John Rodgers
Violin
John Rodgers is a Composer, Improviser, Violinist, Pianist and Guitarist. He graduated with a Bachelor of Music from the Queensland Conservatorium of Music in 1984.
John is a founding member of the Australian Art Orchestra (compositions, national, Indian and European tours and recordings), and also performs with Hydromys Chrysogaster, and the Robyn Archer band (European and South American tours and recordings). John has worked with the New York performance artist Penny Arcade (Vienna Festival 1997), Artisans Workshop (national tours, compositions, recordings) and many of Australia’s leading improvising musicians. He is the primary creative member of Madam Bone’s Brothel, a sex-and-death cult rock band based in Melbourne. He has performed solo concerts in the Adelaide Festival and the Melbourne Summer Music Festival.
As a composer, John is highly regarded for his creative genius and has worked in many fields including music theatre and new media.
John’s current composition projects include Bobcat Magic for the Queensland Music Festival 2005 and Ratbags for Opera Queensland 2004.
Recent compositions include: The Ultimate Prize: the John Rodgers Show" for the Brisbane Cabaret Festival (2004) and TULP: the body public with Justine Cooper for ELISION, premiered at the Sydney Festival (2004) and Brisbane Festival (2004) to rave reviews.
Theatre Compositions include: A Cheery Soul, Hamlet, The Marriage of Figaro directed by Neil Armfield; Radiance and Fountains Beyond directed by Wesley Enoch.
John Rodgers’ work is released on the Extreme label.
Other Compositions:
Ratbags for Arterial and Opera Qld (2004).
Bobcat Dancing for the Qld Biennial Festival of Music (2003), performed in Mount Isa 2003.
The Mizler Society with Anthony Burr for the Australian Art Orchestra
(2002). A day long seance in the Melbourne Museum 2002.
Violinist Extraordinaire John Rodgers", performed in Brisbane 2001 and
at the Sydney Now Now Festival 2002.
The Garden of Deep Despair for the Australian Chamber Orchestra and the Gondwana Voices (2001).
Places in Hell for ELISION, performed and recorded in Germany in 2000.
Inferno for ELISION, performed in Brisbane and at the Adelaide
Festival in 2000. Recorded for the ABC in Brisbane 2002.
The Sunshine Club (with writer Wesley Enoch) for the Queensland Theatre Company. Performed in Brisbane (1999) and at the Sydney Festival
(2000).
Moras for the Australian Art Orchestra and the Sruthi Laya ensemble.
Performed at the Adelaide Festival (1998) and on a European tour (2000).
Carolling for Perehelion (1998). Also performed at the Sydney Festival (2004).
Creative Collaborations:
Kura Tungar: River Songs and Stories with Archie Roach, Ruby Hunter, Paul Grabowsky, Phil Slater and James Greening. Premiered at the Melbourne Festival 2004.
TULP: the body public Justine Cooper_ for ELISION, Sydney and Brisbane Festivals 2004.
The Mizler Society with Anthony Burr for the Australian Art Orchestra
(2002). A day long seance in the Melbourne Museum 2002.
Kill Art and Let Feelings Live by Lord Auch, August 2002.
Raw Meat by Skin and Bone, June 2000, released on Extreme in 2002.
Double Vision (with writer Maryanne Lynch) for percussionist, voice and
dancer, July 2001.
Ghosting by Hydromys Chrysogaster in collaboration with visual artists for
the Judith Wright Centre, October 2001.
The Cell by The Cell, October 2001.
Kill Music and Let Sounds Live by Lord Auch, September 2001.
Manductio by Mercedes, May 2001.
Music for Urban Dingoes by Norman Price for La Boite Theatre Company.
The Band
- Stephen Magnusson
- Carl Dewhurst
- Alex Pertout
- Adrian Sherriff
- Lachlan Davidson
- Julien Wilson
- James Greening
- John O'Donnell
- John Rodgers
- Niko Schauble
- Paul Cutlan
- Paul Grabowsky
- Elliott Dalgleish
- Philip Rex
- Phillip Slater
- Sandy Evans
- Scott Tinkler
- Vanessa Tomlinson
- Simon Barker
- Alister Spence
- Tony Hicks
- Eugene Ball
- Erkki Veltheim
