"Kieran [...] not only delivered a diverse and fascinating program, but throughout every piece demonstrated an artistic conviction that was a joy to witness [...] his interpretation was not only skilful, but beautifully vulnerable" — CutCommon
"Kieran’s [performance] represented the fulfilment of an artist’s imagination, a celebration of the viola sound, technique and repertoire combined with mastery encompassing all performing characteristics..." — Raquel Bastos
Kieran Welch (b. 1992) is an Australian violist, curator, manager, DJ, educator and writer. He combines this diverse, yet complementary set of skills with a passion for presenting a wide range of musical genres to varied audiences, and a thorough training in classical viola performance. His ongoing commitment to culture and community has already been recognised at a national level, as the recipient of the 2022 APRA AMCOS Queensland Luminary Award for "sustained contribution to the creative music culture of Brisbane as a performer and artistic director."
"Kieran’s [performance] represented the fulfilment of an artist’s imagination, a celebration of the viola sound, technique and repertoire combined with mastery encompassing all performing characteristics..." — Raquel Bastos
Kieran Welch (b. 1992) is an Australian violist, curator, manager, DJ, educator and writer. He combines this diverse, yet complementary set of skills with a passion for presenting a wide range of musical genres to varied audiences, and a thorough training in classical viola performance. His ongoing commitment to culture and community has already been recognised at a national level, as the recipient of the 2022 APRA AMCOS Queensland Luminary Award for "sustained contribution to the creative music culture of Brisbane as a performer and artistic director."
As a violist, Kieran's performances have been described as “skilful [and] beautifully vulnerable” (CutCommon), “[combining] technique and repertoire with mastery” (Raquel Bastos) to demonstrate “an artistic conviction that was a joy to witness” (CutCommon). Regularly in demand across Australia and the world, he has premiered pieces written for him by the likes of Connor D’Netto, Leilehua (Anne) Lanzilotti and Tilman Robinson; appeared as a featured soloist in concerts for Argo, Backstage Music and Restrung Festival; performed with groups such as Ensemble Offspring, the Bang on a Can All Stars and the Hong Kong New Music Ensemble; and toured China with the Sydney Dance Company. Regularly collaborating with musicians across all genres, Kieran has worked with the likes of Ed Kuepper (The Saints), Eskimo Joe, George, The Kite String Tangle, Kate Miller-Heidke, LÂLKA, Michael Bolton and Parkway Drive. He is the core violist of indie chamber septet Nonsemble, and performs with Queensland's chamber orchestra Camerata.
Kieran is the founding director of the post-genre concert series Dots+Loops. Inclusively exploring the spaces in between a traditional classical concert, an underground club gig, and an experimental art show, the series takes exciting, adventurous and thought-provoking music and art of all kinds, and places it in relaxed, accessible spaces. Since 2014, the series has presented over twenty critically acclaimed concert experiences, with highlights ranging from a sold-out 2016 production with the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art, to the recent Nonstop Festival, a six-hour celebration of Brisbane and Australia's most exciting artists and musicians, spread across two stages. The series has provided unique performance experiences and opportunities for numerous emerging Australian artists, facilitated and debuted over a dozen new works from local composers, presented the Australian solo debuts of three acclaimed international artists thus far, and fostered a wide-ranging community of diverse yet like-minded art and music creators and lovers.
A performance fellow at Bang on a Can's internationally regarded Summer Festival in both 2016 and 2018, other fellowships include being selected for Ensemble Offspring's Hatched Academy in 2017, and the Hong Kong Modern Academy in 2015. An Adjunct Lecturer at the University of Queensland School of Music, he completed an MPhil in Music Performance at the University of Queensland in 2017, where he studied with Patricia Pollett, Lisa Grosman and Robert Davidson.
Passionate about many different styles of music, Kieran is an award-winning DJ, and regularly presents a unique blend of electronica, techno and house at festivals and clubs throughout Brisbane, operating under the moniker Airport.
In 2022 he was appointed as Production Manager with Orchestra Victoria. He also regularly writes for a number of publications including CutCommon and Limelight Magazine, and from 2019–2020 was the General Manager of the Tyalgum Music Festival.
When not involved in the above artistic pursuits, you'll likely find him spending quality time with his five-year-old rescue dog Lily, and investigating how many flat whites he can drink in one day.
Kieran is the founding director of the post-genre concert series Dots+Loops. Inclusively exploring the spaces in between a traditional classical concert, an underground club gig, and an experimental art show, the series takes exciting, adventurous and thought-provoking music and art of all kinds, and places it in relaxed, accessible spaces. Since 2014, the series has presented over twenty critically acclaimed concert experiences, with highlights ranging from a sold-out 2016 production with the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art, to the recent Nonstop Festival, a six-hour celebration of Brisbane and Australia's most exciting artists and musicians, spread across two stages. The series has provided unique performance experiences and opportunities for numerous emerging Australian artists, facilitated and debuted over a dozen new works from local composers, presented the Australian solo debuts of three acclaimed international artists thus far, and fostered a wide-ranging community of diverse yet like-minded art and music creators and lovers.
A performance fellow at Bang on a Can's internationally regarded Summer Festival in both 2016 and 2018, other fellowships include being selected for Ensemble Offspring's Hatched Academy in 2017, and the Hong Kong Modern Academy in 2015. An Adjunct Lecturer at the University of Queensland School of Music, he completed an MPhil in Music Performance at the University of Queensland in 2017, where he studied with Patricia Pollett, Lisa Grosman and Robert Davidson.
Passionate about many different styles of music, Kieran is an award-winning DJ, and regularly presents a unique blend of electronica, techno and house at festivals and clubs throughout Brisbane, operating under the moniker Airport.
In 2022 he was appointed as Production Manager with Orchestra Victoria. He also regularly writes for a number of publications including CutCommon and Limelight Magazine, and from 2019–2020 was the General Manager of the Tyalgum Music Festival.
When not involved in the above artistic pursuits, you'll likely find him spending quality time with his five-year-old rescue dog Lily, and investigating how many flat whites he can drink in one day.
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Kieran is a D'Addario Orchestral Artist
and plays on Kaplan Amo Strings |