What’s On
3.00 - 4.30pm WORKSHOP
Afro-Brazilian Samba with Michael Boase
9.00 - 11.00pm BOOM! CLOSING PARTY WAAPA Main Foyer with Rosie Taylor thursday friday saturday 26 27 28
Richard Gill Auditorium
5.00 - 6.30pm WORKSHOP | PERFORMANCE The Green Room
Flowerpot Music by Elliot Cole with Thea Rossen
7.00 - 8.00pm PERFORMANCE
Synergy Percussion in Concert
8.30 - 9.30pm PERFORMANCE
Richard Gill Auditorium
Pavan Kumar Hari and Friends The Roundhouse
10.00 - 11.00pm PERFORMANCE Spiegeltent
Cosmic Time
4.30 - 6.00pm WORKSHOP
Taiko, from Toes to Tips with Simon Vanyai
7.00 - 8.00pm PERFORMANCE
Richard Gill Auditorium
Richard Gill Auditorium A Percussive Future
8.30 - 9.30pm PERFORMANCE A Solo Focus The Roundhouse
10.00 - 11.00pm PERFORMANCE WAAPA Main Foyer
Danny Susnjar Trio
2.30 - 4.00pm WORKSHOP
Marimba 100 with Adam Tan
4.30 - 6.30pm WORKSHOP
African Marimba with Michael O’Shaughnessy
7.00 - 8.30pm PERFORMANCE
Point Line Area Time Fritz Hauser
Richard Gill Auditorium
Richard Gill Auditorium
Richard Gill Auditorium
VENUE
thursday
Afro-Brazilian Samba with Michael Boase WORKSHOP in the Richard Gill Auditorium | 3.00-4.00pm
Join Michael Boase for an action-packed Afro-Brazilian Samba workshop! Participants will be guided through the incredibly unique rhythms of Samba and learn about the unusual foundations that define the genre. There’s nothing quite like being a part of the magic of a Samba ensemble, each member has an important role to play within a hypnotising, magical web of interlocking percussion patterns!
Flowerpot Music by Elliot Cole
with
Thea Rossen
WORKSHOP | PERFORMANCE in The Green Room | 5.00-6.30pm
The humble flowerpot is an incredibly beautiful instrument that can be played by anyone, no matter their level of musical training. Flowerpot Music, composed by Elliot Cole celebrates this fact by bringing together people from all walks of life to perform the music together outdoors. Join Thea Rossen in a special BOOM! Festival edition of Flowerpot music, where participants will learn a series of musical patterns and games, and when played by a large group, result in a joyful sound!
Participants will need to bring along a resonant flowerpot and Thea and her team will spend 1 hour teaching the piece, there will then be a short break before the 20–30-minute performance of the work outdoors at WAAPA. Please watch the tutorial video on the BOOM! website for tips on choosing the best flowerpot to bring along. Contact thearossen@gmail.com for any questions.
Synergy Percussion in Concert
PERFORMANCE in The Richard Gill Auditorium | 7.00-8.00pm
Join Synergy Percussion for a program of curiosity, virtuosity, and wonder, showcasing the evolution of percussion through an evening of repertoire spanning nearly six decades. Experience Netty Simons' innovative Design Groups I(1967), the Australian premiere of Yiheng Yvonne Wu's evocative Violent/Tender (2017), and the playful, imaginative Creature Feature (2024) by Sydney-based composer Holly Harrison. The concert also includes an immersive performance of Fritz Hauser's Le Souvenir, an extraordinary sonic and visual experience crafted by the composer and artist in residence at BOOM! Festival 2024.
SYNERGY PERCUSSION
Rebecca Lloyd-Jones (AD), Ian Cleworth, Alison Pratt, Sophia Ang
Fritz Hauser | Le Souvenir (1996)
Netty Simons | Design Groups I (1967)
Yiheng Yvonne Wu | Violent/Tender (2017)
Holly Harrison | Creature Feature (2024)
Child by Pavan Kumar and Friends
PERFORMANCE in The Roundhouse | 8.30-9.30pm
CHILD presented by Pavan Kumar, is a show that explores the rediscovery of one's inner child after years of disconnection. It invites audiences to look inward for answers and guidance, rather than constantly seeking them from the outside world. Through a blend of music, dance, and spoken word, the performance encourages a return to the childlike curiosity and freedom we often lose. Influenced by both Western and Indian storytelling traditions, CHILD is a journey of self-reflection and wonder.
Pavan Kumar Hari | Performer/Composer
Kira Gunn | Performer (Music)
Mani Mae Gomez | Performer (Dance/Acting)
Manjula Radha Krishnan | Dramaturg
Devendran Rao | Lighting
Hament Hari | Sound
Cosmic Time
Louise Devenish, Rebecca Lloyd-Jones, Thea Rossen, Carissa Soares
PERFORMANCE in The Spielgeltent | 10.00 - 11.00pm
Cosmic Time is a performance work co-created by visual artist Michaela Gleave, composer Amanda Cole and percussionist Louise Devenish. The work takes concepts of time on a cosmological scale as a point of departure. Unfolding over 40 minutes, Cosmic Time explores representations of time ranging from the endless circling of planetary forms, to measures of time on Earth such as human breath and the fluttering heartbeats of desert mice, as well as abstractions of dissolving consciousness. It is presented as a sequence of eight overlapping movements representing forms of cosmic time: Big Bang, Cosmic Soup, Galactic, Stellar, Planetary, Chemical, Biological, and Esoteric. Performed by four spatialised percussionists, listeners embark on a sonic journey through explorations of time and space informed by historic scientific and musical concepts such as orbital resonance and harmonic sequencing.
friday Taiko, from Toes to Tips with Simon Vanyai
WORKSHOP in the Richard Gill Auditorium | 4.30-6.00pm
Challenge yourself to some full-body percussion for taiko beginners, first-time drummers and returning students. Participants will explore how to use our whole body to focus energy into the Taiko in a variety of drum positions through basic rhythms, shouts, body movements and weave them together with group coordination and improvisation.
A Percussive Future:
Defying Gravity | Piñata | Ba Da Boom
PERFORMANCE in the Richard Gill Auditorium | 7.00-8.00pm
Experience an unforgettable evening of dynamic percussion as leading student ensemblesDefying Gravity from WAAPA, Piñata from UWA, and Ba Da Boom from the Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University—take the stage. These critically acclaimed groups represent the pinnacle of young musical talent from some of Australia’s most prestigious institutions. Expect an exhilarating fusion of rhythms, cutting-edge performances, and innovative compositions that push the boundaries of contemporary percussion.
DEFYING GRAVITY - Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts
Austin Keck | Passage to an Uncharted World (2022)
BA DA BOOM - Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University
Erik Griswold | Nostalgic Strains (2005)
PIÑATA - University of Western Australia, Conservatorium of Music
Katy Abbott | Taking Chances: from ‘Hidden Thoughts’ (2020)
Thierry De Mey | Table Music (Musique de Table) (1987)
Mark Applebaum; arr. Thea Rossen | Aphasia, for 8 players (2009/2024)
A Solo Focus:
Fritz Hauser | Ian Cleworth | Louise Devenish
Paul Tanner | Joey Eng | Gabrielle Lee
PERFORMANCE in The Roundhouse | 8.30-9.30pm
Immerse yourself in a captivating concert of solo works that explore the full spectrum of percussion. This performance showcases the artistry and diverse styles of world-renowned percussionists, including Fritz Hauser (Switzerland), Ian Cleworth, Louise Devenish, Paul Tanner, Joey Eng and Gabrielle Lee. Each soloist brings their unique interpretation, pushing the boundaries of rhythm, texture, and sound in a celebration of percussion's limitless possibilities.
Ian Cleworth | Ian Cleworth: Waves (2017)
Gabrielle Lee | Gabrielle Lee / Poem by Eileen Chong: My Hakka Grandmother (2021)
Joey Eng | Isaac Albéniz arr. Adélaïde Ferrière: Asturias (2019) / Joey Eng: The Wind that Cradles the Clouds (2020)
Paul Tanner | Paul Tanner: Without Delay (2021)
Louise Devenish | Louise Devenish and Aaron Wyatt: Preservation Reference Area (2024)
Fritz Hauser | Fritz Hauser: Fritz Hauser (2024)
Danny Susnjar Trio
PERFORMANCE in WAAPA Main Foyer | 10.00-11.00pm
The Daniel Susnjar jazz trio focuses on interaction and collaboration built on years of performance in a multitude of live and recorded music settings. Featuring award-winning musicians Daniel Susnjar – drums, Nick Abbey – bass Chris Foster – piano, the ensemble draws inspiration from contemporary jazz, world, and folk music influences and continues to forge ahead with the presentation of creative, original musical expressions.
