MSO: Classic 100 in Concert 

An audience highlight on the classical calendar, ABC Classic 100 has been celebrating Australia’s favourite music for more than two decades. Each year music lovers from around the country nominate their favourite pieces on a particular theme, culminating in the ultimate countdown over a highly anticipated weekend in June.

In 2025, ABC Classic is asking its listeners to nominate and vote for their favourite pieces for the Piano. From solos to sonatas, the music you hammered out at piano lessons to concertos that fill a concert hall, ABC Classic is ready to celebrate all the emotions, sounds, and colours of one of Australia’s favourite instruments in the Classic 100: Piano.

Voting opens in May with Australia’s favourite 100 pieces for the Piano to be counted down live on ABC Classic and on the ABC listen app on the weekend of 7 and 8 June. The #1 Piano classic will be announced at around 5pm AEST on Sunday 8 June.

Following the public vote and count down, ABC presenters and special guests will celebrate Classic 100: Piano, as voted by Australian music lovers, with two concerts (Friday 20 and Saturday 21 June) at Hamer Hall.

Under the baton of Principal Conductor in Residence and the concert’s Creative Director, Benjamin Northey, Classic 100 in Concert will feature a selection of the top 100 ‘Piano’ classics performed by the MSO with popular soloist Andrea Lam (piano) among the stellar line-up of guests. The full program and artists will be announced once the votes are in!

Northey says the Classic 100 concert will showcase listeners’ favourite pieces for the piano with a few surprises in store.

“This year’s Classic 100 is a celebration of the role that the piano has played in our lives. Our shared experiences of this much-loved instrument range from beginners playing chopsticks on the upright at their grandparent’s house to the magnificent recitals in concert halls across the country, and everything in between. We are looking forward to bringing the countdown to life and celebrating the amazing array of piano music that ABC and MSO audiences love to hear.” Northey says.

Visit the ABC Classic website to find out when and how to vote for this year’s Classic 100 – coming soon.