About Us

Forest Collective is a not for profit artist collective focusing on contemporary classical music.

We commission, create, and present various art forms, often giving independent artists a platform to develop their practice and reach new audiences. Forest Collective is run by a volunteer team of creative, young professionals who strive to enrich audiences though multidisciplinary, innovative, collaborative, experimental, and traditional art forms from new, early and mid career artists. We pride ourselves on giving a voice to underperformed and underrepresented creators and composers.

Led by composer and conductor Evan J Lawson, Forest Collective was founded in 2009 by a group of students from the VCA. Forest Collective transformed from an artist collective of like minded individuals into one of Melbourne’s leading young arts companies and became a not for profit, multi-disciplinary arts organisation in 2012.

Since it’s first season Forest Collective has gone onto sell out performances at Melbourne Recital Centre, La Mama Court House, National Gallery of Victoria, Abbotsford Convent, Burrinja Cultural Centre and as a part of Metropolis New Music Festival, Midsumma Festival and Melbourne Fringe Festival.

Forest Collective has been a company in residence at Abbotsford Convent since 2013.

Highlights of past seasons include the commissioning and world premiere performances of Evan J Lawson and choreographer Ashley Dougan's spralling dance-opera Orpheus, Elanor Webber’s dance work Texture of It, Michael Bakrencev’s chamber work The Virtuous Woman with the Watermelon, pop-music doyen Addison's fluttering hearts // thinking machines, Lisa Illean’s stunning And the black sea, Breaks… Max Lawrence's chamber-pop hit Chlorophyll, a series of collaborations from composer May Lyon, Australian premier of Charles Peck's explosive Sunburst, Alex Turley's Biome and cabaret queen Danielle Asciak's exploration of rock chanteuse Nico.