First Nations Artist Residency
About the Program
Melbourne International Jazz Festival and the Australian Art Orchestra respectfully acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which our festival and activities take place, the people of the Kulin Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, as well as to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the wider Melbourne community and beyond. We are honoured to contribute to the over 60,000 years of music making and storytelling that has taken place on this land.
Presented in a partnership between the Melbourne International Jazz Festival (MIJF) and the Australian Art Orchestra (AAO), the First Nations Artist Residency Program is an artistic and professional development initiative that supports the career development of a First Nations musician with a practice in jazz, improvisation, singer-songwriter music, hip-hop, soul, or contemporary art music and its composition. Program leaders, selected each year, present a commissioned performance at the 2025 Melbourne International Jazz Festival, and receive fees to develop and present the work, along with a professional and artistic development budget, producing and mentoring support, networking opportunities and more.
2024/25 Program Leader
Melbourne International Jazz Festival (MIJF), together with the Australian Art Orchestra (AAO), is excited to announce that Adam Manning has been selected as the 2024/25 First Nations Artist Residency Program leader.
Born on Awabakal/Worimi Country, and with Kamilaroi kinship, Manning wears many hats—musician, artist, designer, producer and researcher at the University of Newcastle, NSW.
Through his expert use of percussion, Manning’s rhythmic expressions connect him to Land, People, Culture and Story—articulating the natural frequency (heartbeat) of Ngaya Barray (Mother Earth). His career has seen him share the stage with distinguished orchestras, collaborate with artists such as Keith Carlock, John Paul Young and James Morrison, and compose commissions for Ensemble Offspring and ABC Classic.
“A virtuosic clapstick cadenza performed by the composer melded traditional and contemporary techniques into a captivating display of timbre and rhythm” – The Age
Delivered in partnership between MIJF and the AAO, the First Nations Artist Residency Program was launched in 2021 to support the career development of a First Nations musician. As part of his residency, Manning will be supported by MIJF and the AAO to develop an ambitious new work, to be premiered at the 2025 Melbourne International Jazz Festival.
Adam Manning says of the program: “I’m incredibly excited to dive into this residency and explore new ways to connect rhythm and culture”.
Program Alumni
The 2023/24 program leader is award-winning Noongar woman and Naarm-based vocalist and artist, Bumpy. Bumpy has just completed a 3-week trip to Noongar Boodja to connect with Country and language as part of her commission’s development, with the performance premiering at Arts Centre Melbourne as part of MIJF 2024. Read more about Bumpy here.
In 2022 the program leader was composer and Yuin woman, Brenda Gifford. Brenda presented her commission Moriya at the Melbourne Recital Centre, inspired by the migration of whales and their significance in stories of creation. The performance featured Brenda on saxophone, Reuben Lewis on trumpet and electronics, Aviva Endean on clarinets, Andrea Keller on piano, Helen Svoboda on bass, Joe Brown McLeod on didjeridoo/clapsticks, and Maria Moles on drums. You can read more about Brenda’s performance here.
The inaugural program leader in 2021 was award-winning musician, dancer, director and proud Djab Wurrung/Gunditj Mara and Ngarrindjeri man, Amos Roach. With support from the AAO, Amos composed Six Seasons, a suite of music which he premiered at the Melbourne Recital Centre during MIJF 2021. The work featured Amos on yidaki, Maria Moles on drums, Adrian Sherriff on trombone/shakuhachi, and Stephen Magnusson on guitar, as well as the Murrundaya Yepengna dancers.
