Linsey Pollak OAM is an Australian musician, instrument maker, composer, musical director and community music facilitator.[1]
Pollak studied classical clarinet until age 19. Then, at university, he started making and selling bamboo flutes. He dropped out in the second year of physiology to get more time to make instruments.[2]
Pollak has recorded 31 albums.[1] He toured his solo shows extensively in Europe, North America and Asia as well as performing at most major festivals around Australia. He has devised many large festival pieces such as 'BimBamBoo' and 'Sound Forest', as well as collaborating on many music and theatre projects around Australia. Pollak helped establish the now defunct[3] 'Kulcha', The Multicultural Arts Centre of Western Australia, and has co-ordinated five cross-cultural music ensembles. He was also involved in groups such as Tansey's Fancy.[4]
Pollak has also worked as a musical instrument maker for 40 years and has designed a number of new wind instruments.[5] He has specialized in woodwind instruments from Eastern Europe such as the Macedonian gaida.[1][6]
Pollak lives in Maleny, Queensland. He creates musical instruments from unlikely objects such as vegetables.[2]
State Library of Queensland holds a collection of interviews, transcripts and radio shows on Pollak as part of their Linsey Pollack Oral History 2009 collection.[7]
Pollak was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in the 2021 Queen's Birthday Honours, for "service to the performing arts, and to music".[8]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Biography on TED web-site". Archived from the original on 3 October 2015. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
- ^ a b "Financial Times Magazine". Retrieved 11 November 2015.
- ^ "The West Australian". Retrieved 11 November 2015.
- ^ "Tansey's Fancy". Vesnik. Vol. VIII, no. 21. Western Australia. 1 January 1984. p. 12. Retrieved 14 February 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Pollak, Linsey; Brisbane (Qld). Council. Community Arts Unit (1990), Home made musical instruments, Community Arts Unit Brisbane City Council, ISBN 978-0-9596427-5-9
- ^ "Ethnic Dances". Vesnik. Vol. IX, no. 24. Western Australia. 1 January 1985. p. 3. Retrieved 14 February 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "27297, Linsey Pollack oral history 2009". State Library of Queensland. 2009.
- ^ "Queen's Birthday 2021 Honours - the full list". Sydney Morning Herald. Nine Entertainment Co. 13 June 2021. Retrieved 13 June 2021.