A new generation of First Nations musicians is transforming Australia's classical music landscape, weaving together more than 60,000 years of Indigenous cultural knowledge with centuries-old European traditions. From composers-in-residence at major orchestras to pioneering conductors and community ensemble leaders, these artists are expanding what classical music can be — and who it belongs to.
First Nations Voices Finding a Place in Classical Music
For many of these musicians, the journey into classical music began with a moment of discovery. James Henry — a composer, sound designer, photographer, and grandson of First Nations music legend Jimmy Little — traces his path back to high school, when encountering classical music for the first time sent him to local libraries to borrow recordings and explore the repertoire on his own terms.
Today, Henry is an established composer whose work has been performed by some of Australia's most prominent ensembles, including the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, Melbourne String Ensemble, and the Derwent Valley Concert Band. He currently holds the position of First Nations Composer in Residence with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, which is set to premiere his new composition Fresh Water Salt Water in August.
Proud Yuwaalaraay woman Nardi Simpson — a writer, musician, and founding member of First Nations folk group Stiff Gins — brings a similarly deep cultural grounding to her classical work. Simpson participated in the Ngarra Burria First Nations Composers Initiative in 2019 and wrote Of Stars and Birds for Ensemble Offspring in 2020. She is now completing a PhD in composition at the Australian National University.
For Simpson, the relationship between culture and composition is not about ownership in a possessive sense. "It's about allowing those learnings and ownership to exist all around you and for that to be the orienting beauty of culture in this place," she says.
Breaking Barriers and Building Representation
Perhaps no figure better illustrates the barriers being dismantled than Aaron Wyatt, a Noongar, Yamatji, and Wongai musician from Perth. In 2022, Wyatt became the first Indigenous person to conduct an Australian state orchestra, leading the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Long Time Living Here, a musical Acknowledgement of Country composed by Deborah Cheetham Fraillon.
Wyatt — a conductor, composer, violist, educator, and innovator — has long championed Indigenous representation in orchestral music. He is the Artistic Director of Ensemble Dutala, a chamber ensemble specifically dedicated to nurturing the careers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander instrumentalists in the orchestral world. He is also a member of the Decibel New Music Ensemble, where he helped develop the Decibel ScorePlayer app for graphic notation.
What draws Wyatt to symphonic music is the sheer range of sonic possibility it offers. "I just really love the colours and possibilities and sounds that you can get from symphonic repertoire that you can't always get from other types of music," he says.
Culture as the Foundation, Not an Add-On
What unites these artists is a shared understanding that Indigenous cultural knowledge is not a decorative element grafted onto classical music — it is the foundation from which their work grows. As First Nations wisdom continues to inform Australian cultural life in profound ways, the classical music world is increasingly recognising the depth and vitality that Indigenous perspectives bring to the art form.
Kamilaroi artist Adam Manning is another voice in this movement, with his work drawing on rhythmic expression as a way of connecting to Land, People, Culture and Story.
Across composition, conducting, performance, and education, these musicians are not simply participating in Australian classical music — they are actively redefining it, ensuring it reflects the full breadth and depth of this country's cultural heritage. Their work raises a compelling question for audiences and institutions alike: what might classical music sound like when it truly listens to the oldest living culture on Earth?
