The University of Sydney has secured a $180,000 Maitri Grant to establish a three-year music partnership with India’s Subramaniam Academy of Performing Arts (SaPa), creating new opportunities for student exchanges, curriculum development and cultural collaboration between Australia and India.
The funding was awarded to the University’s Sydney Conservatorium of Music as part of the 2026 Maitri Grants Program. The announcement formed part of a wider package of Australia-India initiatives unveiled by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The project, titled A Partnership for Indian-Australian Music, Diaspora Empowerment, and Cultural Exchange, is one of 41 initiatives funded through the 2026 Maitri Grants Program, which supports stronger educational, research and cultural links between Australia and India.
University of Sydney Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Mark Scott said the partnership would strengthen connections with Indian-Australian communities across Sydney.
“One of the most exciting aspects of this partnership is its potential to connect the University’s expertise in music and education with communities across Sydney,” said Professor Scott.
“By building relationships with Indian-Australian musicians and communities, we’re extending the cultural footprint of the Conservatorium beyond Macquarie Street and creating new opportunities for learning, performance and community engagement activities with Indian-Australian communities in Parramatta and across Western Sydney.”
The program will allow Sydney Conservatorium students to travel to Bengaluru to study alongside musicians, educators and students at SaPa, while Indian musicians and teachers will visit Sydney to deliver workshops, performances and collaborative projects.
Students will also work with artists and educators from Sydney’s Indian diaspora through activities at the Conservatorium’s Macquarie Street campus and future teaching facilities in Parramatta.
Dr Alex Chilvers and Ms Kirsty McCahon. Photo: Grace Sui/University of Sydney
Federal Education Minister Jason Clare said education continued to play a central role in the Australia-India relationship.
“This is bringing a world-class Australian education closer to home for more young Indians and creating new opportunities for our researchers to work together.”
The University said the collaboration would include staff exchanges, curriculum development and new teaching resources designed for conservatorium and music programs in both countries.
The project is led by Sydney Conservatorium academics Dr Alex Chilvers, Dr Lu Liu, Dr Anthony Chmiel and Ms Kirsty McCahon, who oversees International Partnerships and Events.
Dr Chilvers said the initiative would broaden the place of Indian musical traditions within higher music education in Australia.
“This project represents a wonderful opportunity to rethink what a conservatorium can be,” said Dr Chilvers. “Australia’s musical culture is enriched by extraordinary traditions that have travelled here with migrant communities, yet those traditions are not always reflected in the core of higher music education.
“We’re looking forward to learning alongside our colleagues at SaPa and working closely with Indian-Australian musicians to explore new ways of teaching, creating and understanding music. We hope this is the beginning of a long-term relationship that benefits students, educators and communities in both countries.”
Professor Anna Reid, Dean and Head of School at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, said the partnership would provide students with direct access to musicians and educators from both countries.
“This partnership will open up extraordinary opportunities for our students to learn directly from musicians, educators and communities in both Australia and India,” Professor Reid said. “Music has always been a powerful way to build understanding across cultures, and we’re excited to create new opportunities for students to play together, learn from one another and engage deeply with Indian musical traditions. The experiences and relationships that grow from this partnership will enrich our Conservatorium community for years to come.”
SaPa co-founder and chief executive Bindu Subramaniam said the collaboration would help expand the presence of Indian music within Australian higher education.
“Our partnership with the Sydney Conservatorium of Music has the potential to bring knowledge and understanding of Indian music into mainstream higher education in Australia. It will create opportunities for students, artists and educators in both countries to learn from one another and deepen cultural understanding through music.”
SaPa, based in Bengaluru, works with more than 40,000 children each year through its school music programs and is known for combining Indian and Western music traditions in its teaching. The University of Sydney expects the partnership to create lasting educational resources and strengthen engagement with Indian-Australian communities across Sydney.
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