Michael Atherton

Michael Atherton was born in 1950, Liverpool, England – the eldest of five children. His father is of Irish and Welsh extraction. His mother is German. The family migrated to Australia in 1965 and lived at Bunnerong Migrant Hostel, a former army barracks, NSW. He went to Matraville High School and mixed with the Indigenous community at La Perouse. He taught himself to play guitar and formed bands with friends – who were Greek, Italian and Maltese migrants – as well as playing soccer with them. The migrant experience and his curiosity about vernacular as well as notated music led Atherton to study music formally at the University of Sydney and the University of New England where he was attracted to ethnomusicology. Atherton’s career began in popular music. He played early music in the Renaissance Players (1974–1980), and played with Sirocco (1980–6). He formed Southern Crossings (1986–1993) with a focus on commissioned repertoire. Atherton became Professor of Music at the University of Western Sydney in 1993, building a department committed to contemporary Australian music making. He helped establish a music therapy centre and is now an Associate Dean (Research). Atherton is also a film composer with several nominations. Credits include the feature, Dogwatch (2000), as well as APRA and Australian Guild of Screen Composers nominations and awards for the documentaries: Admission Impossible and Riding the Tiger.