Chapter 7: Beyond Ropar Bar: Transcultural and Transformative Collaborations of the Australian Art Orchestra and the Young Wagilak Group

The Australian Art Orchestra (AAO) is a portable orchestra that meets the demands of the new millennium's explorations in improvised music. Exploring the meeting points between disciplines and cultures, musicians of the AAO imagine new musical forms that reflect the energy and diversity of 21st century Australia. Initially conceived as a contemporary jazz orchestra, it draws inspiration from Australia's vibrant local contemporary music scene and significant cultural diversity, “exploring the interstices between the avant-garde and the traditional, between art and popular music, between electronic and acoustic approaches, creating works that traverse the continuum between improvised and notated forms” (AAO, 2016). Central to this is an ongoing dedication to nurturing dialogues with artistic collaborators in India, Korea, China and Indonesia, as well as with deepening its connection with Australian indigenous cultures. The Orchestra is commissioned to create music perspectives committed to the notion of a future in which truly new music that integrates Asian and Western influences is part of the cultural fabric of our region.