Jasper Hood Bruten was generously supported by the Helen Graham Artist Award.

Jasper Hood Bruten is an acclaimed and award winning drummer, composer and educator, based in Melbourne, Australia. Guided and mentored by some of Melbourne's best drummers, Bruten's genre defying approach to playing embraces improvisation, deep groove and ensemble interaction, creating a unique style that he brings to every ensemble he works with. 
Over the course of his career, he has had the privilege to perform and record with many significant Australian musicians including Andrea Keller, Paul Williamson, Paul Grabowsky, Sam Anning and Julien Wilson. In addition to supporting local musicians, Jasper is regularly called to perform with international artists such as Linda May Han Oh, John Hollenbeck and Ambrose Akinmusire. After nearly a decade of working as a sideman, Jasper is now turning his attention towards crafting original projects. These include the writing of an entirely original suite of music for a jazz quartet and strings, as well as works for solo drumset with improvised, emergent electronics.

Kali Gillen was generously supported by the Banff Centre Artist Award.

“Creatively Sophisticated” - (John Shand, Sydney Morning Herald) Kali Gillen is an active multi-instrumentalist in the music scene in Sydney and beyond. After graduating from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music with a Bachelor in Music (Jazz Performance), Kali has been regularly performing with local bands Hot Potato Band, 343 Brass Band and Lyre Byrdland. She also has toured and recorded with Lime Cordiale for the 14 steps to a Better You album, and more recently played with iconic Australian band the Hilltop Hoods for their ‘Never Coming Home’ Australian Tour. With a proclivity to explore new genres and styles, Kali has played with Sydney Theatre Company for Bloom on reeds, Irish Whistle/Flute for Come From Away with Blue Mountains Theatre Co and toured with US Broadway and Tour singers Diana Huey (The Little Mermaid - US Tour), Christine Dwyer (Wicked - Broadway) and Nic Coleman (Book of Mormon - Broadway) as part of a production in China (2024). Within the jazz scene, Kali has played with Pharos for the Sydney International Women’s Jazz Festival alongside featured artists Silke Eberhardt, Helen Sung and Lekecia Benjamin. 2026 will see the release of Armour, Kali’s debut EP featuring original works alongside Harry Birch (Double Bass) and Ryu Kodama (Drums).

Eli Davidovici was generously supported by the Banff Centre Artist Award.

Eli Davidovici is a bassist and composer who is currently in Tio'tia:ke/Montreal, Quebec. Originally hailing from Vancouver, BC, he has been a long-standing collaborator in the jazz, rock, and experimental Canadian music scenes. While performing in various projects and musical styles over the years, the music he gravitates towards is strongly improvisatory, with an emphasis on group connection and collaboration. In 2023, Eli released his first album as a leader, Shapes, and has been writing and arranging music for his band as well as other local artists. He has performed and recorded with Canadian artists in Montreal, Vancouver, and Toronto, including Bellbird, Chris McCann, Jean-Michel LeBlanc, Mili Hong, Roman Munoz, Thad-Bailey Mai, Kim Albert, and Erika Angell. His newest record, Bellbird’s The Call, was released on Constellation Records in early 2026, and features him as a composer and bass player.

Oliver Cox was generously supported by the Helen Graham Artist Award.

Ollie Cox is a Narrm/Melbourne-based composer, drummer and improvisor, who works in the spaces between sound and music. Drawing in equal measure from his background in jazz and love of experimentalism, Ollie seeks to craft emotive compositions that flicker between spans of contemplative ambience to moments of frenetic sonic chaos.

Ollie’s rich textural palette and sensitive, considered and creative playing style at the kit have paved the way for a diverse range of collaborative projects, across a broad scope of genres. Cox performs frequently with some of Australia’s most exciting songwriters including Juice Webster, Hannah McKittrick, Phoebe Go, Maple Glider and Armlock - leading him to tour both domestically and internationally (EU, UK, USA).

Away from the drum kit, Ollie is well-known for his avant garde percussion stylings and techniques, which can be heard in solo contexts (Speak Percussion’s Bespoke Artists Program 2023-24), duos with musicians including Zela Papageorgiou and Helen Svoboda, and with local cult-favourite “post-stadium rock band”,  Dragonfru?t  (led by Theo Carbo and Robert Downie).

Ollie holds a Bachelor of Music (Hons) in Contemporary Music from the Victorian College of the Arts (University of Melbourne). It was during his studies that Ollie developed a penchant for experimentalism, drawing inspiration from the compositional stylings of ambient music, musique concréte and surrealist cinema movements. Under the tutelage of renowned composer Kate Neal, Ollie began investigating the hidden musical capacities of everyday objects and sounds as his honours project in 2020. This work culminated in his debut album, Objects In Mirror, an exploration of electroacoustic composition using found objects, which was released via experimental label Curveball in 2023.

Jeremiah Cossa was generously supported by the Banff Centre Artist Award.

Jeremiah Cossa is the embodiment of a modern musician: a boundary-crossing pianist proficient in a vast array of musical languages. He leads an exciting and unorthodox career that nimbly traverses Classical and Contemporary chamber repertoire, Jazz-rooted and free improvisation, and several Rock projects.
Cossa is a core member of Chamber Rock ensemble Cordis, praised by Billboard for creating “sparkling moments that defy classification.” He has performed with Parlando, the NYC orchestra called “off the scale for its integrity and emotional impact” by the NY Classical Review. His punk band nurse joy was a fixture of the Boston DIY scene while active.

Classically trained, Cossa has appeared as soloist with multiple orchestras and received a share of local and international competition awards before shifting his focus to Contemporary repertoire.
Jeremiah grew up in eSwatini (formerly Swaziland), where he began piano at age 5 and continued after moving back to the US at age 11. He holds a B.M. from Azusa Pacific University and an M.M. from The Boston Conservatory. He resides in Brooklyn.