saturday
28
Marimba 100 with Adam Tan
WORKSHOP in the Richard Gill Auditorium | 2.30-4.00pm
Join Marimba Master Adam Tan for his MARIMBA 100 workshop: Simple Exercises and Techniques for your Best Performance. Workshop description: Do you ever feel like your marimba playing isn’t improving enough? Or your hands feel stiff, sore and painful during performance? Do you want your sound to be bigger? Or maybe, you feel nervous before stepping on stage to perform in front of an audience? We can fix that! As a touring percussionist, Adam Tan has played in venues across the world to all kinds of different audiences, and in this session, Adam will share some simple exercises and techniques that you can try to help you play your next marimba performance at your best. This is an interactive workshop, so please bring your own mallets if you have them. These exercises are suitable for all difficulty levels.
African Marimba with Michael O’Shaughnessy
WORKSHOP in the Richard Gill Auditorium | 4.30-6.30pm
Join Michael O'Shaughnessy for a fun introduction to African rhythms! In this workshop, Michael will teach basic techniques of ensemble African drumming and marimba playing. Participants will then combine these skills and learn to play at least one traditional Zimbabwean marimba song, accompanied by drumming. The workshop will culminate in a vibrant group performance, showcasing the skills and rhythms participants have developed.
Fritz Hauser | Point Line Area Time
PERFORMANCE in The Richard Gill Auditorium | 7.00-8.30pm
International percussion innovator Fritz Hauser leads a large percussion ensemble in performing his acclaimed work Point Line Area Time. Joined by local musicians and students, this ensemble will present the masterwork in a once-in-a-lifetime performance for both musicians and audience members.
“ As an artist I believe in inspiration, and as Stanley Kubrick used to say: Nothing inspires more than inspiration!, I often visit museums, art exhibitions, concerts, theatre performances, dance etc.
In the case of the MOTHER COUNTRY exhibition, I was impressed with the abstract power of these paintings, and felt encouraged to write music, that will pick up on that energy. I did not, of course, use the paintings as graphic notation, or compose along certain rhythmic constructions of the paintings - it was more an overall feeling, a deep respect for these artists, and their way of expressing themselves.
A befriended composer once said about my music: The music of Fritz Hauser reminds him of the musical expression of a people long forgotten!” ~ Fritz Hauser
The Mother Country Exhibition took place in Basel, Switzerland, at the Kunstmuseum Basel in 2019 featuring work by renowned First Nations artists Emily Kame Kngwarreye (Anmatyerre), Kathleen Petyarre (Anmatyerre), and Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri (Anmatyerre), highlighting the deep cultural connections of Central Desert artists to their land and traditions.
Performers: Fritz Hauser, Ian Cleworth, Tim White, Louise Devenish, Alison Pratt, Sophia Ang, Rebecca Lloyd-Jones, Paul Tanner, Thea Rossen, David Pye, Jaymee Homeming, Connor Dinneen, Matthew Conway, Jane Stark, Zac Skelton, Jon Parker, Dean Hardingham, Callum Fairweather
BOOM! CLOSING PARTY
with Rosie Taylor
WAAPA Main Foyer | 9.00-11.00pm
Join us for the BOOM! closing party featuring Rosie Taylor plus surprise guests! Rosie will be bringing excitement and energy to the stage with a percussive beat-driven DJ set blended with live hand drumming.
would not have been possible without the contributions of many individuals and organizations. On behalf of the entire team, I would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to:
Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts and Tim White for their unwavering support and making this event possible.
The WAAPA Production Team
Zac Skelton, Jane Stark, and Martha Bird, led by Fiona Digney, for their exceptional work.
The WAAPA Students who volunteered their time and effort in front of house, production and logistics
Gemma at Emagined for her dedication in managing and updating the BOOM! website.
Michaela Gleave for generously loaning the Cosmic Time costumes.
Sarah Lamond at Anomaly Design for her outstanding artwork.
Tim Hansen for invaluable support across marketing, logistics, production and administration.
And finally, to all the artists and workshop leaders, whose enthusiasm, expertise and talent brought BOOM! to life.
Presenting the best of Percussion in Australia.
Boom!
International Festival of Percussion
Synergy Percussion
Taikoz
New Artist Series
Australian Taiko Academy
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