Percussion - Staff

Chair/Lecturer
Daryl Pratt (Percussion), BFA Calif IA MA Calif

Part-time staff

Steve Machamer, BMus MMus [[i||Juilliard]
Richard Miller

Chair/Lecturer

Daryl Pratt (Percussion), BFA IA MA Calif
Daryl Pratt is a percussionist and Chair of the Percussion Unit at The Sydney Conservatorium of Music since 1991. He also teaches in the Composition and Jazz Units and conducts the Modern Music Ensemble.

Pratt’s broad musical background has an emphasis in contemporary ‘classical’ music and jazz. His most recent creative project involves compositions and performances with MATCH Percussion, a duet he founded with his wife Alison Pratt in 2001. Since formation they have embarked on tours in Australia and the USA and released the CD Water Settings (Tall Poppies, 2005). His career includes numerous solo, chamber and orchestral recordings on labels such as ABC, Lovely, Naxos, CRI, Rufus Records, EFA, VoxAustralis, Fleur de Son Classics, and Tall Poppies. His compositions for percussion are featured on the Tall Poppies CD Pratt’s Alchemy. Other compositions include works for chamber ensemble and voice.

Pratt was a member of Sonor, directed by Bernard Rands (1977-1984), co-founded Pipeline with Simone deHaan (1987-1995) was a member of The Australia Art Orchestra, director Paul Grabowsky, (1994-2001), AtmaSphere, with David Jones (1991-) and The Chad Wackerman Group (1997-). In the early 1990s he formed the electric Jazz group Sonic Fiction and released CDs between 1993 and 1997 on Tall Poppies and NAXOS.

His orchestral background includes timpanist with The La Jolla Civic Orchestra (1978-1980) and Canberra Symphony Orchestra (1985-1990). He has performed as a percussionist with the San Diego Symphony, Sydney Symphony and Australia Opera and Ballet orchestras. Mr Pratt’s chamber music experience includes performances and recordings with Synergy, The Australia Ensemble and The Australia Chamber Orchestra.

Born and raised in Sacramento California, Pratt migrated to Australia in
1985. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from California Institute of the Arts and a Master of Fine Arts from The University of California, San Diego. Mr Pratt has also taught at the University of California, San Diego and The Canberra School of Music.

Part-time Staff

Steven Machamer
Steven Machamer was a scholarship student of Saul Goodman at The Juilliard School, and holds Bachelor of Music, and Master of Music degrees. Following twenty-one years' of professional work in New York City Mr Machamer now resides in Sydney. Steven is the author of works for snare drum, and vibraphone. His publishers include Honey Rock, C. Allen, and Permus Publications. Vibrant Baroque, a CD featuring chamber music for vibraphone, violin, and piano was released in 1990, and received a rave review from Percussive Notes, the leading scholarly percussion trade journal. His publication in June 2001 of Bach's Suite for Lute in E minor BWV 996 transcribed for the vibraphone won equal praise.

Richard Miller
Born in Melbourne, Rick Miller studied at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music with Alard Maling and studied in the USA with Forrest Clark (L.A. Phil) and at The Manhattan School of Music with Fred Hinger (Phil Orch, Met. Opera, NY). A Lecturer in Percussion at the Sydney Conservatorium since 1974, his students have been successful at the highest level in competitions and maintain positions in all areas of the Australian percussion and orchestral scene.