Examining Australian Contemporary Percussion through ‘things Uniquely Australian’: Interviews with Louise Devenish, Claire Edwardes, and Vanessa Tomlinson

Abstract

These interviews with Vanessa Tomlinson, Louise Devenish, and Claire Edwardes, three Australian percussionists from different cities, examine the various factors involved in shaping their individual work. The interviewees provide insights into the current contemporary percussion scene in Australia. We began by talking about their work, influences, education, and background. Then, we discuss select ground-breaking percussion developments that are important to them. This leads to discussions about cutting-edge musical activities taking place around the country. Finally, we discuss musical inclinations which are only possible because of ‘things uniquely Australian’. The questions are particularly designed to explore how geographical remoteness and isolation play a role in steering musical leanings in the country. We also discuss the topics of place and sound, intercultural music making in a multicultural society, and the influence of indigenous heritage on contemporary music. These interviews took place over Skype and via email correspondences.

Keywords:

• Contemporary Percussion
• Australian Contemporary Music
• Louise Devenish
• Claire Edwardes
• Vanessa Tomlinson
• Aiyun Huang

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Vanessa Tomlinson, Louise Devenish, and Claire Edwardes for their time in making this possible.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on Contributor

Aiyun Huang enjoys a musical life as a soloist, chamber musician, researcher, and teacher. She was the First Prize and Audience Award winner at the Geneva International Music Competition in 2002. A champion of new music and specialist of percussion theatre, Aiyun has premiered over 100 works over the last two decades internationally. Her current research focuses on making scientific research on music performance relevant to music practitioners. She currently holds the position of Associate Professor in Percussion at the Faculty of Music, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.

Notes

1 Not all post-secondary institutions offer percussion programme in Australia.

2 There was a conference component in the APG which featured research papers and talks pertinent to percussion. This portion was curated through a peer-review process. It was the first gathering of research-based presentations on percussion in Australia.

3 Deep Listening is a concept and practice which American composer Pauline Oliveros (1932–2016) coined and championed. In the early 1970s, Oliveros first composed a series of sonic meditations (first one called Teach Yourself to Fly, 1969) in order to establish inner peace during turbulent times (i.e. during the Vietnam war) (Baker 2013). The practice later evolved to become Deep Listening – first took the form of retreats led by Oliveros and later on became a network to support the practice of Deep Listening across disciplines. Deep Listening is also an institute which offers a certificate to people who want to learn more on Deep Listening. For more information, visit http://www.deeplistening.org.

4 According to reporter Alison Croggon from The Guardian, ‘The number of Australia Council grants to individual artists and projects has decreased by a staggering 70% since the 2013/14 financial year’ (Croggon 2016).