Michael Atherton AM, Emeritus Professor
Following postgraduate research in literature at the University of NSW (BA Hons, MA Hons), Michael studied music at the University of Sydney and the University of New England, where he was attracted to ethnomusicology. He researched cultural history at the University of Technology Sydney (PhD). He played early music with the Renaissance Players (1974-1980); joined Rivendell as a music therapist (1978-80) on the team of Professor Marie Bashir; pioneered cross-cultural music in Sirocco (1980-6); and founded the ensemble Southern Crossings (1986-93). He performed overseas for Musica Viva and appeared at major festivals before his appointment in 1993 as the Foundation Professor of Music at Western Sydney University, where he led the development of teaching and research, focusing on a range of Australian expressions in our time. Michael is considered an expert in musical instruments and sound-making objects, especially those of Australia and the Asia-Pacific. His book, Australian Made, Australian Played, republished in 2015, was the first to draw attention to Australian luminaries in the design and construction of musical instruments. Highlights of Michael's early career include creative leadership in encouraging, improvisatory, multicultural, and imaginative exploration in music and sound.
I Can Make Music
This 1982 film—produced by the Institute of Early Childhood Studies in Sydney—famously highlights the exploration of sound-making and the musical potential of everyday objects for children. It features Michael Atherton and pre-school children performing together, with an interpolated conversation between Michael and education specialist Richard Gill. Michael devised the activities. The film was directed by Tom Zubrycki and Ursula Kolbe.
Bending the Beat
Bending the Beat (Film Australia, 1990) examines the response of young people to creative challenges in music. In the film, composer Michael Atherton created music based on a variety of approaches to improvisation, developing the concept, composing the music, co-wroting the shooting script. The film is about experimenting with materials from the natural and built environment, suggesting that any object can become a musical instrument or sound-maker. The film is also about the potential of space in shaping sound. One scene takes place in a circular concrete stairwell, where the performers use pitched vocables to sound the space. Several related musical ensembles are developed in the film. The music was workshopped with the performers - the composer leading the young people to discover found sounds as a palette for creating environmental music. For example, xylophones were made from found objects in the bush, drawing on practices in East Africa and New Guinea. Playing techniques recalled Pacific island log drumming ensembles. The music was recorded in stereo during each take. There were no overdubs or re-synching.