JANE AUBOURG
composer violinist maker
hi, I'm Jane!
Photo by Nina Kourea.
I am a composer, violinist and zine maker based on Dhawaral Country, Wollongong NSW Australia.
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I am currently composing and performing on a violin-crutch instrument/sculpture called Play Me Mend Me, a project that explores my experience of chronic pain from playing violin.
I write a monthly(ish) zine called Paper Trails that explores and documents creative process. I have been a member of award-winning exploratory new music ensemble The Music Box Project since 2014. ​
email me
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I am represented as an Associate Artist with the Australian Music Centre.
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​Jump to more about: Play Me Mend Me / Paper Trails / The Music Box Project
Play Me Mend Me
​I am currently performing and writing music for Anita Johnson's sculpture Play Me Mend Me – a curious assemblage of an unfinished violin, a salvaged crutch, a tobacco tin, and a blanket. Strings weave through its 1.6m length creating three unique sounding sections. My music on this instrument/sculpture explores my experience of chronic pain from playing violin - how to continue making music; how to play and how to mend.
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My zine Paper Trails follows the creation and performance of music from this project.​ The music written for this project will be released as an album with an accompanying zine.
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This show is available to be booked for performances, email me for more info.
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Paper Trails zine
Paper Trails is a zine series that started in February 2023. It follows my creative process and thoughts about projects while I'm in the thick of it. One of the best ways I have found to understand my own processes and not be overwhelmed by them, is to share them with others. It's a way for you to get updates outside of social media and for me to create something tangible; to chart a path through the process, to leave a paper trail.
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You can get issues either posted to you or sent digitally monthly by joining my Patreon. I offer tiers for digital only, Australian and International addresses, and a supporter level that gives a little extra.
The Music Box Project
Website / Instagram / Facebook
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Sydney-based the music box project is an award-winning, artist-run collective of musicians presenting creative, community driven and collaborative music experiences.
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Increasingly recognised as keen instigators of creative music making, the music box project has premiered over 40 works of local, national and international early-career composers whilst continuing to re-invent established works in a new light. Known for their open mind and collaborative drive, the music box project is a thriving part of Sydney’s local music scene having shared music outside the usual order of things monthly at The Glebe Hotel since 2017, with a shift to online shows during the Covid-19 pandemic. This regular concert series has built a strong regular audience through creating an approachable space to participate in exploratory music.
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In 2024 they presented a weekend festival of exploratory music called Cut Paste Play - an extraordinary gathering for all kinds of curious listeners and creative musicians to come together at Church Street Studios, on Gadigal land, Eora (Sydney, Australia). This energetic, two-day festival featured an excitingly eclectic lineup of local, interstate and international artists, 13 Concerts and 10 Interludes (interactive experiences ranging from artist talks, DIY compositions to guided sound walks).
They have also presented a multi-theremin performance and audience workshop at Extended Play Festival (2018) and sonically activated a range of spaces including The North Sydney Coal Loader, Cockatoo Island, carparks, caves and an art storage unit.
In 2020, the music box project was awarded the APRA AMCOS/AMC Art Music Award for ‘Excellence in Experimental Music’ for their project Shallow Listening (2019) deemed by panellists as “a concert experience demonstrating ability to facilitate, curate and perform experimental music at the highest level.”
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Since the collective’s inception in 2014, the music box project has facilitated various successful collaborative and participatory projects. These include:
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In 4 (2015) - a work composed by 40 composers from around the world that was curated from over 100 submissions
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Sustain (2016) - a set of miniatures composed for additive ensemble by six local early career composers
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Opera+Ornaments (2017) - two new pieces collaboratively composed in response to an exhibition at Conny Dietzhold Gallery
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Project: anonymous (2018) - an anthology of anonymous text-based scores drawn from over 70 submissions for publication and performance in Sydney
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STICKY (2024) - a work composed by participants at Cut Paste Play festival, who wrote cells of music on sticky notes over the weekend. The work was premiered at the close of the festival by the festival orchestra.
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Other highlights include artist residencies at Bundanon Trust (2019 and 2025), performances at the Bendigo International Festival of Exploratory Music (2019), the collaborative composition of soundtracks for nine new silent films by local artists (2018), participating in an open workshop/performance with Grammy award-winning ensemble Eighth Blackbird (2017), opening for New York ensemble yMusic (2016) and collaborating with Sydney’s Splash Percussion (2016) for a performance of Steve Reich’s Drumming.
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Currently, the core collective of the music box project is: Jane Aubourg, Elizabeth Jigalin, Naomi Johnson, Peter Leung & Joseph Lisk.​