His music - including a recent trio EP with Boston friends Matt Ares on bass and Henry Godfrey on drums, featuring original compositions and arrangements ranging from John Coltrane to Coldplay - can be heard on Bandcamp and all streaming platforms.

Arthur Clees was generously supported by the Barbara and John Poole Memorial Endowment.

Arthur Clees is a Luxembourg-born electronic music artist, producer, composer, and improviser whose work bridges minimal techno, ambient electronica, jazz-rooted improvisation, and contemporary compositional forms.

Growing up in Esch-sur-Alzette, Arthur began his musical journey studying cello and classical percussion before immersing himself in jazz, vibraphone, and contemporary improvised music.

He went on to study at the jazz departments at the music academy in Dresden and Oslo and formed several bands throughout his early musical career. Including the award-winning duo Kravchenko Clees and the jazz new wave quartet Jambal with whom he still plays and tours today.

Arthur’s debut solo album as a producer and songwriter, Stay, Temporary Home, was released on Macro Recordings in 2023 and earned critical recognition for its hypnotic blend of techno, ambient, and avant-garde influences. The record was nominated for the prestigious Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik in the Electronic & Experimental category.

He has also collaborated with iconic figures in the electronic music world. A notable release is Jan Jelinek & Arthur Clees: Live in Luxembourg, December 3rd 2021, a vinyl and digital recording of an improvised performance with Berlin electronic pioneer Jan Jelinek.

Beyond his solo work, Arthur produces for other artists, contributing beats, mixes, and creative sonic production for emerging voices in the European scene. He is currently active as a performer, composer, arranger and producer in modern improvised music rooted in Jazz, Hip Hop and experimental music as well as contemporary classical music.

Joel Bracken was generously supported by the Ontario Artists Fund.

Joel Bracken is a saxophonist, composer, and arranger based in Toronto. Born and raised in Toronto, Joel began exploring the music scene as a teenager, attending concerts at jazz venues across the city and hearing outstanding local musicians and players from around the world. Joel studied at Humber College, where he had the opportunity to perform with the artists-in-residence in 2023 and 2024: Davide Virelles and Ingrid Jensen. Since graduating from Humber College, Joel has become an active member of the Toronto music community, performing regularly at venues across the Greater Toronto Area with musicians such as Dave Young, Lorne Lofsky, and the Carn Davidson 9. Joel also composes music for various configurations of jazz ensembles. In 2024, he released a short EP of original compositions on all streaming platforms and is releasing an album of original music and standards in the fall of 2026. Joel is also an active educator, teaching woodwinds privately and at Long and McQuade.

Jayden Blockley was generously supported by the Marshall M. Williams Endowment.

Saxophonist Jayden Blockley is widely regarded as one of Australia’s most exciting emerging jazz artists, praised by Tony Gould AM as “one of the most beautiful young musicians” he has encountered.

Jayden has been a finalist for multiple awards including the National Jazz Awards and the Freedman Fellowship. In 2018, he was the winner of the prestigious James Morrison Scholarship. The scholarship is awarded to young Australian jazz musicians who demonstrate exceptional talent and artistry. He later was a member of the Australian Youth Jazz Orchestra, appearing at the Perth International Jazz Festival, and most notably in concert alongside Trio Grande at the Sydney Con Jazz Festival.

In 2020, Jayden released his debut album I Wrote A Song For Her, For Me with ABC Jazz. His original composition ‘Song for a Better Day’ received a WAM Song of the Year nomination.

Jayden has had the opportunity to share the stage with internationally acclaimed musicians including Gordon Goodwin, Wycliffe Gordon, Kurt Elling, Joey DeFrancesco, James Morrison and Jeff Clayton.

Igor Ambrosin was generously supported by the Helen Graham Artist Award.

Igor Ambrosin (2000) is an Italian pianist, improviser, and composer who is emerging on the new European scene of contemporary jazz. His music combines the love for improvisation with a deep exploration of rhythmic complexity, bringing an original and genre-fluid approach to composition and interplay.  

His main current project is the Igor Ambrosin Trio, an international band featuring him on piano alongside Jonathan Ho on double bass and live electronics and Pierre Hurty on drums. The group is currently working on the recording and release of the debut album, scheduled for 2026. At the same time, he is developing Second Life, a multidisciplinary performance in collaboration with illustrator and graphic designer Anna Bonomi, which will be premiered in Rotterdam in fall 2026.  

After studying at Siena Jazz University (Bachelor’s degree) and the Rotterdam Conservatory (Master’s degree), Igor now lives in Amsterdam, where he works and spends his free time clumsily solving sudoku.

Ruby Rae Lupe Ah-Wai Macomber (she/they) is an Indigenous writer, junior lawyer, and kaupapa Māori researcher of Ngāpuhi and Rotuman descent. Formerly the co-manager of Te Kāhui, a creative programme for Indigenous youth in prisons across Aotearoa, Ruby now organises, writes, and advocates for Indigenous liberation and the abolition of state carceral violence.

A 2026 McCormack Writing Centre (formerly Tin House) Scholar, Ruby was the 2025 curator of both the New Zealand Young Writers’ Festival and STREETSIDE for the Auckland Writers’ Festival. She has also facilitated workshops, edited publications, and performed her work across Aotearoa.

My Moana Girls (2024), published by ngā pukapuka pekapeka, is her debut chapbook. Her writing appears in journals and anthologies throughout Aotearoa. Ruby is currently working on a full-length collection of poetry and essays exploring Indigenous anti-carceral feminism.