musical gifts while building community and purpose.

• Led by experienced musicians, the initiative aims to combine excellence, faith and connection through performance.

Founded by Ryan Gilpin, the Australian Christian Orchestra and Choir (ACOC) aims to create a space where musical ability and faith can grow side by side.

“Young creatives are some of the most sensitive, thoughtful, spiritually open-hearted people in the world,” Ryan said.

“Yet they’re often the ones left without a place to belong.

“Many churches don’t have room for a bassoonist or a violist, [and] schools don’t nurture the faith that fuels their creativity [so] young people end up feeling like their gift is ‘too much’ in the wrong room and ‘not enough’ in the right one.”

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Launching in May, ACOC is looking to build one of the greatest youth orchestras in the country, inviting 13–19-year-olds to see how their talent can be combined with purpose.

“We love the youth of Sydney and we’re looking for the best Christian youth musicians and singers to come together and to play music that creates glory for God,” Ryan said.

The youth program aims to foster not just musical excellence, but genuine community.

“We want to bring them together and create a great community for them to thrive,” Ryan said.

“We’re in the age of social media [and] to actually have a space where people come together for a purpose that’s greater than music itself, that’s powerful.”

The orchestra and choir will be led by renowned Russian Australian conductor and concert pianist Natasha Raspopova, who’s delighted to find a space to apply her skills in such a personal way.

“Working with this group I can talk about faith without any sense of shame,” Natasha said.

“[Faith] can sometimes be frowned upon in classical communities; it’s not something that’s openly discussed.”

With ACOC’s youth program, Natasha will provide young people with a place to develop their gift and freely express their faith.

“Young musicians need a platform to learn to play together, listen to each other, and ultimately learn to connect through sound to something bigger,” Natasha said.

The program is already looking ahead to its first major performance, with plans for an August debut.

“We’re looking at a mid-year event called the Australian Christian Proms,” Ryan said.

“There’ll be a variety of sacred works and repertoire that a lot of the youth would be wanting to play.”

“We are looking for pieces that reflect the message of connection to faith and give a bit of a technical and musical challenge,” Natasha said.

“A lot of great music often has deeply religious content that is the source of inspiration, therefore it makes total sense for us to perform it and make the best case of it.”

The Australian Christian Orchestra and Choir is now taking registrations of interest to participate in its youth program.

Feature image: Canva Pro