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11 July, 2024
Congratulations to our 2024 David Page Music Fellowship recipients, Amelia Thompson and James Howard.
The program continues to strengthen the legacy of composer and songman, David Page, by investing in the professional development of contemporary First Nations artists to build their careers in the field of performing arts.
Amelia Thompson is a proud Gamillaroi composer, vocalist and electronic artist raised on Dharug Land in the lower Blue Mountains. A graduate from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, her experience extends to radio hosting, event production and she has also released her own EP under the artist name 'THOM'.
"I am overjoyed and so humbled by this opportunity. Working on Dance Clan with Bangarra is such a dream as a young musician. I am so excited to work with other young Aboriginal creatives and to see the outcome of such an inspiring collaboration."
- Amelia Thompson
James Howard is an emerging Jaadwa composer, producer and lecturer and has composed a variety of works for several significant institutions including Australian Dance Theatre, The Australian Ballet, Melbourne Fringe Festival, RISING Festival, YIRRAMBOI Festival, and the Australian Centre for Contemporary Arts. He holds a PhD (Indigenous Arts and Culture), from the University of Melbourne; Composing Cultural Reclamation: Reconnecting to an Indigenous Cultural Heritage through a Music Practice (2022).
"I’m thrilled to be joining the Bangarra community as part of the David Page Music Fellowship to be able to grow as a composer within a space that centres Indigenous self-determination and creative excellence. I can’t wait to begin working alongside other emerging artists, to learn from established industry professionals, as well as to contribute my own creative impressions onto Bangarra’s ongoing storyline."
- James Howard
The David Page Music Fellowship is generously supported by the late Robert Albert AO and Elizabeth Albert.