Keynotes & Performers

Keynotes

Ricky Kej

3 time Grammy® Award Winner, Padma Shri Awardee, US Billboard #1 artist, United Nations “Goodwill Ambassador”, “GQ Man Of The Year”, Ricky Kej is an internationally renowned Indian Music Composer and Environmentalist. Ricky has performed at prestigious venues in over 35 countries, including at the United Nations Headquarters in New York and Geneva.

His past repertoire of work includes 24 studio albums released internationally, over 3500 tv and radio commercials and 8 feature films, including the natural history documentary ‘Wild Karnataka’ narrated by Sir David Attenborough. Ricky also scored music for the opening ceremony of the Cricket World Cup 2011, held in Dhaka-Bangladesh.

Ricky has been awarded the United Nations “Global Humanitarian Artist” award and the Padma Shri Award (one of India’s highest civilian honors). Among other awards to his credit, he has also won the prestigious “Ban Ki-Moon Award”, The House of Commons, Parliament of Canada has awarded Ricky for his “Outstanding Musical and Humanitarian Achievement”. A chapter on Ricky’s life and musical journey is taught in the 7th grade English textbooks in India.

Ricky is a UNCCD “Goodwill Ambassador”, UNHCR “High Profile Supporter”, UNICEF “Celebrity Supporter”, UNESCO MGIEP “Global Ambassador for Kindness” and works closely with the WHO on their “Make Listening Safe Initiative”

Clint Bracknell

Clint Bracknell is a Noongar song-maker, composer, and Professor of Music at the University of Western Australia. He investigates connections between song, language, and landscapes while working on significant projects to improve Indigenous community access to cultural heritage collections. Clint co-edited the Cambridge Companion to Music in Australia (2024), holds a PhD in Noongar song traditions and has received awards and nominations composing for Australian stage productions over the past two decades. He has co-translated world-first Indigenous language works in film and theatre, leads development of the Mayakeniny Noongar performance resource website, and releases Noongar music under the name Maatakitj. He recently collaborated with Angelique Kidjo and was the support act for her 2024 Australian tour. In 2023, he composed for and performed with Kronos Quartet. Clint co-produced and co-presented Song With No Boss, an Australian podcast series for ABC Radio National. He serves as Chair of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) Council, a member of Creative Australia’s inaugural First Nations Board, and as an elected Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities.

Margaret Barrett, Julie Ballantyne, and Alexis Kallio

Margaret S. Barrett is Distinguished Professor and Head of the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music at Monash University. She has held positions as a Director of the Australian Music Centre, the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, and the Queensland Music Festival. She has served as President of the International Society for Music Education (2012-2014), Chair of the World Alliance for Arts Education (2013-2015), Chair of the Asia-Pacific Symposium for Music Education Research (2009-2011), and National President of the Australian Society for Music Education (1999-2001). She has been awarded Fellowship of the Australian Society for Music (2012) and Honorary Life Membership of the International Society for Music Education (2022).

Her research investigates pedagogies of creativity, creative collaboration, ecological artistic citizenship, and expertise across the lifespan. This body of research has been supported by funding from the Australian Research Council, the British Council, and the Academy of Finland, and industry partners including the Australian Youth Orchestra, the Australian Children’s Music Foundation, Musica Viva Australia, and the Melbourne Recital Centre.  She has been awarded a Fulbright Senior Research Fellowship (2018), elected Beaufort Visiting Research Fellow at St John’s College University of Cambridge (2019), a Senior Research at IRCAM (2019), and an Albi Rosenthal Fellowship in Musicology at the Bodleian Library Oxford (2023). She has published extensively in the field with recent publications including The Oxford handbook of early learning and development in music (with Graham F. Welch, OUP 2023) and Music education, ecopolitical professionalism and public pedagogy: Towards systems transformation. (with Heidi M. Westerlund, Springer, 2024).

Julie Ballantyne is Associate Professor of Music Education at the University of Queensland. Ballantyne is a highly regarded leader in music education, with a career spanning over two decades. Her contributions to research, leadership, teaching, and mentorship have shaped the field significantly. She currently serves as the (co) Editor-in-Chief of Research Studies in Music Education (SAGE), where her leadership has enhanced the journal’s influence in the music education community. Ballantyne is also an active member of the International Society of Music Education (ISME) and a past Secretary of APSMER.  In 2025-2026, she will assume the role of inaugural Director of the International Teacher Professional Development Centre, further solidifying her leadership on the global stage.

Ballantyne has undertaken consultation appointments and research with various organisations in Australia and overseas, particularly in the broader area of music engagement. An experienced researcher, she is known for her work in music teacher identities, social justice, music teacher education, and the social and psychological impacts of musical engagement. She has authored many articles, and her work is widely cited both nationally and internationally, reflecting her scholarly impact.  She has won commendations and fellowships for her teaching and remains an active voice in the music education community, regularly delivering keynotes, participating in podcasts, and contributing to international conferences.

