Internationally recognised yidaki player and composer Will Barton has joined Adelaide University’s Centre for Aboriginal Studies in Music, where he will mentor students and contribute to teaching, composition and cultural programs.
The appointment gives students at CASM direct access to one of Australia’s most prominent contemporary First Nations musicians, whose career has spanned orchestral, classical, rock and cross-cultural performance.
A proud Kalkadunga man, Barton is known for extending the musical possibilities of the yidaki—also widely known as the didgeridoo—through collaborations with orchestras, ensembles, composers and artists in Australia and overseas.
Teaching beyond instrumental technique
At CASM, Barton will help students develop improvisation, composition and performance skills while exploring the relationship between music, storytelling, Country and culture.
He said his teaching would extend beyond conventional instrumental technique to include the less easily documented elements of musical learning, such as creating layered textures, reflecting landscapes through sound and developing confidence as a live performer.
Barton described the appointment as an opportunity to draw on his career experience and return that knowledge to emerging musicians at a grassroots level.
“I want the next generation of musicians and composers to feel that the sky is the limit,” he said.
His work will include teaching yidaki, supporting songwriting and composition, contributing to outreach programs and participating in cultural maintenance initiatives.
He is also expected to support language revival through music and work with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra through a mentorship program.
Musical foundations on Kalkadungu Country
Barton grew up on Kalkadungu Country in Mount Isa, Queensland, where he learned to play yidaki from his uncle, Arthur Peterson, a Wannyi, Lardil and Kalkadunga Elder.
He left school at 12 to focus on music and performed with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra by the age of 17.
Over more than two decades, Barton has composed and performed music for orchestras, string quartets, jazz and rock groups, contemporary dance productions and major international events.
His body of work includes five solo albums and numerous collaborative recordings. He has also composed for ensembles and orchestras and performed with leading Australian and international musicians.
Barton has received multiple honorary doctorates and national and state honours in recognition of his contribution to Australian music and culture.
Strengthening Indigenous music education
CASM forms part of Adelaide University’s Elder Conservatorium of Music and School of Performing Arts.
The centre is Australia’s oldest university-based institution dedicated specifically to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander music education and studies.
CASM Co-Director Grayson Rotumah said Barton’s experience across musical genres would bring a new perspective to a program with a history spanning approximately five decades.
He said Barton’s work remained grounded in culture and community despite his extensive experience in classical music, popular music and the broader arts sector.
Co-Director Dr Dylan Crismani said the appointment reinforced CASM’s position as a leader in Indigenous music education by giving students the opportunity to learn from an artist of Barton’s calibre.
Professor Anna Goldsworthy, Dean of the Elder Conservatorium of Music and School of Performing Arts, described Barton as both an important creative role model and a generous mentor for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists.
Collaboration developed over several years
The appointment grew from Barton’s longstanding connection with CASM and its staff.
Barton, Rotumah and Crismani had known each other through the music industry for several years before collaborating in Hong Kong in 2024 on the cross-cultural production Coming Together.
Discussions surrounding that performance developed into plans for a longer-term relationship between Barton and the university.
Barton said CASM’s history as a gathering place made it a natural environment for students to explore music, culture and opportunities extending beyond Australia.
He described the centre as an evolving hub of cultural and musical activity capable of supporting both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students.
Mentoring the next generation
Barton’s appointment reflects CASM’s emphasis on learning that combines academic study with cultural knowledge, professional practice and direct mentorship from established artists.
His role will connect students with experience gained across concert halls, recording projects, community settings and international collaborations.
While Adelaide University has not publicly specified Barton’s formal title, contract length or teaching schedule, it has confirmed that he has joined CASM and will work with students across performance, songwriting, composition, outreach and cultural programs.
The appointment is expected to strengthen the pathway between Indigenous cultural knowledge, contemporary musical practice and professional opportunities for the next generation of musicians.
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