Abstract
Synergy Percussion, one of Australia’s longest established contemporary music ensembles, celebrates forty years of new music projects in 2014. This milestone in the short history of Australian contemporary music provides an opportunity to reflect on the ensemble’s contributions to the development of contemporary percussion practices in Australia. Taken from a broader study investigating how Australian contemporary percussion practices emerged in Australia in the 1970s, this article is the result of extensive archival research together with a series of interviews with former members of Synergy Percussion including Colin Piper, Michael Askill, Ian Cleworth, Rebecca Lagos and Graeme Leak, and communication with current Artistic Director Timothy Constable. Charting the factors the led to the formation of the ensemble and the group’s early history, followed by an exploration of elements of the ensemble’s practice that have become key parts of the group’s identity, this article concludes with a brief discussion of the major projects that are marking Synergy Percussion’s fortieth anniversary.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 28-33 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Percussive Notes |
Volume | 54 |
Issue number | 1 |
Publication status | Published - 2016 |
Externally published | Yes |