What a couple of extraordinary years it has been. Disruption, instability, uncertainty, sadness, grief – the list goes on.

So what to do? An artist’s response to such huge global forces can only be a personal one. But as we have witnessed over centuries and across cultures, the creative act can also be a very powerful one. With this idea in mind, we at Percussion Australia are responding with a simple, but heartfelt aspiration – to celebrate life!

We believe that percussion, in all its myriad expressions, is the perfect medium for a celebration, and in October 2022 we feel that you – our community – will be ready for a big one! And so, via BOOM!, our week-long International Festival Of Percussion, we will see two public concerts bookending no less than 30 events emanating from the Seymour Centre: talks, workshops, masterclasses, international livestreams and Q&As, with two 60-minute concerts rounding off each evening.

Some of Australia’s – and the world’s – finest percussive artists will take the stage and present…

• Dialogue & Demos: performance, talk and discussion
• Masterclass: in-depth discussion and demonstration on singular topics
• Afternoon Beats: hands-on workshops for percussionists, drummers, other musicians, educators, composers, and the general community
• Live Online: composers and performers streaming in from other parts of the world to discuss their art
• Concerts: two per evening!

Topics that will inspire, challenge and intrigue include…

• Rhythms Of Change: New Percussion Solos By Australian Female Composers
• Percussive Pluralities
• Diamond Theory: An Approach To Practice, Application And Composition
• The World Of Tabla And Fusion With Other Forms
• Point Line Area: A Ritual For 64 Percussionists
• Afrolankan Explorations

… the list goes on, including four World Premieres!

As for the list of extraordinary artists to present this Plethora of Percussion, this Cornucopia of Klangfarbe, this Superabundance of Sound, Texture, Rhythm and Soul? Some truly amazing artists will take to the stage: explore the website and see who’s coming to the party.

In a spirit of celebration, we begin with a free outdoor series of concerts and workshops on three stages at the Seymour Centre. Percussion bands, ensembles and solo artists will present an eclectic, upbeat and dynamic program for all to enjoy.

And crowning our six days of workshops, masterclasses, talks and concerts will be a percussive who’s who taking the stage for one final evening to make a truly joyful noise on their phantasmagorical array of gongs and cymbals, bells and bongos, timpani and taiko, marimbas and maracas in the glorious Seymore Centre.

I am very proud of the program that our Percussion Australia team has put together. While by no means exhaustive – the world of percussion is as big as the world itself! – we have endeavoured to capture something of the breadth and depth of percussive practice, and our wish is to share it with as many of you as we can.

Rhythm is common to us all …the movements of the day, breath in-out, beat, sound, rhythm.

Boom, BOOM! …see you there!

Ian Cleworth | Artistic Director