Steel City Strings is a Wollongong-based chamber orchestra showcasing musicians from the Illawarra, Shoalhaven, and Southern Highlands. It presents diverse concerts, supports local artists, and champions Australian composers.

A vibrant chamber orchestra showcasing the talents of players from the Illawarra, Shoalhaven and Southern Highlands.  Since it’s inception in 2015 the orchestra has delighted music lovers in townships across the broader region. Led by Artistic Director Adrian Davis the orchestra provides performing and development opportunities for musicians from the South Coast and Southern Highlands.  We play a broad range of styles and genres of music encompassing baroque, classical , romantic and contemporary repertiore – championing new Australian art music. We seek to delight and educate the community through the transformative power of live music.

Annual Season

Three programs per year across locations in the Highlands,  Shoalhaven and Wollongong.

Smaller Ensembles  - SCS String Quartet and Cello Quartet – Cellissimo!  are more informal with some planned programs and house concerts.

Award: APRA Amcos Award for Regional Excellence 2019  (Kyle Little was Artistic Director & Concertmaster)

Location reference: Performances in Bowral Memorial Hall and Burrawang School of Arts

Business address: 23 Railway Pde Woonona 2517

Concerts in Southern Highlands – 2025 all in Bowral Memorial Hall

• Common Ground 2pm Sun 9 March – collaboration with Suwitra Jaya UNSW
• Echoes                  2pm Sun 15 June   - featuring Australian connections with Asia and soloist Lloyd Van’t Hoff
• Forest Bathing     2pm Sun 14 September – focus on the healing powers of nature with music about nature

MEET STEEL CITY STRINGS

Steel City Strings is a Wollongong-based chamber orchestra of musicians from the Illawarra, Shoalhaven, and Southern Highlands of NSW regions. Since its inception in early 2015 as a not-for-profit incorporated association the orchestra has delighted music lovers in townships across our broader region.

Led by Artistic Director Kyle Little, the orchestra provides performing and professional development opportunities for musicians in the South Coast and Southern Highlands. These opportunities can be as orchestra members, as soloists and as composers.

Both 2022 and 2023 were significant years for the orchestra coming out of Covid lockdowns. The 2022 program included soloists such as William Barton and Emily Sun, as well as the Women in Steel concert featuring percussionist Claire Edwardes playing Steeling Fire a Concerto for Percussion and String Orchestra by Natalie Williams commissioned by us with development funding from Create NSW.

In 2023, Steel City Strings has once again been nominated for an APRA Art Music Award for Excellence in a Regional Area.

An invitation from the Australian String Quartet, from Adelaide, to perform together in our Collections concert here in Wollongong on July 25 at the Wollongong Art Gallery makes an exciting addition to our season. It’s also an important learning experience for our SCS Quartet musicians, Kyle Little, Monique Ziegelaar, Adrian Davis and Karella Mitchell. Buy tickets on our Events page.

The orchestra provides an important platform:

• for local musicians to come together to play exciting music
• to inspire young local string players
• to feature local soloists
• to support and showcase talented Australian composers

OUR MUSIC

Steel City Strings is a chamber orchestra with a broad range of styles and genres encompassing baroque, classical, romantic and contemporary repertoire – championing new Australian art music. The orchestra is well known for its collaborations with local ensembles such as con voci Chamber Choir and the South Coast Big Band. Steel City Strings usually performs nine concerts per year in three programs.

Read more about chamber music here.

GOVERNANCE

New Steel City Strings Inc. is a volunteer-run not-for-profit charity, governed by a volunteer Board of Directors. Day-to-day management is by a volunteer Management Committee.

The orchestra is further supported by community volunteers who offer their time at events to help with box office, stage and venue management, and audience comfort and safety. We do rely heavily on this volunteer support, and welcome new volunteers. If you would like to register as a volunteer with Steel City Strings, please contact us by phone (0467 869 478) or email steelcitystrings@gmail.com.

Steel City Strings musicians are the heart of the organisation and, as artist-residents, seek to delight, educate, and nurture the community through the transformative power of live music performed with professionalism and artistic excellence.

