SPEAKER - Louise Devenish

Louise Devenish

Louise Devenish is a percussionist whose practice incorporates performance, commissioning, curating, research and education. Her work with contemporary, world and interdisciplinary ensembles includes co-directing percussion duo The Sound Collectors, directing Piñata Percussion, percussing for electro-acoustic sextet Decibel and curating the annual Day of Percussion, a full-day event exploring percussion via performances and workshops. Louise works regularly with Speak Percussion (Vic) as a percussionist and contributor to Sounds Unheard. She has also performed with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, Synergy Percussion (NSW), Clocked Out Duo (Qld), redfishbluefish (USA) and was a core member of Tetrafide Percussion (2004-2010).

Louise has performed throughout regional and metropolitan Australia, the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Japan, China, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Vietnam. Highlights have included performances at the Nagoya and Shanghai World Expos, Percussive Arts Society International Convention (USA), Ojai Music Festival, Bang on a Can Summer Music Festival, Melbourne Festival, Tongyeong International Music Festival and more.

An advocate of Australian music, Louise has commissioned nearly 50 percussion works and has recently completed a Doctor of Musical Arts researching the development of Australian contemporary percussion music, which culminated in the show Australian Music for One Percussionist. In 2012 she studied at the University of California San Diego with Steven Schick. Her most recent solo project Electroacoustic Music for One Percussionist, featured five works by living Australian composers.

Louise is Associate Lecturer in percussion, world music and musicology at the University of Western Australia School of Music, and lecturer for the acting and music departments at WA Academy of Performing Arts. Her research is published in Musicology Australia, Percussive Notes and PERCUSscene.

Key research

  • Australian music history
  • History of percussion in the twentieth century
  • Performance practice of contemporary music
  • Solo percussion performance
  • Artistic practice as research
  • Improvisation and experimental music methods
  • Music theory (specialising in graphic notation and advanced rhythm)
  • Ethnomusicology
  • Community music making (primarily using percussive instruments/approaches)
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