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Percussion Area

Gary France, MMus UNT, BmusEd SUNY Head of Area Percussion T: (02) 6125 5753 E: gary.france@anu.edu.au

Gary is a native of Syracuse, New York, USA. Mr. France, now living in Australia, performs in a wide range of musical genres. He received his Bachelor of Music degree, Music Education, in 1979, from the Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam, and his Master of Music degree, Orchestral Performance / Jazz, in 1988 at the University of North Texas. While at UNT Gary became the first drummer/percussionist, in the fifty-year history of the program, to direct one of the prestigious Jazz Lab Bands. Since settling in Australian in 1987, as the inaugural lecturer in Percussion at the W.A. Conservatorium of Music, Gary France has done much, through his dedicated teaching and performing on a wide range of percussion instruments, to significantly raise the profile of percussion playing in Australia. He is regularly employed by peak music bodies such as the Australian Youth Orchestra and the Australian National Academy of Music to tutor developing percussionists. His former students now hold prominent positions as performers, educators and executives in the music industry both here in Australia and abroad. Since 1998 Mr. France has coordinated and nurtured the Percussion program at the Australian National University.

Mr. France has performed with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, the Nova Ensemble, the West Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestras, the Dallas Brass, the Doddworth Saxhorn Ensemble, the Australian Chamber Orchestra the Canberra Symphony with whom he performed William Kraft's "Concerto for Timpani and Orchestra" in 2001. Gary's list of recent world premiers include works by Larry Sitsky, Sir Michael Tippet, Roger Smalley, Ross Edwards, Peter Sculthorpe, Robert Cucinotta, Edward Applebaum and Robert Casteels. As a jazz drummer Gary's list of other musical credits include: James Morrison, Richie Cole, Ricky May, Nat Adderley, Dale Barlow, Jim McNeeley, Urbie Green, Charlie Gabrial, John Clayton, Emily Remler, Peter Leutch, Phil Wilson, Clifford Jordon and numerous others. Gary is also well known as the founder and artistic director of the 18 piece Perth Jazz Orchestra as well as drummer with the nationally acclaimed western swing group Dude Ranch featuring Lucky Oceans.

As a clinician for Yamaha Musical Products, the Sabian Cymbal Company and Innovative Percussion Products he has toured internationally presenting masterclasses, concerts and workshops throughout the U.S., China, Australia and New Zealand. His own personal research in world music’s has led him to India, Africa and South East Asia. These direct field studies support Gary in his role as director of the ANU "DRUMatiX". Under Gary's direction, the ANU percussion program hosted the first Australian National Marimba Camp in 2001 and the Australian National Percussion Symposium in October 2003. Mr. France is also the Lead Principal Investigator in the ANU New Media Laboratory (NML), a research team that explores the multifaceted relationships between acoustic instruments.

School of Music faculty member since 1998.

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QUOTATIONS FROM REVIEWS

... France, who is a graduate of universities in New York and Texas, plays with huge flair and employs a wide dynamic range from hushed murmurings to peremptory and authoritative hammerings..
The Australian

... And one must admit that it is a long long time since one has so enjoyed the delectable drumming, as it was Gary France dedicated to Charlie Parker...
The Statesman New Delhi

... Mr France of the unusual expression showed his prowess as a drummer, his trapping and his accents never tread the ordinary. His progressions were facile, certainly a drummer of real calibre.
The Afternoon Dispatch and Courier, Bombay

... Then came some electrifying drumming in a tribute to the man who first inspired the then 8-year-old France to take up the instrument. Buddy I'm sure, would have been delighted.
The West Australian

... Two Australian premier performances by the W.A. Conservatorium of Music's Percussion Ensemble (under Gary Frances direction) were a highlight of the festival...
Sunday Times

... If Sunday afternoon's concert was an accurate indication of the standard of student percussion playing in W.A., it has a very healthy future. The 19 players in the Conservatorium's Percussion Ensemble displayed impressive technical agility and considerable enthusiasm - aspects that have obviously been carefully developed by director Gary France.
The West Australian