KEYNOTE PRESENTERS
Andrew Ford OAM
Andrew Ford OAM is a composer, writer and broadcaster who has won awards in each of those capacities, including the Paul Lowin Prize for his song cycle Learning to Howl, a Green Room Award for his opera Rembrandt’s Wife and the Albert H Maggs Prize for his large ensemble piece, Rauha. He has been composer-in-residence for the Australian Chamber Orchestra, the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) and the Australian Festival of Chamber Music.
In 2014 he was Poynter Fellow and visiting composer at Yale University, in 2015 visiting lecturer at Shanghai Conservatory of Music, and in 2018 HC Coombs Creative Arts Fellow at the Australian National University. Ford has written widely on all manner of music and published eleven books, most recently The Shortest History of Music (Black Inc., July 2024). He has written, presented and co-produced five radio series for the ABC and, since 1995, presented The Music Show each weekend on Radio National. He was awarded an OAM in the 2016 Queen’s Birthday Honours.
Pamela Burnard
Pamela Burnard is an Australian Professor of Arts, Creativities and Educations at the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, UK. She is presently in the middle of her third phased career. The first phase saw her working as a professional musician in the Creative Industries. The second phase involved working across Early Years, Primary and Secondary sectors as a music educator. In her third phase, she has kept herself very busy publishing widely with 25 books and over 120 articles which advance the theory and practice of pluralising creativities across education and industry sectors including early years, primary, secondary, further and higher/further education, through to creative and cultural industries.
Current funded projects include ‘Choices, Chances and Transitions around Creative Further and Higher Education’ (funded by The Nuffield Trust). Three of her most recent books include: Eruptive Research: Changing Landscapes on Research in Teaching and Learning (Brill-i-Sense, 2025); Music for Inclusion and Healing in Schools and Beyond: Hip Hop, Techno, Grime and More? (Oxford University Press, 2023); and The Routledge Companion to Creativities in Music Education. (Routledge, 2023).
She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), the Chartered College of Teaching (CCT) in the UK, Professor-in-Residence and Governor at the University of Cambridge Primary School and newly appointed Co-Editor of Music Education Research.
Topology
Topology is an award-winning quintet and arts organisation who is a recognised leader in contemporary music. Topology has a legacy of nearly three decades of creative excellence, community engagement, and educational leadership. Central to its identity is the belief that everyone is inherently creative and deserves access to high-quality, affordable artistic experiences. This ethos informs and unites all of Topology’s programs and initiatives, shaping its mission to make creativity accessible to all, regardless of location, age, skill level, or artistic interest.
Through its multifaceted approach—spanning the groundbreaking work of the Core Ensemble, the educational impact of the Creative Academy, and the transformative power of the Creative Communities program—Topology is committed to fostering creativity, connection, and capability. Whether delivering creative workshops, creating adventurous new compositions, or facilitating collaborative community projects, the organisation strives to enrich lives and inspire communities.
Topology has an impressive network and history of collaborations and partnerships within Australia and internationally with a diverse portfolio of projects spanning artistic creation, capacity building, education, health, justice and cross-cultural collaboration.