Percussionist, composer and educator Vanessa Tomlinson has been appointed the new Director of the Queensland Conservatorium, Griffin University, commencing in January 2026.

She will take over the role from pianist and festival director Bernard Lanskey, who has served in the position since 2021.

Vanessa Tomlinson. Photo supplied

Tomlinson currently holds the role as Professor of Music, Head of Percussion at the Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith Unversity and was its inaugural Director of Creative Arts Research Institute from 2021–2024.

She is a highly accomplished ARIA-nominated percussionist and improviser who holds a fascination for “exploratory, ecological sound practices” and site-specific, immersive works.

She has premiered more than 100 new works from international and Australian composers, earned six Art Music Awards for excellence and led projects including the Tyalgum Festival, Easter at The Piano Mill, Sounding At The Smithsonian and New Sounds Brisbane. She co-wrote her first book, Here and Now, with Toby Wren in 2017.

Clocked Out Duo performing at Cut Paste Play. Photo © CactusCan

Tomlinson is also director of Clocked Out with pianist Erik Griswold. Since its establishment in 2000, its key works include the site-based works Sounding the Condamine and Sounding Wivenhoe,  84 Pianos and the recent Peak Plastique, a musical exploration of chemical compositions using plastic objects as instruments.

She released her debut solo album, The Space Inside, in 2018; her most recent release is Skin Resonance, a collaboration with New Zealand experimental composer Annea Lockwood.

“The Queensland Conservatorium is an extraordinary institution with a long and proud history, and an enviable list of alumni doing amazing things all over the globe. Taking on this role is an opportunity to work with world-class staff across music and acting as we continue to contribute to the future artistic direction of the state and the country through our students, our graduates, our research, and our broad community of stakeholders,” wrote Tomlinson in an Instagram post.

“I am excited and humbled in equal measure.”