Welcome to the Australian Art Music playlist! A monthly playlist of classical, jazz, experimental and electronic music focused on contemporary Australian composers, musicians and sound artists.

After the whirlwind of last month’s playlist, I wanted to wind down with something calmer. Not necessarily easy listening, but pieces that shift and change more gradually and let you take in more on a first listen.

We’re ended up with a lot of jazz and improvised music this month, which is a joy, and I struggled to pare many of these albums down to an individual track. But look forward to a wild range of soundscapes, harmonies and rhythms, as we explore these masterclasses in flow.

If you’re wanting more music to explore I’d always recommend the Australian Art Music Archive, with all 1,713 previously featured tracks (roughly 170 hours of music) and my 2024 community listening project: 1,000 Curious Ears – all 12 monthly editions of that series can be found here.

Until next month, may you learn to go with the flow,

-Cameron

Tracklist

1. Sprout by Anusha Yellapragada | performed by WHACKollective & Grace James
2. Palimpsest 571 by Rob Hao
3. Weather a Rare Blue by Lisa Illean | performed by Explore Ensemble
4. Cirrus by Joshua Hyde & Ben Carey
5. Muriwai by Tessie Overmyer | performed by Harley Coleman, Jonathan Zwartz, George Greenhill, Kevin Hunt, Tom Avgenicos, Tessie Overmyer, & Sandy Evans
6. Sonata for Violin and Piano by Alex Turley | performed by Anna da Silva Chen & Vatche Jambazian
7. 洗米 – Washing Rice by Flora Wong
8. Migrating Bird by Véronique Serret
9. He Was A Loaded Gun by Kristin Berardi | performed by Kristin Berardi, Miro Sprague, Marty Jaffe, & Jerome Jennings
10. Percolate by Hilary Geddes | performed by Hilary Geddes Quartet
11. Prelude 8 by Rachel Hocking
12. Emerald Flashes by Collectif: Arc en Ciel
13. Conversations for Piano and Clapsticks, No. 1 by Adam Manning | performed by Adam Manning & Bill Risby
14. Work Song by Linda May Han Oh | performed by Linda May Han Oh, Ambrose Akinmusire, & Tyshawn Sorey
15. All That Glitters by Damien Kingston | performed by Damien Kingston Quartet & Andrew Saragossi
16. Perpetual Motion by Jeremy Rose, Tully Ryan, Ben Carey, & Novak Manojlovic
17. Luminescence by Katia Mestrovic | performed by Claire Edwardes & Emily Granger
18. Fully Stretched by Andrew Saragossi, Benjamin Shannon, & Zac Sakrewski | performed by Milton Man Gogh
19. Drinking Alone Under The Moon (For Li Bai) by Paul Grabowsky & Mindy Meng Wang 王萌 
20. Causeway by The Necks

Listen on Spotify

This playlist is updated monthly. Explore previous months’ playlists on our website and listen to the archive playlist on Spotify.

Contact Cameron Lam on Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, his website or via direct email: aussieartmusic@gmail.com to recommend tracks for the Australian Art Music playlist.

Don’t forget that while streaming is a great way to discover new music, attending gigs or purchasing albums and merchandise is an even better way to support the artists you love. We’ve set up a Merch Table to get you started, but don’t forget to check out the artists’ websites for more details and other ways to support them.