American percussion virtuoso Steven Schick was originally slated to undertake a residency at the Australian National Academy of Music in May 2020, but it didn’t happen.

“It was the worst part of the pandemic, so it could not have been timed better,” he quips.

Steven Schick. Photo supplied

For decades, Schick has been an internationally renowned champion of contemporary music. Currently a Distinguished Professor of Music at the University of California, he’s commissioned or premiered more than 150 new works during his career and has performed with groups including the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Bang on a Can and Ensemble Modern.

Five years on, his residency is back on track. This month, he’ll present three concerts and a masterclass at ANAM, as well as performing in Perth. Featured works include, among others, Messiaen’s Couleurs de la cité celeste, Pauline Oliveros’s Tuning Meditation, Michael Pisaro’s Ricefall, an arrangement of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring and Xenakis’s Persephassa.

“I recall from my first trip to ANAM [in 2017], there was a really interesting set of conversations that came about – ‘What’s appropriate at this point? How can...