William Barton
Didgeridoo

William Barton is widely recognised as Australia’s leading didgeridoo player as well as a highly esteemed composer, instrumentalist and vocalist. He has composed works for didgeridoo, orchestra, string quartet, jazz band and rock band, and taken part in collaborative projects with some of Australia’s leading composers. He first started learning the instrument from his uncle Arthur Peterson, an elder of the Wannyi, Lardil and Kalkadunga people. His mother Delmae Barton – a singer, songwriter and poet – also encouraged his love of music, introducing him to traditional dance groups, fusion/rock/jazz bands, orchestras, string quartets and mixed ensembles from an early age.

Barton’s passion lies in creating a journey for people through music and presenting them with a diversity of musical styles. He utilises his cultural heritage and storytelling to engage audiences in the uniqueness of Australia, its Aboriginal heritage and to challenge perspectives of the didgeridoo as an instrument. He works closely with classical music composers to preserve and expand the horizons of didgeridoo music, inspiring composers such as Peter Sculthorpe, Ross Edwards, Elena Kats-Chernin, Matthew Hindson and Liza Lim to write for him. He is active as a soloist as well as collaboratively with orchestras, string quartets, mixed ensembles, traditional dance groups and fusion/rock/jazz bands. He has performed at historic events including the 2019 Commonwealth Day at Westminster Abbey before the British Royal Family, Anzac Cove in Gallipoli, State Memorial Service of Bob Hawke and International Jazz Day with Herbie Hancock and James Morrison.

Majors commissions which Barton has received throughout his diverse career include writing for members of the Berlin Philharmonic, Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Queensland Symphony Orchestra, as well as contemporary dance companies and dancers such as Leigh Warren and Dancers, for which the work Breathe was premiered at both WOMADelaide and the Edinburgh International Festival in 2012. In 2008, the Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony committee commissioned Barton as one of the three composers for the Australian segment of the ceremony, which was broadcast to a worldwide audience.

In 2022, Barton won two Screen Music Awards, an ARIA award and AACTA award for his soundtrack with the Australian Chamber Orchestra for the film River. In 2021, he was the recipient of the prestigious Don Banks Music Award from the Australia Council for the Arts. His other awards include Best Original Score for a Mainstage Production at the 2018 Sydney Theatre Awards, as well as Best Classical Album and an ARIA award for Birdsong At Dusk in 2012. He has released five albums on the ABC Classics label, including recently Heartland with Véronique Serret and the words of Delmae Barton.

Barton holds honorary doctorates from both Griffith University and the University of Sydney, and was the Artist in Residence at Melbourne Recital Centre in 2019. He is an Associate Professor at the Australian National University and a Creative Consultant for Australia Day Live at the Sydney Opera House. He has a strong desire to give back to his culture, people and community; one of his greatest enjoyments is his involvement in workshops with schools and children all over Australia, where he teaches didgeridoo and storytelling to the next generation.

Barton was named Queensland Australian of the Year in 2023, putting him in the running for Australian of the Year. He is currently developing a new musical language in partnership with Delmae Barton and Véronique Serret.