Gemma Farrell Appointed Artistic Director of WA Youth Jazz Orchestra

The WA Youth Jazz Orchestra has announced the appointment of jazz saxophonist, composer, educator, Gemma Farrell as Artistic Director.  Gemma holds a Master of Music degree from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, a Bachelor of Music with Honours from the Queensland Conservatorium and is currently a PhD candidate and lecturer in jazz studies at WAAPA. Gemma was a member of the WAYJO Band from 2003 to 2007 and has been a staff member for more than a decade, leading the WAYJO Pathways Program, Progressions, (formerly known as Young Women in Jazz) since 2014.

Progressions  is an initiative encouraging young people of marginalised genders, female, non-binary and transgender who are underrepresented on jazz stages build support networks, refine their skills, and increase confidence. The program was nominated for the APRA AMCOS Art Music Award for Excellence in Music Education in both 2023 and 2024. Her contributions to the field were recognised when she received the APRA AMCOS Art Music Award for WA State Luminary in 2024 and the Australian Women in Music Award for Humanitarian 2024.

In July 2022, Gemma was featured as a guest artist with WAYJO's Monday Night Orchestra, where she highlighted the versatility of the saxophone family, the EWI, and her original compositions. In 2024, she conducted WAYJO's Wednesday Night Orchestra at the State Theatre Centre, collaborating with Grammy-winning bassist Linda May Han Oh.

WAYJO Chair Simon Durack said, “On behalf of my fellow Board members, we are delighted to welcome Gemma Farrell to the position of Artistic Director for WAYJO and look forward to her ongoing input into the future artistic direction of WAYJO.”

Gemma said, "I'm extremely honoured to have been appointed as the next Artistic Director of WAYJO. I never imagined that as a young musician in WAYJO that I would be the AD one day. I look forward to working with the dedicated WAYJO staff and Board towards a more diverse Perth Jazz scene and I'm especially excited to work with such incredible up and coming talent in our WAYJO musicians". 

Background Information – Gemma Farrrell

In 2022, Gemma founded the Femme Composers Ensemble at WAAPA, a large ensemble dedicated to showcasing the music of people of marginalized genders. This ensemble evolved into the New Standards ensemble in 2024, continuing its mission of promoting diversity in jazz.

Her band, the Artemis Orchestra, won the WAM Song of the Year in the Jazz Category in 2022 for their acclaimed recording of "The Elephant in the Room." She was also awarded Best Brass, String or Woodwind Instrumentalist at the 2020 WAM Awards, and has been nominated for 12 other WAM awards across various categories, including Best Jazz Act and Best Funk Act.

Gemma was one of 16 Australian musicians nominated for the Freedman Fellowship Award in the Jazz Category in 2022. To date, she has released nine albums as a leader, showcasing her prowess as both a performer and composer.

The Gemma Farrell Quintet is her primary project as a leader. Their debut album, "Organised Chaos," was released in 2018 and became a local feature album on RTRFM, also receiving airplay on ABC Jazz Radio. The Quintet has since toured extensively, performing at major jazz festivals across Australia, including the Perth International Jazz Festival, the Sydney Women's International Jazz Festival, and the Melbourne Jazzlab. Their subsequent albums, "The View From The Top" (2022) and "Electronic" (2024), have received critical acclaim, with the latter earning a four-star review in The Weekend Australian.

As the founder and musical director of the Artemis Orchestra, a predominantly female big band, Gemma continues to champion the original music of Australian women, non-binary, and transgender composers. Their debut album, "Elephant in the Room," released in June 2021, garnered a five-star review in Dingo Australian Jazz Journal. The orchestra has performed at prominent events such as the Perth International Jazz Festival, Lyric Lane Jazz Festival, and Fremantle Arts Centre's Sunday Music program.

Gemma's collaborative project MFG, alongside Cologne-based guitarist Nico Maas and Zurich-based keyboardist Thomas Goralski, has released three albums and completed multiple tours across Australia and Europe. The trio is set to tour and record again in 2025.

Beyond her performance and recording achievements, Gemma has made significant contributions as an educator. In August 2018, she represented WAYJO as a tutor at the Brubeck Institute's Summer Jazz Colony at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California.

Gemma also leads the Femme Jam, a jazz jam session for people of marginalized genders, featuring an all-female house band.

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