Full biography
Jeremy Barnett is one of Australia’s most versatile percussionists. His performing career crosses all musical genres from symphony orchestras to rock bands, avant- guarde contemporary music to cabaret and musical theatre, his own solo projects to electronica and improvisation. A specialist on the marimba, Jeremy is in much demand as a soloist, session musician and educator. He has presented recitals in Australia for the New Music Network, Musica Viva, the University of Western Sydney and Radio 2MBS-FM and is featured as marimba soloist on the soundtrack to the major motion picture ‘The Black Balloon’. In 2011 Jeremy was a Showcase Artist at the 10th annual Zeltsman Marimba Festival where he presented a masterclass on the MalletKAT electronic percussion instrument.
Jeremy was a founding member of the band PROP releasing Small Craft, Rough Sea in 2001. He has also been a member of CODA, Petulant Frenzy (Australia’s only Frank Zappa tribute band) and the Daryl Pratt Sextet, performing locally and internationally at festivals including The Big Day Out, the Java Jazz Festival and the Sydney Festival. As a freelance musician, Jeremy’s performance credits include Synergy Percussion, the Sydney Symphony, the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, China National Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Offspring, Bang on a Can Allstars, Generator and an eight year stint as percussionist for the Sydney Opera House Babies Proms Orchestra. He can be heard on releases by The Dissociatives, CODA, Tooth and Jenny Morris and on the soundtrack to films including ‘Australia’, ‘Happy Feet’ and ‘Daybreakers’.
As an educator, Jeremy has presented classes at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, the University of Sydney, the Australian Institute of Music, University College Cork (Ireland) and the 2011 Zeltsman Marimba Festival, and his articles have been published in magazines and journals including Percussive Notes, SONUS and the Music Council of Australia.
Jeremy is currently a Doctoral candidate at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, MA, with a major in Contemporary Improvisation.
Originally from Sydney, Australia, Jeremy moved to Boston, MA, in 2009 to complete his Masters in Marimba Performance at The Boston Conservatory with Nancy Zeltsman. He is currently a Doctoral candidate at the New England Conservatory majoring in Contemporary Improvisation pursuing his ongoing interests in improvised composition, developing new modes of electro-acoustic performance through improvisation and real-time interaction with technology.
In Australia, Jeremy enjoyed a successful freelance career performing with orchestras, chamber groups and bands including the Sydney Symphony, Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, Synergy Percussion, and CODA, as well as solo recitals and clinics. He can also be heard on the soundtrack to films including “The Black Balloon”, “Happy Feet”, “Australia” and “Daybreakers”. In 2011 Jeremy was a Showcase Artist at the Zeltsman Marimba Festival appearing in concert and masterclass. Several of Jeremy’s compositions are available through Rhythmscape Publishing Australia.
