"Double Bassist Clayton Thomas was born 1976, in Hobart, Australia. Inspired by the sound, velocity and social movements of jazz, Clayton has dedicated his musical life to finding a personal truth that links his own cultural life as a white Australian, with the radical, far reaching pursuits found within the creative music. What he can't find as a bass player, he searches for in the organisation of unreasonably large ensembles.

Clayton Thomas relocated in Sydney, Australia, in 2014. Clayton is currently not a regular member of the Splitter Orchester, but he was part of the 2014 concert @ MaerzMusik and he'll also take part in the 2015 concerts in Berlin and Huddersfield."

"Sam Gill is a saxophonist, improviser & composer based in Sydney, Australia. He leads the groups Coursed Waters & Scattered, is a member of the composer-performer collectives Mind on Fire & Microfiche, and has duo projects with electric bassist Joseph Franklin and drummer Simon Barker. In 2020, Sam was nominated for the Freedman Jazz Fellowship.

Sam has performed with a number of Australia's most acclaimed improvisers including Chris Hale, Marc Hannaford, Andrea Keller, Steve Magnusson, Matt McMahon, Gian Slater, Clayton Thomas and Scott Tinkler. He has also worked with the Australian Art Orchestra and world-music ensemble Mara!

Performance highlights have included appearances at Copenhagen Jazz Festival, the Australian Art Orchestra's Meeting Points Series, SIMA's International Women's Jazz Festival, the NOW now Festival, the Jazzgroove Association Featured Artist series, Converge Festival, and Wollongong's Speak Satellite Festival.

Sam has appeared on numerous records as a leader/co-leader, with releases on the labels Creative Sources, Earshift Music and his own label Radial Sounds. As a band-member, he can be heard on Okay (2017) by the Sydney Conservatorium Jazz Orchestra, and From The Depths (2020) by Sideband."

Jack Stoneham is an Australian saxophonist active in the jazz and experimental music scenes. He has collaborated with various ensembles and projects, contributing his skills on both tenor and alto saxophones.

"Matthew Ottignon is a New Zealand-born, Sydney-based saxophonist, composer, and bandleader renowned for his versatility across various musical genres. With a rich musical lineage, he has become one of Australia's most sought-after musicians, engaging in performances, compositions, and educational endeavors."

Peter Farrar is a Sydney-based saxophonist known for his work in improvisational and experimental music. He has been involved with several avant-garde ensembles and is recognized for his innovative approach to the saxophone.

"Megan Alice Clune is a musician, artist, and composer based on Gadigal and Wangal lands (Sydney, Australia). Her work explores the dynamic relationships between music, technology, the body, and temporality through composition, performance, and installation. She has performed, presented work, and undertaken residencies across Australia, Asia, Europe, and North America, including VividLIVE at the Sydney Opera House, 3331 Arts Chiyoda (Tokyo), Performa15 (NYC), Institute of Modern Art (Brisbane), and Substation (Melbourne). Her recent records, such as "If You Do" (2021, Room 40), "Digital Auras" (2022, Longform Editions), and "Furtive Glances" (2023, Room 40), have been released to critical acclaim."

Simon Ferenci is an Australian trumpeter who has performed with numerous jazz and contemporary music groups. His versatility spans various genres, and he is noted for his contributions to both live performances and recordings.

Phillipa Haste Murphy is a bass clarinetist engaged in the Australian contemporary music scene. She has participated in various performances and projects, showcasing her proficiency on the bass clarinet.

Freya Schack-Arnott is a cellist and composer based in Sydney, Australia. She specializes in contemporary classical and experimental music, often incorporating extended techniques and improvisation into her performances.

Julia Magri is an Australian double bassist active in the jazz and classical music communities. She has collaborated with various ensembles and is known for her dynamic playing style.

"Double Bassist Clayton Thomas was born 1976, in Hobart, Australia. Inspired by the sound, velocity and social movements of jazz, Clayton has dedicated his musical life to finding a personal truth that links his own cultural life as a white Australian, with the radical, far reaching pursuits found within the creative music. What he can't find as a bass player, he searches for in the organisation of unreasonably large ensembles.

Clayton Thomas relocated in Sydney, Australia, in 2014. Clayton is currently not a regular member of the Splitter Orchester, but he was part of the 2014 concert @ MaerzMusik and he'll also take part in the 2015 concerts in Berlin and Huddersfield."

"Sydney-based pianist, Novak Manojlovic first began playing piano at age eight. He went on to study at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music from 2012-2016 where he honed his craft as an improviser and composer, studying under pianists Mike Nock and Matt McMahon (Freedman Jazz Fellow 2005). Novak has led his own diverse projects and collaborated extensively in the pop music scene, acting as a musical director, arranger and touring musician for Ngaiire, Sampa the Great, Wallace and Martha Marlow. Novak has been quickly gaining recognition for his expressive approach, and since finishing his studies has been composing and performing with his subversive piano trio 'HEKKA', electro-acoustic outfit Colourfields and his large ensemble Grown Ocean throughout Australia."

