MUSICIANS

From Nippers to Notables: Youth Music Venture Champions the Next Generation of Gold Coast Talent

Ocean Road Magazine

// February 24, 2026

WORDS: Brian Usher - [email protected] PHOTOGRAPHY Supplied by Youth Music Venture www.youthmusicventure.com.au

For 16 years, the Youth Music Venture has been growing the Gold Coast’s music industry from grassroots up — giving local kids the confidence, skills and opportunities to shine on both national and international stages.

The Gold Coast has long been known for nurturing talent, but few organisations embody that spirit quite like the Youth Music Venture (YMV). Founded in 2009 by Ian Grace, who was recently named Queensland Volunteer of the Year 2024, YMV is a free, volunteer-run program for 11–17-year-olds designed to combat youth issues through the power of music. Over 750 young musicians have passed through its doors, and many now perform professionally across major Gold Coast events — some even representing Australia on the global stage.

YMV’s influence stretches far beyond rehearsals and performances. From gigs at the Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony pre-show to partnerships with HOTA, Study Gold Coast, Southern Cross University, and Coomera TAFE, the program has firmly established itself as the “nippers” of the Gold Coast music scene — growing musicians from the ground up. Its young performers have graced events like the Swell Sculpture Festival, Flotsam Festival, and Bluesfest, while alumni such as Lily Grace and Chang Po Ching have gone on to national and international acclaim. As Ian Grace explains, “Where do our iconic lifesavers come from? We grow them from Nippers. We now see ourselves as the Nippers of the Gold Coast music industry.”

Despite its extraordinary success, YMV continues to face the challenges of funding and venue security. Entirely volunteer-run and free for participants, the program relies on community and corporate support to sustain its growth. Grace and his team are currently seeking long-term premises — ideally purpose-built to include a recording studio that would allow students to learn music production alongside performance. “Imagine our young musicians, past and present, recording their own songs and learning the production side of the industry too,” Grace says. “That’s the dream — to keep growing Gold Coast music from grassroots up.”