GET IN TOUCH

Digital Subscription

$50.00

STEEL CITY STRINGS | DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION

Purchase Exclusive, Unlimited Access to Steel City Strings digital concerts and recordings for 12 months. (https://youtu.be/cYPTxIorCTI)

With your subscription, you’ll be able to access on-demand at anytime:

• Our 2020 ‘The Return’ Archival Concert Recording.
• All 2020 Digital Season Concerts (3 incredible 30 minute concerts featuring our entire orchestra and chamber ensembles).
• All #IsolationStrings Performances, including the Steel City Strings Quartet full-length concert.
• Exclusive Access to our Archive via private YouTube Playlist.
• All Steel City Strings Podcast Episodes
• All Available Program Notes, Interviews and Written Articles by Steel City Strings Players.

Purchase your loved one a Steel City Strings Digital Subscription today. Access is via our website with a uniquely issued access code issued directly to them.

NOTE: If you were a Digital Season subscriber in 2020, your access will automatically be extended until June 2021. If you subscribed during 2021 for three months, you will need to purchase a new Digital subscription for December 2021 onward, unless your purchase was less than three months prior. If this is the case, your subscription will expire after 3 months from date of purchase.

TO PURCHASE A DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION, VISIT OUR PRODUCT PAGE

If you have not yet purchased a Digital Subscription, please do so via our website here. Upon purchase, you will be emailed your unique access details within 24 hours.

If you have any issues, please contact our Technical Support Team at steelcitystrings@gmail.com.

2025 SEASON TICKETS & PROGRAM NOW AVAILABLE

Steel City Strings is proud to announce it’s 2025 season. Our first series, around the theme of identity explores the common grounds of human experience in music that is rich in ideas and emotions.

The second series “Reel Music” presents music for strings in film. Our audiences will be thrilled and delighted by cinematic soundscapes from Psycho, Cinema Paradiso and Pirates of the Carribean.

In the final series of 2025, Steel City Strings will perform with Con Voci and the Wollcon Chamber Choir in a program of works by Faure and a new commission from Sally Whitwell.

Where SCS performs

​​Steel City Strings, Illawarra’s Chamber Orchestra, performs a wide variety of works from classic to popular, often collaborating with talented Illawarra soloists and performers. In 2023 and 2024, Steel City Strings full ensemble performed at:

• Wollongong Art Gallery
• Wollongong Town Hall
• Bowral Memorial Hall
• Burrawang School of Arts
• Nowra School of Arts
• Shellharbour Civic Center
• St Francis Xavier Catholic Cathedral Wollongong

Performances may be at other venues in Wollongong, Shellharbour, Kiama, Berry, Nowra and the Southern Highlands, for concerts featuring smaller ensembles. Visit our Event Calendar to see information on all upcoming concerts, including the ticket booking link for each concert.

Other musical events in the region

Steel City Strings encourages and supports local musicians organising external concerts in the community.

Wollongong Conservatorium

The Wollongong Conservatorium, a key partner to SCS, offers a wide range of events from local classical musicians. View the Wollongong Conservatorium What’s On page to find out more.

SEE CALENDAR

2025 SUBSCRIPTION TICKETS

Upcoming Events

​​Steel City Strings Chamber Orchestra performs a wide variety of works from classic to popular, often collaborating with talented Illawarra soloists and performers.

2025 SEASON PROGRAM

BOOK WOLLONGONG SEASON

BOOK BERRY/NOWRA/KIAMA SEASON

BOOK SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS SEASON

2025 SUBSCRIPTION | SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS

Concert 1: BOWRAL MEMORIAL HALL Sunday 9 March 2025 2.00-4.00pm
"COMMON GROUND" considers the music that starts with vibrant cultures and their musical self-expression. The enduring legacy of folk music with its ancient rhythms and evocative melodies finds common ground in present-day works.

Concert 2: BOWRAL MEMORIAL HALL Sunday 15 June 2025 2.00-4.00pm
"ECHOES" takes us on a journey through the rich cultures of our Asian neighbours, finding points of mutual attraction and dynamic interplay, creating a harmonious dialogue between not-so-distant lands.

Concert 3: BURRAWANG SCHOOL OF ARTS Sunday 14 September 2025 2.00-4.00PM
"FOREST BATHING" or shinrin-yoku draws on the Japanese concept of finding renewal within the natural landscape, the physical and psychological benefits of which are well known.

Sunday 9 March 2025 2:00 PM - Sunday 14 September 2025 2:00 PM (UTC+11)

Bowral Memorial Hall/Burrawang School of Arts
16-24 Bendooley Street, 33-35 Hoddle st , Bowral/Burrawang/ NSW 2576/2577