Janet McKay is a prize-winning flautist committed to the performance and development of new music.
As a solo artist, Janet has performed recitals in London, Sydney, Canberra, Adelaide and Brisbane. She also undertook a 5-city solo tour of the USA in 2008, performing in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Austin. Janet demonstrates her commitment to composer and repertoire development by facilitating Composer Forums and commissioning and performing new works by emerging Australian and American composers. She has commissioned and premiered dozens of new works since 2007, and will be collaborating with seven composers on new works as part of her PhD research project.
Janet also co-directs an ongoing performance project, Super Critical Mass, together with composers Julian Day and Luke Jaaniste. Super Critical Mass deals with spatial and algorithmic performances using ensembles of the same instrument. Since its inception in 2008, Super Critical Mass has created performances in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, New York, London and Manchester and was a finalist in the 2012 and 2013 AMCOS/AMC Art Music Awards.
We asked Janet a few questions
- How old were you when you decided to be a musician and what led you the instrument(s) you now play? 16, I started learning flute around age 10 as my older sister was learning also and I wanted to be like her
- When you’re not rehearsing/performing/teaching, where are you most likely to be? At the park, playing with my 2-year-old daughter
- After you finish a concert, what is the first drink you want to have in your hand? A strong cup of tea
- If there weren’t external factors involved, how long do you think a concert should go for? 1 hour
- When should we clap? whenever you feel like it!
A member of
- Super Critical Mass (co-director)
Find out more & connect on social media
