.webp)
Affinity Quartet Unlimited Academy (AQUA)
Make AQUA Happen on AusArt Day!
Affinity Quartet is fundraising for something we couldn’t be more excited about: a new chamber music mentorship program. Help us launch the Affinity Quartet Unlimited Academy – AQUA. Like water, AQUA is about nourishing and sustaining the next generation of Australian chamber musicians.
AQUA responds to a need we know well: talented ensembles looking for world-class training to build their careers here in Australia. Over the past decade, Affinity Quartet has built our career by spending periods away from home. AQUA will create the kind of immersive chamber music residencies that helped shape us – in the UK, Canada and across Europe, learning from extraordinary musicians and mentors.
We want to recreate experiences like this in Australia to support chamber ensembles beginning their own journeys.
“Rehearsing with Affinity gave me a good inside view into how world-class chamber ensembles build ideas and develop an interpretation. In concerts we only get to see the finished product.”
World-class training
AQUA participants will work intensively on chamber music; learning alongside peers, observing others at work, and performing in a supportive, high-achieving environment. The inaugural AQUA residency takes place at Aireys Inlet, Victoria - a place that’s been significant to Affinity Quartet’s own story. Surrounded by ocean, bushland and an incredibly supportive community, it’s a perfect setting for artistic focus and growth.
"Affinity has done something different here. They have returned, got to know their audience and allowed the relationship to develop over years. Affinity has our wholehearted support for this next stage. We strongly endorse the Affinity Quartet Unlimited Academy as an investment in Australia's next generation of chamber musicians." Aireys Inlet community
Launching February 2027
Internationally acclaimed violist Tomoko Akasaka will be joining AQUA to work with us. Tomoko is also Professor at Münster Hochschule, serves on competition juries, and is one of the world's leading chamber musicians.
We want AQUA participating musicians to be fully funded. Our goal is to raise $60,000 on AusArt Day. We’re asking for your support to make AQUA happen – every contribution will make a real difference. To show their commitment, all seven members of the Affinity Quartet Board are backing AQUA. For every $5,000 we raise, Affinity’s Board will contribute an additional $1,000.
By supporting AQUA, you’ll help create life-changing opportunities for emerging Australian musicians and strengthen the future of chamber music in this country.
$0
$60,000
