Orchestras and the Australian imaginary: From national icons to public value?

Abstract

This article examines the evolving role of symphony orchestras in Australia's cultural landscape, tracing their shifting status from civic emblems of national prestige to publicly funded institutions negotiating relevance in a pluralistic and policy-driven environment. Using a historically informed institutional and discursive analysis, it explores how orchestras have reflected, and at times resisted, broader transformations in Australia's cultural imaginary, including the rise of public broadcasting, the emergence of cultural policy frameworks, and the growing emphasis on diversity, inclusion and public value. Rather than treating orchestras as static heritage bodies, the article positions them as dynamic institutions whose legitimacy has been continually renegotiated across different cultural policy regimes. From their origins in mid-century nation-building projects to their current positioning within public value discourses, orchestras serve as a revealing case study of how cultural relevance is constructed, challenged and redefined over time. In doing so, the article contributes to wider discussions of institutional change, settler cultural legacies and the evolving role of cultural organisations in shaping and negotiating national identity.