Royal Melbourne Philharmonic

What Royal Melbourne Philharmonic does

Royal Melbourne Philharmonic (RMP) is a not-for-profit Incorporated Association founded in 1853, operating as Australia's oldest surviving arts organisation and one of the world's oldest independent secular choirs. The organisation comprises two integrated performance arms: the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Choir, a symphonic choir of approximately 80 voices, and the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Orchestra (RMPO), composed of freelance professional musicians paid on a project basis. RMP presents regular concert performances of classical choral and orchestral repertoire at Melbourne's most prestigious venues, including Melbourne Town Hall, St Paul's Cathedral, Rod Laver Arena, and Melbourne Recital Centre, with the ensemble expandable to over 300 musicians for major oratorio productions such as Carmina Burana.

RMP's revenue model blends ticket sales (via the Trybooking platform), tiered donations ranging from $10 to a $50,000 Principal Sponsor tier, corporate sponsorships led by the Eric Ormond Baker Charitable Fund and supported by foundations such as the Robert Salzer Foundation, City of Melbourne arts grants, choir membership subscriptions, and competition entry fees from its flagship RMP Aria Competition. The Aria Competition is widely regarded as Australia's most prestigious singing award for oratorio singers and serves as a career launchpad, with alumni achieving international recording and performance careers. RMP has built a high-profile external collaboration portfolio including backing Andrea Bocelli at Rod Laver Arena (2022) and the Sydney Cricket Ground (2025), performing with Josh Groban at the Palais Theatre, recording for John Farnham and Olivia Newton-John, performing at the Prime Minister's Olympic Dinner and ANZAC Dawn Ceremony, and touring China in 2018/19.

The organisation is governed by a volunteer Executive Committee (President Anna Joy Hoffmann, Secretary Marja Barisic, Treasurer Kimberly Fabijancic) with Andrew Wailes serving as Artistic Director and Chief Conductor. It operates from a head office at Suite 3, Level 2, 156 Collins Street, Melbourne, and has secured The Assembly Hall (Werner Brodbeck Hall) at Scots' Church as its primary rehearsal venue from 2026. As a registered charity with deductible gift recipient status, RMP relies on diversified philanthropic, government, and earned-income streams rather than equity capital, with no disclosed funding rounds or financial statements.

Name

Royal Melbourne Philharmonic

Legal name

Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Society Inc.

Website

https://rmp.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1853

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Royal Melbourne Philharmonic is a not-for-profit performing arts organisation founded in 1853, operating an ~80-voice choir and a freelance professional orchestra that presents classical concerts, the RMP Aria Competition, and high-profile backing collaborations across Melbourne's premier venues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts

NAICS

Musical Groups and Artists (711130)

akta.pro primary industry

Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts (THAJAFAB)

Keywords

• Choral music performances
• Symphonic orchestra concerts
• Classical music performances
• Choral competition events
• Performing arts organization

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Concert ticket sales: Revenue generated from selling tickets to classical concerts and performances through Trybooking platform
2. Donations and sponsorships: Financial support from donors at various tiers (Diamond, Platinum, Gold, Silver donors) and corporate sponsors
3. Sponsorship and brand partnerships: Corporate sponsors including principal sponsor Eric Ormond Baker Charitable Fund and other major supporters like City of Melbourne and Robert Salzer Foundation
4. Membership fees: Choir membership with discounts for students and under 25s
5. Competition entry fees: RMP Aria Competition entry fees with cash prizes up to $2,500 for winners

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Royal Melbourne Philharmonic presents classical choral and orchestral concert performances through its two ensembles — an approximately 80-voice symphonic choir and a professional freelance orchestra. The organization hosts regular concerts featuring classical repertoire such as Handel's Messiah and Carmina Burana at prestigious Melbourne venues, runs the annual RMP Aria Competition for aspiring oratorio soloists, offers choir membership and auditions, and supports its operations through ticket sales, memberships, donations, and corporate sponsorships.

