Bundanon

Ronan Apcar is a pianist and composer with a reputation of versatility, edge, and tenacity.

His love for music across many styles jazz to the avant-garde, contemporary art music to alt-rock and pop translates into his open-minded, exciting, and unique work as a musician. Described as “a talent beyond his age” (Limelight Magazine), Ronan is best known for his bold programming, performances of contemporary repertoire, and advocacy for Australian music.

Ronan performs in an eclectic mix of concerts and festivals in both intimate and large-scale venues across Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, and regional NSW and Victoria, and is just at home as a guest soloist with an orchestra as he is improvising as part of a multimedia DJ set. Ronan’s unconventional and diverse practice sees his performances range from genre-defying cabaret to experimental new music concerts, free improvisations in art galleries to theatre-music fusion shows in cafés. He also regularly works as an improviser, curator, and collaborator in both musical and interdisciplinary settings.

In Residence at Bundanon

Ronan will develop a new musical and artistic practice that extends his acoustic piano performance practice into a post-genre space by developing techniques to incorporate electronic instruments and resources, such as keyboards/synthesisers, drum machines, laptops/DAWs, samplers, and effects processors. He will use his Bundanon residency to set up a strong foundation for this way of music-making.

Through this new practice, Ronan will explore: creating and performing music that blurs the line between the roles of performer, composer, and improviser; a greater sonic palette to draw from; and the newfound possibilities of site-specific and unconventional performance spaces, now having a portable practice independent from the acoustic grand piano.