Dr Donna Hewitt

This person does not currently hold a position at QUT.
Biography
Donna Hewitt is a vocalist, electronic music composer and instrument designer. Her primary interest in recent years has been exploring gesture mediated music performance and investigating new ways of interfacing the voice with electronic media. She is the inventor of the eMic, a sensor enhanced microphone stand for electronic music performance which she has been developing and performing with internationally since 2003. The eMic received special mention in the 2011 National Film and Sound Archives Annual Thomas Rome lecture given by ABC Director of Innovation Chris Winter. In 2010, she collaborated with Dance artist Avril Huddy on an Australia Council funded project for eMic performer and dancers. In 2010 Donna undertook a residency with Julian Knowles at STEIM in Holland with the support of the Australia Council for the Arts, Skills & Arts Development grant. Donna has most recently been working with Lady Electronic who were awarded funding from the Australia Council for the Arts to work with artists including Gotye and Quan from Regurgitator. She is currently working on an Arts Queensland & Australia Council funded project to develop a performance showcase for Lady Electronica to be held at the Judith Wright Centre in October 2012. In Nov-Dec 2012 she will undertake a 4 week Open Source Legs on the Wall residency (funded by the Australia Council for the Arts) with Julian Knowles, Tim Bruniges and Wade Marynowsky. She has also been competitively selected for performances at the Toronto Electroacoustic Symposium in August and the Performer's Voice Symposium in Singapore in October. Competitive Grants- 2012 Open Source Legs on the Wall Residency. A 4-week competitively selected creative development residency with Julian Knowles, Tim Bruniges and Wade Marynowsky. Residency program funded by the Australia Council ($4000)
- 2012 Successful Application Australia Council for the Arts - Presentation & Promotion Grant - Lady Electronica ($7000)
- 2011 Successful Application Australia Council for the Arts - Skills and Development Grant - Lady Electronica Artist development program for a collective of female electronic musicians. ($10000)
- 2011 Successful Arts Queensland Grant Development & Presentation - Lady Electronica – First named researcher/artist (auspiced by QUT) to undertake a Lady Electronica performances at the Judith Wright Centre ($12500)
- 2010 Awarded a grant from the Australia Council’s Music Skills and Arts Development to undertake a residency at STEIM to develop the eMic.
- 2008 Awarded a grant from the Australia Council’s Music New Work category, to develop a prototype wireless musical interface for vocal performance, called the eMic and to develop a new work for this device in collaboration with choreographer/dance artist Avril Huddy.
- 2003 Awarded a grant from the Australia Council’s Contemporary Instrument Builders Initiative – Sounding Out, for the purpose of developing an innovative alternate interface called the eMic (extended microphone –stand interface controller) for contemporary vocal performance and electronic processing.
- 2002 Australia Council for the Arts- Buzz Grant for Young and emerging artists Initiative for a collaboration with dancer/choreographer Nell Andrew
- 2003 ANAT Australian Network for Art and Technology Funding for Conference and Workshop Fund for attendance at NIME –03 Montreal Canada. An international conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression.
Most Recent Selected International Performances
- 2nd International Performer's Voice Symposium, Singapore, 25th-28th October 2012
- Toronto Electroacoustic Symposium TES2012, Toronto, August 15th - 18th 2012
- International Computer Music Conference ICMC2011 – Huddersfield England New work with Julian Knowles ‘Gracht’ developed in a residency at Australia Council funded residency at STEIM in 2010. Selected from 900 submissions by international peer review committee (8% success rate)
- Understanding Visual Music Conference UVM2011 Presented by Hexagram-Concordia Centre for Research-Creation in Media Arts and Technologies in collaboration with the Department of Music- Concordia University – Peer selected Performance of ‘Idol’ live performance with screen.
- SEAM2011 Spacing Movements OutsideIn Sept2011, Sydney
- NIME 2010 New Interfaces for Musical Expression Conference University of Technology Performance of electro-acoustic work for Idol (peer selected performance) Performance of collaborative work with Dance artist Avril Huddy for eMic (Extended Mic-stand interface controller) – Idol University of Technology, Sydney, Australia. June
- ICMC 08 International Computer Music Conference Belfast Queens University hosted by the Sonorities Festival of Contemporary Music Performance of electro-acoustic work for Amphibian (peer selected performance) September
- ICMC 06 International Computer Music Conference New Orleans USW Performance of electro-acoustic work for Dysphonia (selected from over 500 applications)
Most Recent Selected Performances – Australia
- ACMC2012 Australasian Computer Music Conference Conservatorium of Music, Brisbane, July, 2012
- Brisbane Festival's Under the Radar Program - 'Macrophonics' Co-curator and Performer, The Studio, Metro Arts, September 2011.
- ¼ Inch Experimental Music Series. Performance of ‘Idol’ and New work ‘untitled’ using the eMic (Extended Mic-Stand interface controller) Wollongong, Australia, October, 2010.
