Michael Cuming

Michael embarked on a path of musical expression from a very young age. He grew up in Melbourne, surrounded by the sounds of the piano, played by his mother. Michael started to play classical piano at a young age, appearing in the Turandot Opera at the age of eleven. As a teenager Michael started writing songs on piano and guitar.

From early in his life Michael has had a close connection and involvement with Aboriginal Culture. This inspired him to learn didgeridoo. Michael pioneered the use of playing didgeridoo simultaneously with other instruments. He has extensive knowledge on traditional Aboriginal rhytms and songs, having played for a multitude of traditional Aboriginal groups.

He formed The Dreamtime Band in the early eighties, and performed the circuit around Melbourne, at one time performing a duet with Joe Cocker. In 1981 Michael created the Dreamtime Theatre Company. In 1986, Dreamtime embarked on a national tour around Australia, performing in cities, small towns and Aboriginal Communities including Alice Springs and Arnhem land.

He has studied Latin percussion, Afro Cuban rhythms and African percussion. He visited Bali to study tinklik, a tradition percussive instrument used in Gamelan music. He also studied the sitar and Chinese harp. He has mastered keyboards, guitar, classical harp and harmonica. His talents further include Bulgarian bagpipes, clarinet, flutes and small percussive intruments.

In 1990, Michael formed the group Visions of a Nomad. A project in search of fusing old and new traditions into a new genre. Michael pioneered the use of the didgeridoo in combination with Classical, Jazz and World music influences, and composed a repertoire that took people on a explorative journey around the world. The symphony was designed as a non stop concert with compositions spanning 50 minutes at a time. The works were performed in Sydney, and on tour in Queensland, and was a great success at The Woodford Folk Festival. Visions of a Nomad was voted most popular act and returned to the festival hosting its own Stage in consecutive years.

In 1994, Michael Cuming and Silvana Van Dijk conceived the concept of ARC Dreaming. In that same year, they formed Culturebank, a production Company working from a refurbished Warehouse in the heart of Brisbane Australia. Culturebank's warehouse theatre was a very popular spot for Indigenous and Cultural artists to get together to exchange ideas and collaborate on projects. It was Brisbane's only affordable and independent theatre and performance space available at the time. It was also one of the first places where Indigenous and Non Indigenous artists started to work together in an artistic environment.

Culturebank has hosted a large variety of productions since it's inception, including Opera, World jazz, contemporary Aboriginal dance, World Music, Theatre and Classical World Fusion music. Culturebank was host to the Brisbane Festival Cinema nights. It's also hosted dance workshops for numerous community groups.

Michael's talents have seen him tour the world with ARC Dreaming and Visions Of A Nomad. He has performed in Holland, Ireland, Japan and the U.S.A. Michael was also asked to produce an Aboriginal smoking ceremony that was performed at sacred ruins of the original running track in Olympia, Greece in 2004 as a forerunner of the Olympics. Michael was asked to play the didgeridoo for the Aboriginal Cultural Dance performances by Nunukul Yuggera.

Michael's extensive talents and experience make him a complete professional.