Featured artists
Salvador Persico
Salvador Persico is an Australian percussionist, performer, educator and composer. He is heavily influenced by Afro-Cuban and Latin American folk/popular music, Latin Jazz, 70's Salsa and Reggae - Afro Cuban Percussion has been particularly a big part of Salvador's musical repertoire. He completed a Bachelor of Music Performance in Improvisation in 2004, at the Victorian College of the Arts, where he teaches percussion ensembles and conducts workshops.
Persico has been touring nationally since the age of 18 and internationally for the past decade. For the past years, his main focus and commitment have been dedicated to Blue King Brown, performing both nationally and internationally. He also performs frequently within Melbourne's latin music scene. Some of Salvador's performance highlights include sold-out shows touring Australia with Blue King Brown and the 2005 Grand Final supporting Delta Goodrem, Michael Buble, Silvi Paladino and Dame Edna.
Sayaka Ohno
Sayaka Ohno is an energetic and dynamic traditional Japanese Taiko drummer who has forged her own unique style. She has been playing Taiko for over 10 years, collaborating with a variety of musicians and performed at numerous large national and international festivals and events. These include the Japan Spectacular at the Sydney Opera House, the 2024 Matsumura Blues Festival and the Emperor's Birthday Celebration Reception at the Melbourne consul general's residence from 2022 to 2025. International highlights include the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Samoa project in Samoa in 2023, Yilan International Music Festival in Taiwan, Yilan Green Expo 2019 closing ceremony and several Japanese events such as the Furusato Festival in Tokyo 2018 - 2020.
Gerry Pantazis
Gerry Pantazis is one of Australia’s most respected drummers, working live on stage in bands, with vocal artists, theatre orchestras, TV bands, touring internationally, and recording as a session musician. He has performed/ with an amazing array of artists including Larry Carlton (USA Guitar Legend), Richard Marx (USA Pop Artist), Hugh Jackman, Martin Short (USA) Venetta Fields, John Farnham, Judith Durham, The Seekers, Lisa Edwards, Tina Arena, Peter Cupples, Colleen Hewitt, Thelma Houston(USA), Roachford (U.K), Donovan (UK), Todd McKenney, Marina Pryor, and Doug Parkenson, to name a few. As a studio session player, he has worked with artists such as Guy Sebastian, Shannon Noel, David Campbell, Anthony Callea, Engelbert Humperdinck (USA) Casey Donovan, Rob Mills, Kate DeAraugo, Lee Harding, Geoff Achison (and live in concert DVD), Lisa Edwards, Tommy Emmanuel, Bachelor Girl, Human Nature, Stylus, Project 3, Blue Heelers Theme and also music for Glenn Robbins’ TV character Russell Coight. Gerry has also been active in theatre productions which include Grease the arena spectacular (which toured nationally), Fame the musical, Witches of Eastwick, Mamma Mia, Dirty Dancing, Priscilla Queen of the Desert (dep), the Rocky Horror Show, the Boy from Oz, Strictly Ballroom, The Bodyguard and Jesus Christ Superstar. You have also heard (maybe not seen) Gerry on numerous TV events such as Hey Hey it’s Saturday, In Melbourne Tonight, G.M.A, Goodwill Games 2001 Opening Ceremony, AFL Grand Final 03, 04, 05, 06 Carols by Candlelight 2004-2022. The Big Night In with John Forman, Dancing with the Stars, Australia’s Got Talent 07, the 2009-17 Logies and Young Talent Time.
Niki Johnson
Niki Johnson is a percussionist and composer-performer whose musical practice incorporates contemporary classical repertoire, improvisation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and performance art. She is Acting Percussion Coordinator and PhD Candidate at Monash University, where her research explores percussionists' collaborations with sculptors and designers, and the process of co-creating, and composing for new sculptural instruments. Her main research project is Shock Lines, a collaboration involving Niki as percussionist-composer, glass artist Caitlin Dubler, and sound designer Natasha Dubler. Shock Lines is a visceral exploration of the resonance and materiality of glass. Moving between performance and installation, the work features suspended glass-sandstone sculptures and immersive surround sound.
Robert Cossom
Robert Cossom was born in Hobart, and learned everything he knows from Eric Johnstone and Tom O’Kelly. He started playing casually with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra at age 15, and was appointed to the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in 1995. Personal highlights of his MSO career include playing with KISS and The Wiggles, working with Sir Andrew Davis, and establishing the MSO Snare Drum Award. Robert’s music is published by Rhythmscape Australia and perfromed by TYO Percussion Ensemble, the TSO the MSOChamber Players, and as composer-in-residence for Sydney Youth Orchestras. Robert is supported by Zildjian, Evans Drumheads, Pearl Drums and Just Percussion.
Alistair McLean
Alistair McLean is a musician, recording engineer, producer and researcher with an extensive artistic practice across genres and contexts. His musical practice is focused on the creation of new works, engaged with explorations of rhythm and timbre, and spans performance, music composition and sonic works. Alistair maintains an extensive practice as a recording engineer and producer across live and studio environments, specialising in classical, new music, jazz, improvised and acoustic music. He regularly works on projects ranging from experimental works to orchestral music, live recordings, filmed performances, studio albums and installations, and has an interest in audio restoration and archiving. Alistair also has a particular interest in multi-channel spatialisation, diffusion, and immersive audio, as well as live sound, electronics, and Max programming. He holds a PhD in recording processes for improvisation (2022), and Alistair’s research examines how technology affects processes of music creation, encompassing sound recording, composition, performance and collaborative works, performed electronics, generative and responsive technology, and human-computer interaction.
Monash Percussion Ensemble
Monash Percussion’s projects champion the music of our time and place via the presentation of Australian percussion repertoire alongside collaborative projects and significant works of the international percussion canon. Students develop professional skills in interpretation of notated repertoire, improvisation, arranging and recording, and regularly engage with a host of musical luminaries such as Sammy J, Eric Whitacre, Kuniko Kato, Thomas Meadowcroft, Claire Edwardes, Fritz Hauser, musicians from Australia’s leading musical organisations Speak Percussion, Orchestra Victoria, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Musica Viva and more, in performances, workshops and special events. Monash Percussion ensemble was founded in 2021 by Dr Louise Devenish, and features advanced undergraduate percussion students from Monash University.