Composer, trumpeter, sound artist based in Melbourne

Steve is interested in the repetitive acoustic territories of every day life informing his and others sonic agency. His
research revolves around the physicality of sonic boundaries and how it informs compositional methodologies, materials and structures along with the listeners corporal reading there of. His music is a collision of captivating simplicity and fleeting subtle complexity. Hypnotic and compelling.

drums / percussion / electronics / composition / improvisation / installation / production / fitness / meditation / gardening / woodwork / film

Parenthèses Records started of as a witness of some of the incredible new musical collaborations that emerged out of Freeform, the bi-monthly improvisation evenings curated by KULCHA Multicultural Arts of Western Australia in 2009/2010, aiming at getting musicians of different cultural and musical backgrounds to play together in an open and creative way, free from some of the protocols of performer/audience convention.

From watching these new groups form and grow in new ideas, became the desire to start a releasing platform and to become a nevralgic centre for musicians keen to apprehend cultural cross-collaboration and musical exploration spanning through various idioms sitting at the crossroads between tradition and continuum.

With a broad artistic vision, the label's core objective is to engage dialogue between musicians and thus create new inter-cultural collaborative work.


double bass player - contemporary classical music - improvised music



My main interest is in living. This embraces involvement with the people in my life. Then comes my interest in ART. This embraces involvement with MUSIC, in particular with spontaneously and interactively composed music of which all these tracks are examples. This may seem prosaic but I want to distinguish between LIFE and ART as a consequence of LIFE
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Sean Baxter (drumkit and percussion) is an Australian improviser from Melbourne, who is interested in exploring the percussive possibilities of sound.

Focusing on the use of extended techniques applied to the conventional drumkit (both acoustically and through the manipulation of membraphonic feedback), he utilises an arsenal of metallic junk and other percussive detritus to expand the sonic palette of the percussion tradition.

His performance aesthetic evokes a variety of sonic practices, ranging from extreme metal and punishing noise to free jazz and the Modernist abstraction of the classical avant garde.

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’.


Guitarist and improviser from Melbourne, Australia

Ryan is a recorder artist.

Ryan’s passion for the recorder has lead him to create a path full of cross-artform collaboration, engaging performance and exciting improvisation.

Ryan’s aim in collaboration with any artform is to engage the audience as an active performer on stage.

David Tolley (Melb) is following