Pianist. Composer. Innovator.

 

Paul Grabowsky is a composer, a thinker and a collaborator. A creative with uncompromising integrity. 

 

Grabowsky is one of Australia's most significant composers and celebrated recording artists. An internationally acclaimed performer, he has worked with jazz greats such as Art Farmer, Branford Marsalis, Joe Lavano, and Johnny Griffin. He has performed on many great stages worldwide including the Sydney Opera House, Australia; North Sea Jazz Festival, Netherlands; Montreux Jazz Festival, Switzerland; Pompeii Amphitheatre, Italy; and Tokyo Jazz Festival, Japan. 

 

A household name in Australia, he led the house band on the Seven Network TV show Tonight Live with Steve Vizard, five nights a week in the early 90s. 

 

An Officer of the Order of Australia for services to Australian Music, he is also a recipient of the prestigious Sidney Myer Performing Arts Award, the Melbourne Prize for Music and a Bell Hall of Fame Award. As a recording artist he has received two AIR Awards, and eight ARIA awards (the Australian equivalent of the Grammy). As a composer he has received six APRA Art Music Awards, and two Helpmann Awards. 

 

Not that he would tell you about his collection of awards. He would be more likely to tell you about a book he is reading, a film he is currently contemplating, or an artist he is collaborating with. 

 

Collaboration is at the heart of his work. Through each exchange, Paul channels limitless creativity, renewed by a deep respect for his counterparts. Captured in his recorded catalogue, collaborators include Vince Jones, Paul Kelly, Kate Ceberano, Katie Noonan, Daniel and David Wilfred, Uncle Archie Roach and Auntie Ruby Hunter. Current projects see him partner on stage with artists such as Emma Donovan, Lisa Gerrard, James Morrison, Meg Washington, Mindy Meng Wang, Andrea Lam, Ngaiire, Joe Camilleri and Deborah Conway.

 

Composition is a core pillar of his artistic output. Recent projects include his tenure as artist in residence with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, producing five major works, most recently Four Elements for Orchestra  (2023). One of his most treasured collaborations has been Crossing Roper Bar (2004-2014) a project created in Ngukurr, a remote community in the Northern Territory, with traditional songmen and members of the Australian Art Orchestra. This work has continued with Wata (2020) and Raki (2023).

 

Genre is not a prescription for Paul, but a construct he redefines. Fluency in jazz and classical idioms provides him with an unlimited palette of sounds that allow him to move through genres and sonic landscapes. A life-long love affair with moving images has generated a catalogue of more than 25 film scores, working with directors and producers such as Michael Douglas, Fred Schepisi, Gillian Armstrong and Paul Cox.  His music for the stage includes many Melbourne Theatre Company productions, and he has composed four operatic works, including Love in the Age of Therapy (2001-2) for Opera Australia with librettist Joanna Murray-Smith  and Banquet of Secrets (2017) for Victorian Opera with librettist Steve Vizard. 

 

An innovator, Paul Grabowsky established the Australian Art Orchestra in 1994. The legacy continues under the direction of Paul’s mentee, Aaron Choulai. 

 

Triumphant large scale projects include musically directing the APRA AMCOS AGSC Screen Music Awards, composing for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Opening Ceremonies and touring the Australian Art Orchestra throughout Europe and India. Another major feat was the award-winning show, The Theft of Sita, which was performed at the Melbourne and Adelaide Festivals, Expo 2000 in Hanover, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music in NYC in 2001.

 

Behind the scenes, Paul is a senior leader in the Australian arts, media and music industries. Former roles include Commissioning Editor for ABC Television Arts and Entertainment, Commissioner at the Australian Film Commission, Director of Queensland Music Festival, and Artistic Director of the 2010 and 2012 Adelaide Festivals. Currently, he holds the title of Professor and Executive Director of Monash University Performing Arts Centres (MPAC), leading a team to present international multi-genre work across five venues. He is working on a forthcoming solo record and an artist residency at Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC).