About Us

Central Coast Conservatorium is a community based, non-tertiary institution, funded by the local community in the form of tuition fees and assisted by the State Government. Central Coast Conservatorium is a member of The Association of NSW Regional Conservatoriums,  a network of 16 regional Conservatoriums based throughout New South Wales.
The University of Newcastle provides and maintains the premises (the Old Courthouse and Police Station) and Gosford City Council provides the community centre and parking.

Short History

On the instigation of Robert Knox and Tudor Davies a public meeting was held in 1981 in the Gosford City Council Chambers to explore the possibility of establishing a Music Centre as part of the NSW Conservatorium of Music and it was unanimously decided that there was a desperate need for the establishment of a Regional Music Centre operating as a branch for the NSW Conservatorium of Music on the Central Coast.

Approximately 18 months later it was decided to make a start at the vacated plumbing workshop in the old Gosford Primary School building.
The Centre began teaching activities in March 1983 and by the end of its first year of operation, the pupils enrolled numbered 98.

In the following 5 years, the pupil numbers grew to approximately 300 and 20 teachers were engaged. The Centre developed a full orchestra ( Central Coast Symphony Orchestra) and Mini String groups, which rehearse weekly and give regular concerts together with students performing solos and in ensembles.

A concentrated and determined program was set in place to obtain, as a permanent home for the Music Centre, the old police station and Courthouse building. Thanks to the dedication of the Centre's administration and Board of Management and the many friends of the centre, the culmination of all this effort was a public announcement by the then premier of NSW, Mr. Barry Unsworth, that the building was to be the permanent home of the Central Coast Conservatorium of Music. The Centre commenced occupancy in 1987 and so secured its future.

Since 1984, the Centre has been used for rehearsals and performances by various community groups as well as the Australian Music Examination Board for its Central Coast Examination Centre. In 1993 the association was incorporated and called Central Coast Conservatorium Inc. It now has enrollments of over 1200 students involved in various programs and schools and the future does indeed look very bright and thanks to those original founders, it can play an important role in the cultural development of our nation.

Central Coast Conservatorium Inc. is an incorporated entity and is endorsed  as a...

• Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) under Subdivision 30-BA of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997
• Income tax exempt charitable entity under Subdivision 50-B of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997