Associate Professor of Classical Music WAAPA, Jonathon Paget
Edith Cowan University's Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) Associate Professor, Jonathan Paget, has won a national grant from the National Foundation for Australia-China Relations.
The National Foundation for Australia-China Relations has awarded a $65,000 grant for the research project 'Cross-Continental Inspirations in Music Performance Practice and Improvisation' led by Associate Professor Paget with WAAPA colleagues Associate Professor Jamie Oehlers, Professor Geoffrey Lancaster, Stewart Smith, and Tanya Visosevic, as well as counterparts at the Nanjing University of the Arts.
This project will conduct reciprocal visits with music staff at WAAPA, Edith Cowan University (Perth) and Nanjing University of the Arts, to undertake collaborative music performance, research, and knowledge exchange.
"It is hoped that this project will be a valuable example of best-practice collaboration in the arts and further cement the partnership and cooperation between both institutions," said Associate Professor Paget.
The project is ambitious in its three key outcomes: a suite of concerts and workshops in Nanjing featuring WAAPA staff in collaboration with Nanjing staff and students in November 2023; a suite of concerts and workshops in Perth featuring Nanjing staff in collaboration with WAAPA staff and students in June 2024.
The concerts will feature innovative approaches to performance and improvisation incorporating cultural influences from both nations, as a showcase of the artistic strengths of both institutions. They will also be a vehicle for experimenting with different forms of musical collaboration.
The project will culminate, and its learnings will be shared, with the production of a documentary to showcase the concert highlights and feature short interviews with participants that investigate the nature of the collaborative experience and the formation of inter-cultural understanding (for distribution in both countries).
"The arts can arguably play a key role in establishing mutual respect and building cross-cultural understanding between China and Australia," said Associate Professor Paget.
National Foundation for Australia-China Relations CEO Peter Cai congratulated Associate Professor Paget on his project's selection in what was a highly competitive process.
"The Foundation is pleased to support collaboration between WAAPA and Nanjing University of the Arts. Art continues to be an important way for Australia and China to build shared understanding and exchange ideas. This program will showcase Australian excellence in performing arts and strengthen cross-cultural musical exchange," he said.
The National Foundation for Australia-China Relations is a national platform that works across business, government and communities to strengthen constructive engagement with China and build links across greater China in support of Australia's national interests.
