The rapid transition of percussion practices from the fringes of musical activity to the forefront over the past nine decades changed the face of western art music. First emerging in North America and Europe in the late 1920s, a new generation of Australian artists added their voices to the narrative in the 1960s. The role of Australian activity in the development of this ever-evolving art form is examined by Louise Devenish, uncovering the political, social and cultural influences on this discipline through an historical survey of music in Australia, viewed through the lens of developments in percussion over a 50 year period from 1960-2010.

1. Contemporary percussion in Australia: the 1960s and 1970s 2. The emergence of Australian contemporary percussion: 1970s Melbourne 3. Contemporary percussion ensembles in Sydney 4. Contemporary percussion in Adelaide 5. Percussion in Western Australia 6. Percussion in Brisbane, Canberra and Hobart 7. The question of identity: looking back, looking out, looking in, looking forward

Louise Devenish's artistic practice lies at the nexus of performance, research and education in percussion. Key projects include APRA AMC award-winning solo series Music for One Percussionist, The Sound Collectors duo, Australia's leading percussion group Speak Percussion (Vic) and acclaimed electroacoustic sextet Decibel (WA), with whom she regularly performs at major festivals throughout Australasia, Europe, North America and the UK. A passionate advocate of new and Australian music, Louise has commissioned over 50 works for percussion, released solo album music for percussion and electronics (Tall Poppies) and published in Contemporary Music Review, Percussive Notes and Musicology Australia. Louise is Head of Percussion at the University of Western Australia Conservatorium of Music and is a Churchill Fellow.