Ryan Williams.
Recorders.
Image by Gem Scerri.
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I was seven years old & my recorder teacher asked me to write a tune about my cockatiel - I was hooked. I seem to remember always having improvised music, and have naturally felt the need to compose and improvise throughout my musical career.
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It's very hard to choose one, I've been involved in such a great variety of projects with Forest, however, Diimpa x Forest Collective (2021) has been my favourite project so far. It was great to celebrate Will's music with the members of Forest, and it was also the first gig back for Forest Collective after not playing together for a year due to Covid. We performed outside at the stunning Heide Museum of Modern Art where we shared the space with the local bird life. It was an incredibly special performance.
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I have a deep love and respect for Japan, its people, language, culture & food. It opened up my world as a 14 year old, and continues to inspire and energise my life.
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Too many things to mention here. A band that forged how I think about music and art making is Spiderbait. Whilst they come from a home in grunge rock, their catalogue of recorded music showcases a massive interest in blending many different genres of music. As a child and young adult, they shaped my connection to creating music, and made me think about the possibility of becoming a musician. They continue to create amazing records and live shows after more than 30 years playing together.
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I love singing Dinah as sung by Sheila Kay Adams, who learnt it from Dwight Diller, who learnt it from Aunt Jennie Wilson from Logan County, West Virginia, USA. I like to use it as a lullaby when I sing to my daughter.
Ryan Williams is a recorder & ocarina player, improviser, and interdisciplinary-performance maker. His arts practice focuses on creating new music and transdisciplinary projects with artists and communities.
Ryan performs and creates within improvisatory & exploratory music, site-specific/installation contexts, traditional music from Eastern Europe, Japan & Ireland, western art music & jazz, and popular folk music.
He has a PhD in free improvisation on the recorder and has performed at major Australian and international festivals including Falls Festival, Mona Foma, Setouchi Triennale (Japan), Moers Festival (Germany), and Woodford Folk Festival. He regularly performs with leading arts companies, including Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Elision Ensemble & The Australian Art Orchestra.
Ryan is one of our longest serving core artists.
Ryan first performed with Forest Collective in 2010. Check out some of the performances he’s been featured in.
