Jamie Oehlers
Jamie Oehlers is one of Australia’s leading jazz artists and saxophonists. In 2003 Jamie was the winner of the World Saxophone Competition at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland and has won numerous awards in Australia, including an Australian Jazz “Bell” Award for Best Australian Jazz Artist and three for Best Contemporary Jazz Album, an ABC Limelight Award for Best Jazz CD Release, an Australian Young Achiever of the Year Award, and has twice been a finalist in the ARIA awards for Best Jazz Album. He has performed throughout the world including major festivals like the JVC Jazz Festival in New York, BBC London Jazz Festival, Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, Edinburgh Jazz Festival, Villa Celimontana Jazz Festival in Rome, Galway Jazz Festival, Brecon Jazz Festival, and comprehensively throughout Asia, Australia and New Zealand. He has released 15 albums as a leader and has featured on over 100 recordings.
Stephen Magnusson
Winner of the 2013 Melbourne Prize for Most Outstanding Musician, Stephen Magnusson is considered one of Australia’s most accomplished, versatile and distinct musicians with incredible technique and an astoundingly beautiful tone. After completing his studies at the Victorian College of the Arts, Stephen lived and worked in Europe, being appointed as a staff member of The Academy of Contemporary Music (Zurich). On his return to Melbourne in 2000 he was awarded equal first prize in the National Jazz Award at the Wangaratta Jazz Festival. He has worked with many artists including Charlie Haden, Meshell Ndegeocello, Ricki Lee Jones, Sinead O’Connor, John Cale, Gurrumul Yunupingu, Paul Grabowsky, Vince Jones, Katie Noonan, Megan Washington, Paul Kelly, Jim Black and Mike Nock. He released his solo CD 14 little creatures on ABC Jazz, and as a member of the trio Elixir featuring Katie Noonan, the ensemble won the ARIA for Best Jazz Album in 2011. He has also toured with the Australian Art Orchestra, conducted workshops in Prato, Italy and toured extensively throughout Asia performing at festivals in Jakarta, Thailand, Vietnam, China and Japan.
Ben Vanderwal
Ben Vanderwal is one of the most in-demand jazz drummers in Australia. In 2015 Ben received the West Australian Music Award for Best Jazz Artist and he has performed around the world including tours of the UK, US, France, Ireland, India, China, Korea, Taiwan, Japan, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. He regularly performs with Tim Minchin and Rai Thistlethwayte (Thirsty Merc), and has performed with John Scofield, Charlie Haden, Joe Lovano, Vince Jones, Howard Levey, Madeleine Peyroux, Guthrie Govan, Gilad Hexelman, Thirsty Merc, Megan Washington, James Morrison, Chris Potter, Kate Ceberano, James Muller and Nigel Kennedy. He is featured on over 40 recordings including Tim Minchin’s protest song “Come Home Cardinal Pell”, which was the No. 1 iTunes download in February 2016 and was nominated for APRA Song of the Year (2017); the Hank Marvin releases Hank and Without a Word, which went to No. 8 and No. 9 in the UK charts, respectively; Barney McAll’s Bell Award–winning Hearing the Blood, featuring Daniel Merriweather; and Tim Minchin’s new release Apart Together.