Product overview

Royal Melbourne Philharmonic is a not-for-profit performing arts organization offering two core products: the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Choir (an approximately 80-voice symphonic choir) and the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Orchestra (RMPO, a professional freelance orchestra). The organization presents regular concert performances featuring classical choral and orchestral works at Melbourne's major venues, hosts the annual RMP Aria Competition for aspiring oratorio singers, offers choir membership and auditions, and sells tickets and accepts donations to support its operations. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's oldest surviving arts organization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Choir A large symphonic choir of approximately 80 voices, regarded as one of Australia's finest choral ensembles, performing classical choral works at major venues across Melbourne. Open to new members through auditions, particularly welcoming baritones and low basses.
• Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Orchestra (RMPO) A professional symphony orchestra comprising freelance professional musicians who perform alongside the choir and at independent orchestral concerts, including international tours such as the 2018/19 China tour.
• RMP Aria Competition

Quantifiable outcome

• 244+ performances of Handel's Messiah since 1853
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Andrea BocelliflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025RMP Orchestra and Choir backed Andrea Bocelli for his 2022 Rod Laver Arena concert and 2025 Australian tour including Sydney Cricket Ground performance.
• Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPerformance partner collaborating on orchestral performances. RMP has performed with MSO in recent seasons.
• Orchestra VictoriacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPerformance partner providing orchestral support for performances with The Australian Ballet and other events.
• The Australian BalletcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegular performance partner for ballet seasons and dance performances.
• TEG Van EgmondcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorConcert promoter and booking agent, particularly for major touring acts like Andrea Bocelli's Australian tours.
• Melbourne University Choral Society (MUCS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegular collaborative performances including large-scale oratorios and festivals.
• Plexus CollectiveminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative performances with this Australian ensemble group.
• Box Hill ChoraleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative performances in combined choral events.
• National Boys Choir of AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured guest performer at Carols in the Cathedral and other major events.
• City of Melbourne Highland Pipe BandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPerforms at Carols in the Cathedral and civic events.
• The AngelsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRMP Choir performed with iconic Aussie rock band The Angels at Sydney Opera House in 2019.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Melbourne Symphony Orchestra: Melbourne's flagship professional symphony orchestra and Australia's oldest professional orchestra. RMP and MSO regularly partner on performances while competing for the same classical audiences, sponsors, and premier venue bookings in Melbourne.
• Melbourne Bach Choir: Long-established Melbourne-based choral society focused on Bach and classical choral works. Competes directly with RMP for Melbourne choir audiences, choral sponsorship, and chorister recruitment.
• Orchestra Victoria: Victoria's state orchestra, partnering with The Australian Ballet and other productions. As RMP's frequent orchestral partner and direct competitor for Victorian orchestral contracts, Orchestra Victoria is a close operational peer in the Melbourne classical scene.
• Sydney Philharmonia Choirs: One of Australia's leading choral organisations and a long-established community choir focused on oratorio and symphonic choral repertoire. Operates as a comparable choral counterpart with similar classical programming, Aria-style competitions, and partnership models.
• The Song Company: Sydney-based professional vocal ensemble specialising in early, new, and contemporary choral music. Comparable choral ensemble peer with similar repertoire breadth, project-paid professional model, and ticketed performance orientation.

Broad incumbents

• Victorian Opera: Melbourne-based opera company and major performing arts competitor. Competes for the same Melbourne classical audiences, civic contracts, and major-venue bookings, with an overlapping donor and sponsor base.
• Australian Chamber Orchestra: Australia's national touring chamber orchestra with broader geographic reach and brand presence. Competes for national sponsorship, media attention, and top-tier classical audiences across Australia.

Emerging players

• Gondwana National Choirs: National youth choral organisation that develops young Australian singers. Represents both a feeder for emerging talent into RMP's competition pipeline and a competitor for younger audience development and arts education funding.

Regional players

• Adelaide Symphony Orchestra: South Australian state orchestra with broader programming and reach than RMP. Comparable in classical music space but operates as a more established and larger regional incumbent in a different state capital.
• Brisbane Philharmonic Orchestra: Regional symphony orchestra based in Brisbane with similar choral-orchestral programming. Comparable in scale and structure to RMP but serving a different metropolitan audience in Queensland.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/royalmelbphil
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@royalmelbournephilharmonic1386
• Facebookfacebook.com/RoyalMelbournePhilharmonic
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/royal-melbourne-philharmonic
• Instagraminstagram.com/royalmelbournephilharmonic
• Pinterestpinterest.com/RoyalMelbPhil

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Royal Melbourne Philharmonic