Hamish Upton
Hamish Upton is a percussionist who thrives as a contemporary percussion collaborator and educator. He holds a Master of Music Research from Griffith University, where he used four case studies to explore the use of laptop-based sound technology as an enhancement to solo percussion playing. He moved to Melbourne in 2014, and spent three years at ANAM, receiving multiple awards for his curation and performance of contemporary art music. Prior to this, he was supported with full tuition and board to study at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory at the National University of Singapore. During his four-year course in Singapore, he spent two weeks in Bali immersed in Gamelan, and travelled abroad for a semester on exchange at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University (U.S.A).
Recent performance highlights include Scream Star (2022) with Speak Percussion, featuring 3 world premieres for percussion trio and projections by leading compositional voices in the experimental and conceptual music world. In February 2018, Hamish launched Ossicle Duo with Benjamin Anderson (Bass Trombone). Ossicle Duo has presented 5 world premiere commissions over 8 concerts, and won the contemporary masters prize for their performance of Mauricio Kagel’s L’art Bruit in 2019. Ossicle are 2023 Local Heroes at the Melbourne Recital Centre. Hamish is a member of Ad Lib Collective, working with fellow musicians on collaborative educational outreach programs. Ad Lib Collective also collaborate with Sleep D, a Melbourne-based electronic music duo, and the two groups released an album titled Flashed Glass in 2021.
From 2020-2022, Hamish was mentored by Speak Percussion in their Bespoke Artist program. The Bespoke Artists presented a concert including a work he co-composed with Niki Johnson for ceramics, bamboo and electronics. Hamish performed in four chamber works with Speak Percussion in an Inland Concert Series project in 2019, and as part of The Urban Forest, an immersive work utilising the 67 channel Meyer Constellation System at Monash University to sonify over 72,000 trees from the City of Melbourne in 2021.
In 2017, Hamish received Australia Council for the Arts funding for the project titled ROTOR ASSEMBLY MENTORSHIP. Through this grant, Hamish received tailored mentorship from leading Australian Sound Artist James Hullick to guide him through aspects of transitioning from studying at an institution into the Australian art-music world. ROTOR ASSEMBLY premiered a longform work with Hullick in 2018 at the Melbourne Recital Centre, titled MOUNTAIN BLACK/TURBINE SKY, incorporating percussion instruments, vocals, electronics, and string instruments.
He was a performer at Bendigo International Festival of Exploratory Music in 2016, 2017 and 2019. In 2015, Hamish was a performer in Semaphore, Kate Neal’s APRA award winning interdisciplinary work premiered at Arts House North Melbourne.
Hamish works as a drum and percussion teacher at the Presbyterian Ladies’ College and Carey Baptist Grammar School.
Photo by Sarah Walker Photography