First Nations Musicians Reshaping Classical Music in Australia

What happens when centuries-old classical music traditions meet 60,000 years of history?

Across Australia, First Nations musicians are reshaping how we think about classical music, enriching it with Indigenous knowledge, language, and ways of listening.

Here are five First Nations artists you should know. We explore what draws them to classical music, and how these two powerful traditions from opposite sides of the world speak to one another.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains references to people who have died.

James Henry

James Henry is a versatile musician, sound designer, and photographer who blends traditional Aboriginal music with contemporary genres.

He is the grandson of renowned First Nations music legend Jimmy Little.

Henry was drawn to music through playing the guitar and later discovered classical music in high school.

"Hearing some of this music for the first time, I wanted to have my own musical discovery that took me to the local libraries and borrowing a whole lot of classical music from there," Henry says.

As an established composer, Henry has written music for several major Australian ensembles, including the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, Melbourne String Ensemble, and the Derwent Valley Concert Band.

He is currently the First Nations Composer in Residence for the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, which will premiere his latest composition Fresh Water Salt Water in August.

Nardi Simpson

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Nardi Simpson is a proud Yuwaalaraay woman from the north-western region of NSW. She is a writer and musician, and a founding member of Stiff Gins, a First Nations folk group.

Simpson participated in the Ngarra Burria First Nations Composers Initiative in 2019, writing Of Stars and Birds for Ensemble Offspring in 2020.

She is currently pursuing a PhD in composition at the Australian National University.

Reflecting on her connection to classical music, Simpson says:

Simpson's love and knowledge of her Yuwaalaraay country and culture run through all her artistic work.

This is not about "what you own and what you are," Simpson explains.

"It's about allowing those learnings and ownership to exist all around you and for that to be the orienting beauty of culture in this place."

Aaron Wyatt

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Aaron Wyatt is a Noongar, Yamatji, and Wongai musician from Perth, known for his work as a conductor, composer, violist, educator, and innovator.

Music has always been part of Wyatt's life, and he gained a lot of experiences through playing in youth orchestras.

"I just really love the colours and possibilities and sounds that you can get from symphonic repertoire that you can't always get from other types of music," he says.

Wyatt is a strong advocate for Indigenous representation in classical music.

He is the Artistic Director of Ensemble Dutala, a chamber ensemble dedicated to fostering the careers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander instrumentalists in the orchestral world.

In 2022, he became the first Indigenous person to conduct an Australian state orchestra, leading the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Long Time Living Here, a musical Acknowledgement of Country by Deborah Cheetham Fraillon.

Wyatt is also a member of the Decibel New Music Ensemble, where he developed the Decibel ScorePlayer app for graphic notation.

Adam Manning

Adam Manning is a Kamilaroi artist, musician, composer, and researcher.

He studied classical music at the University of Newcastle, developing an interest in percussion works such as Paul Smadbeck's The Rhythm Song.

Manning's music centres on rhythmic elements, such as the Rhythmic Acknowledgement of Country, which Manning performed with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

He showcased the clapsticks as a solo instrument.

As a percussionist, he frequently performs with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and the Australian Art Orchestra.

"We all feel and understand rhythms to some extent," Manning says about his music.

"Rhythmic expression connects me to Land, People, Culture and Story and articulates the heartbeat of Ngaya Barray (Mother Earth)."

Nina Korbe

Nina Korbe is a proud Koa, Kuku Yalanji and Wakka Wakka woman who is forging a place for herself on the Australian operatic stage.

"Growing up as a very theatrical child I was immediately captivated by the lavish sets, costumes and beauty of the music," Korbe says.

Korbe comes from a creative family. Her mother, Kym Korbe, is a former opera singer, and her auntie, Leah Purcell, is a respected playwright, actor, and writer.

"Storytelling is in my blood and has been a pillar of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island culture for thousands of years," Korbe says.

Korbe's breakthrough came when she was cast as the lead in West Side Story in Opera Australia's Sydney Harbour production in 2024.

In May 2026, she was cast as Molly Johnson in the new Australian opera The Drover's Wife, composed by George Palmer with words by Leah Purcell.

"Being able to continue these traditions in my own way is something I take immense pride in," she says.

ABC Classic audiences may also recognise Korbe's voice from the Young Performers program.

Nardi Simpson, Aaron Wyatt, James Henry and Adam Manning join Joel Carnegie from 8pm, 6-9 July to share the music that has inspired them as a composer in 2026.

Live from Melbourne's Hamer Hall hear Emma Donovan with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Friday 10 July from 7:30pm.

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