The interpreter's renaissance and the uncertain rhetoric of 'practice as research'

In September of 2010, the centenary year of The University of Queensland, performers and composers who had been associated with the university’s former ensemble-in-residence, Perihelion, gathered to reflect upon the group’s contribution to Australian music. The recognition of Perihelion’s commissioning and performance activities during the late 1980s and 1990s informed a large part of the evening’s proceedings, though the event was far more interesting for what was conspicuously absent from the discussion. Though there was an acknowledgment of the efforts of the ensemble in supporting and disseminating the work of composers, there was very little by way of appreciation for the position of the performer in the creative ‘equation.’ This paper will briefly explore the factors contributing to the obscurity of performers in Australian music history and suggest some possibilities for future directions in research.