Performance: Dr Christian Thompson AO presents Recital

Christian Thompson AO’s music is a haunting synthesis of Bidjara heritage and classical tradition—an intimate sound world shaped by ancestral memory and operatic depth. Drawing on his Aboriginal Australian heritage and European classical training, his compositions weave traditional rhythms, pop sensibilities, and layered vocals into lush sonic tapestries that explore identity, language, and cultural hybridity.

In Recital, Thompson is joined by composer Adam Rudegeair and presents a live performance and sound work that builds on over 25 years of engagement with recorded sound and the revival of his family’s endangered Bidjara language. Recital enacts a powerful reclamation through vocalisation. Each utterance is a deliberate act of revival and re-energising. His performances—guided by restrained musical and visual gestures—offer a truly immersive experience, transforming contemporary art spaces into living sites for the resurgence of language.

Location: Talks Space, Carriageworks

Presented by Michael Reid Sydney + Berlin