Aaron Choulai appointed as the new Artistic Director

From Brian Ritchie (AAO Chair)

The Board of Directors of Australian Art Orchestra are thrilled and excited to appoint Aaron Choulai as the new Artistic Director of the organisation. Aaron brings a wealth of musical and personal knowledge with him, including vast international experience. He is fearless artistically, a musical and linguistic polyglot, multi-talented and has a healthy disregard for convention. We believe Aaron will lead the Australian Art Orchestra into fascinating new territory. 

We extend our thanks and best wishes to outgoing AD Peter Knight, who led the AAO for nearly a decade and expanded the musical, educational and cultural scope of the organisation in the process. 

The Australian Art Orchestra has been at the cutting edge of forging a distinctly Australian approach to musical improvisation in Australia since it was founded by Paul Grabowsky nearly 30 years ago. AAO have collaborated inter-culturally widely with musical neighbours in Australasia as well as with First Nations artists. We look forward to writing a new chapter in this narrative with Aaron at the helm. 

From Aaron Choulai 

It is an honour to be appointed as the Artistic Director for the Australian Art Orchestra. This is an ensemble and organisation that I have admired since its inception by Paul Grabowsky in 1994, and to have a hand in its creative development and artistic direction is an equally exciting and surreal opportunity.

The arts in Australia have been key in defining a contemporary culture that Australians of all backgrounds can identify with. We use it as a tool to reflect on our shared history, to celebrate our diversity, to connect communities and create new traditions together.  For decades the AAO has been at the forefront in complex expression of these values, making it one of Australia's most important and valuable cultural institutions. The sound of Australia is as wide and varied as our rich tapestry of cultural diversity. From improvisers to storytellers, we are lucky to be home to so many artists with a unique and bold expression, while also being the  custodians of the oldest continuous culture on the planet. The AAO is an instrument in which we celebrate this. 

I applaud Peter Knight and all that he has accomplished in the last 10 years as Artistic Director. He has continued and elevated the AAO as an instrument for cultural connection through improvisation, borderless music in aid of creating new languages, and continued collaboration and connection with Australia's First Nations people. I wish him great success as he moves on to focus on his own work. 

I have first hand experience in how transformative the arts in Australia can be. After migrating from Papua New Guinea as a pre-teen, I found community, direction and an Australian identity amongst musicians in the Melbourne jazz scene and my career in music since, has been informed by these formative years and in many ways has been a lateral extension of the AAO. After having spent 15 years of my career being based in Tokyo, to return home and undertake this position with the AAO is a joyous and exciting move, and I look forward to working with the staff and board in 2023 and beyond.

Aaron Commences his role in early January, 2023.