FOUR FELLOWS BAG FELLOWSHIPS

The Music Board of the Australia Council for the Arts has announced its 2012 fellowship recipients.

Two-year fellowships were awarded to four artists: trumpeter and composer Peter Knight, jazz guitarist James Muller, composer and pianist Erik Griswold and experimental musician Lucas Abela.

Peter Knight performs at Uptown Jazz Cafe

Knight’s fellowship will enable him to create new solo work for trumpet and electronics and undertake three collaborative projects, including a new Way Out West album with kotoist Satsuki Odamura, new work with Korean vocalist Sunny Kim, as well as a new album from the Peter Knight Sextet featuring Paddy Mann of Grand Salvo.

Knight — a trumpeter, composer and sound artist — has released eight albums, including solo work for trumpet and electronics, Way Out West and the Peter Knight Quintet. He has performed at the Wangaratta Festival of Jazz, Melbourne International Jazz Festival, the International Trumpet Guild convention, and has toured extensively across the US, Europe and Asia.

James Muller performs at Wangaratta Jazz & Blues Festival

James Muller has been awarded a fellowship to create new work for an upcoming solo release and trio album, develop new artistic collaborations during a six-month residency in New York, and undertake a national tour with the James Muller Trio.

An ARIA award winner and a recipient of a National Jazz Award, Muller has collaborated with musicians in Australia including Paul Grabowsky, James Morrison, Mike Nock, Renee Geyer, and Scott Tinkler, as well as international artists such as Chad Wackerman, Bill Stewart, Maria Schneider and Nigel Kennedy. He has toured to critical acclaim in the US, Europe and Asia.

Erik Griswold performs at Footscray Community Arts Centre

As part of Erik Griswold’s two-year fellowship he will create a collection of new compositions for a diverse range of Australian and international ensembles, including the Australian Art Orchestra, Camerata of St John, the Viney Grinberg Piano Duo, La Jolla Symphony, QCGU Saxophone Orchestra, Margaret Leng Tan and Acromusical. Erik will also undertake a collaborative project with Ensemble Offspring, and an inter-media project to be premiered at the Queensland Music Festival.

Lucas Abela’s Fellowship will see him create new work as part of his interactive arcade series, undertake a residency period in Lismore and Indonesia, as well as present his solo amplified glass work and installations at international festivals and galleries.

Abela is an experimental musician whose previous work has seen him modify turntables and amplified glass to create a unique improvised sound. He has released eight albums on his Dualplover album, undertaking 21 international tours across 45 countries, and collaborated with a diverse range of artists including Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson, The Flaming Lips, Jon Rose and Anthony Pateras. More recently Lucas’s work has expanded to include sound installation and large-scale instruments for interactive play, such as Vinyl Rally, Mix Tape and Pinball Pianola.

The Music Board held an assessment meeting on 13-14 November 2012 covering categories of Fellowships, Project Fellowships, Skills and Arts Development and the Don Banks Award.

ROGER MITCHELL

(incorporating material from the Australia Council for the Arts and Listen/Hear Collective)