Alexis Anja Kallio is Deputy Director of the Creative Arts Research Institute and Deputy Director (Research) of the Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University. An internationally recognised interdisciplinary researcher and qualitative methodologist, her research bridges the fields of music education and criminology to examine how individuals and social groups negotiate meaning, values, and power in and through music. Focusing on highly complex contexts such as youth justice, policing, and intercultural music teacher education, her research frames music education as a unique form of cultural production with potential to both articulate social tensions and structure opportunities for equity and justice. She is co-editor in chief of Research Studies in Music Education together with Associate Professor Julie Ballantyne (University of Queensland), and has (co)edited the books: Difference and Division in Music Education (2021, Routledge), The Politics of Diversity in Music Education (2021, Springer), and Music, Education, and Religion: Intersections and Entanglements (2019, Indiana University Press).

Performers

Gina Williams and Guy Ghouse

Guitar brilliance and incandescent vocals. These exceptional performers connect and capture audiences all over the world through the power of song. It’s made even more special when it’s sung in rare Noongar language. Gina Williams and Guy Ghouse bring a fresh, modern take on ancient traditions; merging evocative sounds, natural acoustic instruments, poignant stories with that incredible, beautiful voice. Gina is a Balladong (Noongar) daughter, covering the south west corner of Western Australia. She has connection to the Kija people of the East Kimberley through her grandmother’s line. By official records, Noongar language is critically endangered, with only a few speakers left. As well as four albums, they have released three major works; Koort for the Festival of Perth, Koorlangka: Reimagined for the inaugural Perth International Cabaret Festival and Koolbardi wer Wardong for a sell-out season for the West Australian Opera. In February 2024 they premiered their most recent major work, Wundig wer Wilura, commissioned by the West Australian Opera, at the Festival of Perth. Currently they are working on the third instalment of their Kalyakoorl song cycle, Moort, to be released in 2025. 2024 has also included the first sighting (Awesome Festival – September) of Aliwah Bardinar! a work for young people, and a tour of the the UK including performances and a major workshop with local Cardiff youth for the Llais Festival. Performing with the all-important blessings of Gina’s elders and community, this duo will leave you breathless!

Mirabilis Collective

Mirabilis Collective is an intergenerational ensemble of professional women musicians dedicated to amplifying the voices of women composers through powerful, story-driven chamber music. Founded by Artistic Director Stephanie Nicholls, the ensemble reimagines music across genres and centuries—classical, contemporary, folk, and world music—bringing fresh perspectives to historically underrepresented voices.

Through its performances, workshops, and residencies, Mirabilis Collective also mentors emerging women musicians, providing pathways for artistic development and professional experience.

This APSMER performance features a diverse and compelling program that celebrates resilience, Country, and connection through works by women from around the world:

  • Che si può fare – Barbara Strozzi (1619-1677) arr. Stephanie Nicholls
  • Bundjil Ngalingu – Deborah Cheetham Fraillon (born 1964)
  • Yinyarr Mulana Winyarr – Madi Colville-Walker (born 2001) arr. Julia Nicholls
  • Bluebird – Katie Noonan (born 1977) arr. Julia Nicholls
  • Pata Pata – Miriam Makeba (1932-2008) arr. Julia Nicholls

Performers:
Lucinda Nicholls – soprano
Tresna Stampalia – flute
Julia Nicholls – violin
Elena Wittkuhn – cello
Stephanie Nicholls – piano

Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA)

Music in the 21st century is a melting pot of styles, blended to create new and exciting pathways for individual expression. We teach multiple areas of specialty, including: (1) Classical Performance, (2) Composition and Sonic Arts, (3) Contemporary Performance, (4) Jazz Performance, (5) Music Artist, (6) Music Production, and (7) Singing for Music Theatre. Our courses cover the full gamut of pre-tertiary to postgraduate options (Diploma, Advanced Diploma, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Education, Honours, Masters, and Doctorate). Our programs offer students a wealth of real-world performance opportunities in industry-leading venues—especially from 2026 as we enter our new facilities at the ECU City Campus. With access to cutting-edge technology, state of the art facilities, and an array of practical classes, students develop specialist skills while gaining access to a broad spectrum of musical training. The courses afford unique opportunities for students to undertake cross-disciplinary artistic collaboration (in opera, musicals, theatre, and dance), cultivate creative leadership, and develop a unique artistic voice. Students participate in large ensembles like symphony orchestras, big band, as well as smaller bands or chamber ensembles. As our vibrant concert program attests, we promote a plethora of exciting concert opportunities across the broad church of today’s music industry. Our courses also provide lifelong transferable skills, enabling students to become capable of pursuing employment in a wide range of professional industries—whether it be as a performer, musician, classical artist, jazz artist, contemporary artist, pop artist, music artist, composer, music educator, audio engineer, producer, programmer, arts administrator or researcher.

Scroll to Top