Australian Art Orchestra musicians and collaborators performing on Mexican artist, Pedro Reyes' 'Disarm' instruments at National Gallery Victoria for Melbourne International Arts Festival exhibition of 'Disarm' Saturday 12th October 2013

Adrian Sherriff wind and electronics
Rosalind Hall wind
Niko Schauble percussion
Anita Hustas strings
Dale Gorfinkel wind and percussion
Nat Grant percussion and electronics
Programmed by Peter Knight

"Forging tools of death into instruments of life, Pedro Reyes provides an uplifting vision of a world free from weapons and full of music."

'Disarm' is Mexican artist Pedro Reyes’s socio-political critique on contemporary society and our responsibility towards it. Using parts from thousands of weapons confiscated by the Mexican government, Reyes has worked with local artisans to create an ensemble of 47 ingenious instruments – electric guitars fashioned from assault weapons, drum sets from pistols, flutes from shotguns, a harmonica carved from a handgun. Disarm is an inspired model of symbolic transformation, and a bold declaration: make art not war!

But Reyes’s creations are much more than art objects: each is a unique, functioning musical instrument.

AAO performing on Pedro Reyes' 'Disarm' instruments at NGV Melbourne

Virtuoso Pause (Austin Buckett 2014) commissioned by the Australian Art Orchestra for its 20th anniversary concert in November 2014

Virtuoso Pause (excerpt)

The Australian Art Orchestra has built an unparalleled reputation over nearly twenty years for the breadth and quality of its output. Initially conceived as a contemporary jazz orchestra the group was soon recognised as a serious commissioner and interpreter of new notated works. It also developed a reputation for cross-cultural collaborations that were more ambitious than anything seen in Australian music previously and it delved into hybrid forms well before the terminology for such approaches became commonplace. 

The AAO’s work constantly seeks to stretch genres and break down the barriers separating disciplines, forms and cultures. It explores the interstices between the avant-garde and the traditional, between art and popular music, between electronic and acoustic approaches, and creates works that traverse the continuum between improvised and notated forms.

In January 2013, the AAO entered a new period of artistic leadership under the guidance of Artistic Director, Peter Knight. Knight is an internationally acclaimed composer, trumpeter and sound artist who has toured extensively throughout Europe, North America, Asia and Australia, garnering wide acclaim for an eclectic approach that integrates jazz, world music, and experimental traditions.

With its multi-faceted programming initiatives, the AAO fosters and supports a strong and vibrant local contemporary music scene drawing inspiration from Australia’s cultural diversity. Central to this is an ongoing dedication to nurturing and deepening its dialogues with Australian indigenous cultures as well as maintaining strong connections with artistic collaborators in India, Korea, China and Indonesia. The Orchestra has a record of commitment to the notion of a future in which truly new music that integrates Asian and Western influences is part of the cultural fabric of our region.

The Australian Art Orchestra regularly tours both locally and internationally with recent cities including Paris, London, Brisbane and Chennai.  It has won numerous awards for its work including two Australian Jazz Bell awards, a 2010 Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards (Group Award), the H C Coombs Creative Arts Fellowship (2010), a Helpmann Award (2004), and a 2009 Classical Music award for ‘Outstanding Contribution to Australian Music in a Regional Area’.


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