Paul Grabowsky is a renowned Australian pianist, composer, arranger, and conductor, recognized as one of the country's most distinguished artists.
Born in Papua New Guinea in 1958, Paul was raised in Melbourne and began classical piano lessons at the age of five, studying with Mack Jost from 1965 to 1978. He started informal studies in jazz around 1976 and fully devoted himself to improvised music from 1978.
In the 1970s, Paul became prominent in Melbourne's music scene, working in various jazz, theatre, and cabaret projects. He lived in Munich, Germany from 1980 to 1985, where he was active on the local and European jazz scenes, performing and recording with notable musicians.
Upon returning to Australia in 1986, Paul formed the Paul Grabowsky Trio, which won four ARIA awards and is considered one of Australia's longest-living and most influential jazz ensembles. He has also received numerous awards, including two Helpmann awards, several Bell awards, and a Deadly award.
As a performer, Paul has worked with various ensembles, including the 'Wizards of Oz' and 'Groovematics'. He has also collaborated with singers Shelley Scown, Robyn Archer, Katie Noonan, and Megan Washington.
Paul is the founder and Artistic Director of the Australian Art Orchestra, which he founded to tour nationally and internationally. His recent projects have focused on collaborations with traditional and contemporary indigenous performers.
As a screen composer, Paul has worked on numerous films and television shows, including the feature films 'The Last Days of Chez Nous', 'Innocence', 'Shiner', and 'The Fine Art of Love: Mine Ha Ha'. He has also collaborated with directors such as Gillian Armstrong, Paul Cox, and Fred Schepisi.
Paul's recent collaborations include scoring for feature films 'Daisy Winters' and 'The Menkoff Method', as well as working on the television series 'Phoenix' and 'Janus'.
In addition to his work in music and film, Paul has also composed music for the theatre, including the operas 'The Mercenary' and 'Love in the Age of Therapy'. He has also produced and presented the television series 'Access all Areas' and was Commissioning Editor for ABC Television Arts and Entertainment.
Paul has held various leadership roles, including Artistic Director for the Queensland Music Festival in 2007, the Adelaide Festival of Arts in 2010 and 2012, and Vice-Chancellor's Professorial Fellow in the School of Music. He is currently the Executive Director, Performing Arts, at the Academy of Performing Arts, Monash University.
