Dr Julja Isabel Szuster AM has been appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in The King’s Birthday 2026 Honours List for significant service to music as a researcher, educator and administrator.

Known as Jula, she has devoted her career to advancing music in Australia through education, research, arts administration and community leadership. Following 34 years of service in the South Australian Government in music education and arts funding, she has continued to make significant contributions through scholarly research, university teaching and leadership across a wide range of music organisations.

Reflecting on her work as a researcher, Jula believes understanding the past helps enrich the present.

“Music research is important because it connects us to our musical past and enlightens us of our musical heritage,” she explains.

Much of Jula’s research has focused on historical musicology. Her doctoral work involved reconstructing and editing the works of an early seventeenth-century Italian composer, enabling music that had not been performed for centuries to be heard again.

Her research into Australian colonial music has also uncovered remarkable stories, shedding new light on the nation’s cultural history and helping preserve important musical legacies for future generations.

Alongside her research, Jula has been a passionate advocate for music education. During her career with the South Australian Education Department, she played a key role in supporting instrumental and choral music programs and promoting opportunities for young people to engage with music.

“All children should have instrumental and choral music education in their primary and secondary school years,” she said.

“When children play music together, they quickly come to understand that it only works if they cooperate. In those settings we see children helping each other when they make music. The socialising value of this cannot be overstated.”

Jula has also contributed extensively to music administration and governance, serving on numerous boards, committees and advisory groups. Her leadership has supported the growth and sustainability of music organisations across Australia, including the Adelaide Chamber Singers, Adelaide Youth Orchestras, Chamber Music Adelaide, the Musicological Society of Australia and the Australian Music Centre.

“It may seem to some that administration is not glamorous, but in reality, having administrators committed to securing funding for valuable music organisations or who serve on boards helps to focus on strategic directions and keep the organism alive,” she says.

As a founding member and director of the Musicology and Ethnomusicology Hub at the University of Adelaide’s Elder Conservatorium of Music, co-founder and managing editor of the Journal of Music Research Online, and supervisor of postgraduate students, Jula continues to support the next generation of researchers and musicians.

Throughout her career, she has been inspired by respected educators, scholars and musicians who helped shape her understanding of music’s value to society. In turn, her own leadership, scholarship and advocacy have strengthened Australia’s musical community and preserved important aspects of the nation’s cultural heritage.

Through her dedication to music as a researcher, educator and administrator, Jula has enriched Australia’s cultural life and ensured that the stories, traditions and benefits of music continue to resonate with future generations.