The Future Classics concert series hopes to champion emerging Australian talent.

A new biannual concert series launched by the Kew Court House Community Cultural Centre in Boroondara, east of central Melbourne, will present its inaugural event later this month. Future Classics is a new performance series aimed at showcasing the very best emerging classical artists, while introducing previously uninitiated listeners to classical repertoire. It’s hoped the combination of young, exciting performances, an intimate venue and a casual, informal vibe will shake off some of the intimidating stereotypes that deter potential audience members from attending classical music performances.

Pianist Alex Raineri

Launching the new series on March 20 will be a performance by Melbourne-based trio Anon, featuring pianist Nicole Tj, violinist Thomas Lo and clarinettist Sungpil Lee. Joining Anon on the billing of the first performance in the series is accomplished 21-year-old pianist Alex Raineri, winner of the 2014 Australian National Piano Award, and already a busy concert soloists having performed concertos with the Queensland, Tasmanian and West Australian Symphony Orchestras. Raineri was encouraged by the introduction of a regional opportunity to champion emerging talent. “I’m very excited to be a part of the Future Classic series. The program is a much-needed platform for young Australian musicians to experiment and bring classical music to contemporary audiences,” he said.

Future Classics takes place at Kew Court House, March 20.