Founded by a group of civic leaders and music lovers in 1853, Royal Melbourne Philharmonic is Australia's oldest surviving (NFP) cultural organisation and one of the oldest secular choirs in the world to bring musical culture of a high standard to the early colony of Victoria. Since that time, RMP has presented performances at many historic occasions and important events in the history of Melbourne. These include the Melbourne International Exhibition of 1880, the Great Centennial Exhibition of 1888, the opening of the First Australian Parliament in 1901, the opening of the Melbourne Town Hall, and the 1956 Olympic Games.