The Channel at Arts Centre Melbourne Offers Workshops to Celebrate Melbourne Music Week

To celebrate Melbourne Music Week, The Channel at Arts Centre Melbournewill be presenting a series of creative hands-on workshops, artist-in-conversation events and film screenings from 11-18 November.

The line-up of musicians includes Robert D Jordan (Catfull of Ghosts), Pip Stafford (Sisters Akousmatica), Ben Murphy(Passerine) and Byron Sculin and Robin Fox (Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio). Participants are invited to work with Robert D. Jordan to build their own take-home mini synth, explore the sounds of the city and build their own crystal radio with Pip Stafford (Sisters Akousmatica) or learn the basics of production in Ableton Live with Ben Murphy. Jordan is a Melbourne-based Sound Designer, visual artist, video system designer and experimental electronics developer. Stafford is a sound artist and Sculin and Fox are the founders of MESS - Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio.

The Channel will also present the Australian premiere of The Art of Recording a Big Band, a film documenting the work of legendary big band producer Al Schmitt. The work was filmed at the famed Capitol Studios over two days during a master class by Al Schmitt featuring Chris Walden's 19-piece jazz big band. During his career Schmitt has recorded and mixed more than 150 gold and platinum albums and has worked with Henry Mancini, Sam Cooke, Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Sammy Davis Jr, Natalie Cole, Thelonious Monk, Elvis Presley, Madonna, Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney.

Music lovers will also be able to attend an artist in conversation event with Byron Scullin and Robin Fox exploring the unique history of analogue synthesisers as part of its Composure series. The Melbourne Electric Sound Studio (MESS) founders will discuss and present some of their amazing hardware synth collection and share the unique stories of their history and use in Melbourne and Australia.

To book tickets for all eventsvisit artscentremelbourne.com.au and melbourne.vic.gov.au/mmw