Composer Cameron Lam has been diligently compiling his monthly Australian Art Music Playlist for the last five years.

To celebrate the quinquennial (and yes, we had to look it up), Limelight sits Lam down for a chat about the how the Art Music Playlist started, how it has evolved and where it’s going.

Cameron Lam. Photo © Jess Gleeson

Five years. That’s a long time in anyone’s life.

Well, you know how it is. You start by doing a thing and then you do it again, repeatedly. Then, all of a sudden, it’s like, this is a big thing!

So, what got you started?

I guess it evolved from a thing I was part of called Extended Play at the City Recital Hall. I made a Spotify playlist as a kind of add-on extra to highlight some of the composers and the musicians who were part of the event. It grew from there.

But from the start it was a completely personal project. I wanted to force myself into broadening my listening. Like everyone else, I’ve got my own biases, my own preferences. But because...