Niki Johnson is a percussionist and educator based in Sydney, Australia. She is involved in a range of musical projects, from contemporary classical to experimental music, and is recognized for her innovative use of percussion instruments.

"Holly Conner is a Sydney-based drummer and percussionist - extremely versatile, she works across the electronic music, pop & indie-rock, experimental, and free jazz music scenes.

Coming from a diverse musical background, she first studied rock drumming and classical percussion, before completing a BA in Jazz Drum kit from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. She has also completed summer courses at the School of Improvised Music Brooklyn, and two Australian Art Orchestra Creative Music Intensives.

As a free-lance drummer, Holly has toured nationally and internationally with artists such as Holly Throsby, Microfiche, Lupa J, Marcus Whale and Human Noise.

Festival appearances include performances at VIVID Sydney, Sydney Festival, Liveworks, Underbelly Arts, Copenhagen Jazz Festival, Edinburgh Jazz Festival, Aberdeen International Youth Festival, Sydney International Women's Jazz Festival and Manly Jazz Festival.

She has also played at venues such as N1Reaktorhallen in Stockholm, Km28 in Berlin, The Sydney Opera House Forecourt, MONA in Tasmania and The Art Gallery of NSW.

Her drumming is featured on several indie film and television soundtracks including the BBC/HBO TV series Top of The Lake: China Girl, and the award-winning surf film Beyond the Noise.

Alongside free-lance work, Conner produces and performs her own hybrid electronic-live drum music under the monkier ilex. ilex live sets combine industrial, experimental and texturally rich tracks with heavy drums & percussion - influenced by dark film soundtracks, techno, noise, strange creatures and the natural environment.

Current groups include Minus Marcus (pop/electronic), Microfiche (free jazz and contemporary improvisation), Boysnlove (rock), and Skinny Legions (folk and pop).

In 2019 Holly was a finalist for the Jaan Rutherford Memorial Award, recognizing excellence in Australian female jazz instrumentalists."

Hayley Chan is a drummer and percussionist active in the Australian music scene. She has performed with various ensembles, contributing her rhythmic expertise to diverse musical genres.

Lauren Tsamouras is an organist and keyboard player based in Australia. She has been involved in multiple musical projects, showcasing her versatility across different styles and settings.

"Hilary Geddes is a guitarist, improviser and composer based in Eora/Sydney on Gadigal Land. She is the 2021 Freedman Jazz Fellow, a 2021 ABC Jazz Scholarship, and the 2019 recipient of the Jann Rutherford Memorial Award. Hilary is the bandleader of the Hilary Geddes Quartet, and released her debut album 'Parkside' (ABC Jazz) with the band in 2021.

Hilary works as an in-demand guitarist in the Australian jazz and improvised music scenes, performing alongside jazz luminaries such as Mike Nock, Lakecia Benjamin (USA) and Jonathan Zwartz. She holds the guitar chair in the large ensemble Pharos, is a member of Ellen Kirkwood's Underwards, and Jeremy Rose's Earshift Orchestra for the project 'Disruption! The Voice of Drums', which won an APRA Art Music Award in 2022. In 2023, she completed a successful tour of Germany with the Geddes/Haupt Quartet alongside bassist, Michael Haupt.

As a sound composer, Hilary was awarded the Tura Adapts: 2020 No Borders Commission for the multi-media work 'Upstream, Down River'. Hilary was also a recipient of the Woollahra Municipal Council's 2018/2019 Community and Cultural Grants Program, through which she was able to launch her soundmapping project SCAPES with a series of pop-up improvisations throughout the Woollahra precinct in March. These performances were recorded and will be released in the coming months.

Hilary also works in rock and contemporary music scenes, having performed with Tim Minchin in his album livestream in 2020. She is the lead guitarist in the garage-band, The Buoys (Arcadia Records), whose song 'Lie to Me Again' was voted number 85 in the 2021 triple j Hottest 100. They have performed at the Opera House as part of VIVID Festival, Splendour in the Grass, have supported bands such as Arctic Monkeys, Wolfmother, Hoodoo Gurus and the Dandy Warhols, and most recently supported Vacations on the UK leg of their tour. The Buoys' 2024 debut album, LUSTRE landed at number 7 on the ARIA Australian Album charts, and number 6 on the ARIA Vinyl Charts.

In 2018, Hilary graduated from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music with First Class Honours, studying under renowned guitarists Carl Dewhurst, James Muller and Steve Brien. She also spent a year living in Germany, studying with esteemed guitarist, Andreas Wahl at the Hochschule für Künste Bremen during 2016 and 2017. After a competitive selective process, Hilary took part in the Australian Art Orchestra Creative Music Intensive in 2018, working and performing with artists such as Il Dong Bae, Daniel and David Wilfred and Sunny Kim.

Hilary is passionate about shared learning, collaboration and exploring different processes for improvisation. Over the past three years, her practice has centred around the possibilities of site-specific improvisation, soundmapping, and the role of place to inform listening/performance. On these aspects of her practice, Hilary received guidance from Vanessa Tomlinson, Cat Hope and Andrea Keller as part of the Australian Art Orchestra's and Sydney Improvised Music Association's 2020 mentorship programmes."