As many of you know, I work a day job at the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) as senior marketing coordinator. I get the opportunity to write about the amazing musicians of ANAM, the music they play, the guest artists they work with and the fantastic team of faculty and staff who mentor them.
We have just announced our 2025 season, and as a part of that here is a piece I wrote about the American percussionist and conductor Steven Schick, who will return to ANAM next year.
Percussionist, conductor, and author Steven Schick is set to embark on an exciting residency at ANAM in September 2025. Known for his profound contributions to contemporary percussion music, Schick’s visit will explore the integration of music with life itself—a theme central to his vision as an artist. With a career that has spanned decades, Schick’s residency promises to inspire and challenge ANAM’s next generation of musicians to consider their relationship with their craft, their communities, and the environment.
Born and raised in rural Iowa (USA), Schick has transformed the world of percussion through his deep engagement with contemporary music. Alex Ross of The New Yorker describes him as “one of our supreme living virtuosos, not just of percussion but of any instrument,” a testament to Schick’s ability to elevate percussion to a new artistic plane. His commitment to commissioning and premiering over 150 new works for solo percussion has helped establish a core repertory for the instrument, securing his place in the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame in 2014.
In addition to his work as a performer, Schick is the artistic director of both the La Jolla Symphony and Chorus and the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players. His versatility extends to conducting, with appearances alongside prestigious ensembles such as the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and Ensemble Modern. As a professor at the University of California, San Diego, Schick is also dedicated to mentoring the next generation of musicians. His publications and recordings have garnered international acclaim, including prestigious awards like the Diapason d’Or and the Deutscheschallplattenkritikpreis for his interpretations of works by Iannis Xenakis and Karlheinz Stockhausen.
Schick’s 2025 residency at ANAM is a project in three parts that will unpack key relationships between musicians, their art, and the world around them. Inspired by his essay ‘The Externally Facing Artist,’ Schick proposes that a healthy artistic practice revolves around three core relationships: with the materials of one’s craft, with the natural world, and with the community.
During the residency, ANAM musicians will have the opportunity to delve into these relationships through a series of performances, gatherings, and interstitial encounters, including masterclasses and discussions. These events are designed to encourage musicians to reflect on their aspirations and experiences, fostering dialogue and collaboration across multiple disciplines.
The residency will begin with a masterclass where Schick will guide ANAM percussionists through the foundational aspects of percussion. This will set the stage for the first performance, Thought, where Schick will showcase iconic solo percussion works by composers such as Xenakis and Stockhausen.
As part of this concert, Schick will present Sarah Hennies’ Thought Sectors, an hour-long work from 2020. This work, known for its exploration of identity and perception, aligns perfectly with Schick’s broader inquiry into how music connects with the self and the world.
The second gathering of the residency, titled Touch, will bring together musicians, faculty, and audience to explore the nature of community and collaboration. From the organic improvisation Tuning Meditation by Pauline Oliveros, through to the Australian premiere of the powerful TOUCH:TRACE by Zosha di Castri, this concert will conclude with a performance of Iannis Xenakis’s percussion sextet Persephassa.
For the final performance of the residency, Life, Schick will conduct a chamber music performance featuring works such as Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s Aequilibria and Michael Pisaro’s Ricefall. These contemporary compositions will be paired alongside a chamber arrangement of Igor Stravinsky’s earth-shattering Rite of Spring and Olivier Messiaen’s stunning Couleurs de la Cité Celeste, which will involve a broad range of ANAM musicians.
Steven Schick’s residency at ANAM in 2025 offers a unique opportunity for musicians (and audiences!) to explore the deep connections between music, life, and the world around us – encouraging musicians to consider their role as artists in an interconnected and ever-changing planet, and ultimately gaining a deeper understanding of how their music can resonate with the world at large.
STEVEN SCHICK, PERCUSSION MASTERCLASS
Monday 15 September 10.30am
Book Now
ANAM AT THE CONVENT: STEVEN SCHICK RESIDENCY
Thought
Tuesday 16 September 7pm
Book Now
Touch
Thursday 18 September 3pm
Book Now
Life
Saturday 20 September 7pm
Book Now
Venue Rosina Auditorium, Abbotsford Convent
Bookings anam.com.au or 03 9645 7911
Steven Schick’s Artistic Residency at ANAM is generously supported by Peter Jopling AM KC and Richard Parker