The Musica Viva Society was established in Sydney in 1945 by Richard Goldner, a Romanian-born violist, as a chamber music society. It is now one of the largest performing arts societies in Australia with branches across the country that organise concerts and support music education in schools. The Queensland branch has had a long association with the University of Queensland: Gordon Spearritt was President of Queensland branch of Musica Viva Society of Australia from 1968 to 1972 and Donald Munro followed as president from 1973 to 1980.

Born in Bundaberg in 1925, Gordon Donald Spearritt was appointed to The University of Queensland as a lecturer in 1958. As conductor of the University Madrigal Singers (1952-72) he made sixty ABC broadcasts and gave several public concerts. He served as an examiner for AMEB for many years, and is well known for his books on elementary music theory.

Donald James Munro, born on 8 October 1927 in Brisbane, was an academic, university administrator and a leading advocate for the performing arts in Queensland. He played a key role in establishing the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) and served as its Founding Chairman from 1978 to 1991. Educated at Brisbane State High School and the University of Queensland (B.Ed. 1950), Munro initially pursued a career in education before transitioning to arts administration. He held senior positions at the University of Queensland, including inaugural Director of the Institute of Modern Languages and later Deputy Registrar. He also managed Mayne Hall, a key performance venue. Deeply involved in the arts, he contributed to numerous cultural organisations, serving as President of the Queensland Branch of Music Viva (1973 to 1980), Vice-President of Twelfth Night Theatre, an advisor to the founding of the Queensland Ballet, and as one of the founders of the Brisbane Festival. A music and opera enthusiast, he wrote for major publications and broadcast regularly on the ABC. He played a crucial role in bringing world-class performances to Queensland, hosting renowned artists and ensembles at QPAC. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 1985 for services to the performing arts. In 2010, he published an edited collection of the war diaries of his father, Edward Munro, titled Diaries of a stretcher bearer. His memoir, The music never stopped : a memoir of music, theatres and university life, was published in 2022. He died on 2 July 2023.