- ACMC 08 Australasian Computer Music Conference Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Sydney, NSW, July, 2008
- Collage, Live performance. The Great Escape Festival, Terrace Stage, Sydney Olympic Park, April, 2007
- Amphibian Electrofringe Festival of New Media Arts, Newcastle, September. Electrofringe is part of the This is Not Art festival - 2006
- Amphibian Performance at Pelt Gallery, Last event of the Impermanent Audio Series, August, 2006.
- ACMC 06 Australasian Computer Music Conference Elder Conservatorium University of Adelaide, South Australia, Performance of Alvin, July, 2006.
- Polyp Live Performance for voice and eMic, In Sync Concert, Aurora Festival, Campbelltown Arts Centre, April, 2006.
- Amphibian Liquid Architecture, Live Performance, Brisbane Powerhouse, Performance Space, Sydney, North Melbourne Town Hall July, 2006.
Personal details
Keywords
audio-visual composition, computer music, electronic music, gestural controllers, media art, new musical interfaces, performance, voice
Discipline
Performing Arts and Creative Writing, Film, Television and Digital Media
Field of Research code, Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), 2008
Qualifications
- PhD (University of Western Sydney)
- BA Hons (Music) (University of Western Sydney)
- BSc (University of Sydney)
Professional memberships and associations
- Member - Writer Member APRA
- Member - Q Music
- Member - Australian Network for Art and Technology
- Member - International Computer Music Association
- Member - Australasian Computer Music Association
Selected publications
- Hewitt D, Huddy A, Mafe-Keane V, (2010) Idol . Presented at: Idol [Inter-Arts].
- Hewitt D, (2002) Sound work for: Beyond the Depths of Silence . [Music].
- Hewitt D, (2002) Liquid Extrusion I . [Music].
- Hewitt D, (2002) Sound work for: Liquid Extrusion II . [Music].
- Hewitt D, (2002) Crashing . [Music].
- Hewitt D, (2001) Peep Show . [Visual Art Work].
- Hewitt D, Knowles J, (2006) Nodule . Presented at: Nodule [Music].
- Hewitt D, (2002) Cracking . [Music].
- Knowles J, Hewitt D, (2006) Amphibian . Presented at: Amphibian [Performance].
- Knowles J, Hewitt D, (2006) Alvin . [Music].
QUT ePrints
For more publications by Donna, explore their research in QUT ePrints (our digital repository).
Awards
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2012
- Details
- 2011 Awarded a Dean's Award for Research and Innovation
- Type
- Appointment to State/National/International Reference Group or Government Committees
- Reference year
- 2003
- Details
- Participating advisor, Australia Council For the Att Music Board, March 2003.Guest advisor reviewing applications for March funding round.
- Type
- Curatorial/Juried selection of work for Exhibition Recording/Screening etc.
- Reference year
- 2005
- Details
- Conference paper reviewer International Computer Music Conference (Barcelona) September 2005.
- Type
- Evidence of A Critical Review of Artworks
- Reference year
- 2006
- Details
- Confined and Released. Review of Liquid Architecture in Melbourne by Chris Reid. RealTime Magazine No 75, October/November 2006, page 54
- Type
- Evidence of A Critical Review of Artworks
- Reference year
- 2006
- Details
- Fast, Furious and fleeting Review of the last electronic music event at Pelt Gallery, Sydney by Gail Priest. RealTime Magazine No 75, October/November 2006, page 56
- Type
- Evidence of A Critical Review of Artworks
- Reference year
- 2006
- Details
- Sounds Improbable, sound remarkable. Review of Brisbane Liquid Architecture Festival 2006 by Joel Stern and Danni Zuvela. RealTime Magazine No. 75, October/November 2006, page 53
- Type
- Evidence of A Critical Review of Artworks
- Reference year
- 2012
- Details
- Research work around the eMic (extended mic stand interface controller) was showcased as part of the prestigious National Film and Sound Archive¿s annual Thomas Rome Annual Lecture 2011, by ABC¿s Head of Innovation, Chris Winter.
- Type
- Other
- Reference year
- 2006
- Details
- Newspaper article - Sound Without Barriers is Music to their Ears, Sydney Morning Herald Interviewed by Sununda Creagh Article Published 4th July 2006
- Type
- Funding Award
- Reference year
- 2009
- Details
- Music Board- New Work (Media Arts)"Construction of a wireless prototype of the eMic and the creation of a new work"Awarded: $8,147 to build a Wireless eMic Prototype and Create a New work
- Type
- Funding Award
- Reference year
- 2010
- Details
- Music Board: Skills and Arts Development (Individual and Groups)"Donna Hewitt and Julian Knowles to undertake a residency at STEIM to develop the eMic"Awarded" $9,439To undertake a residency at Steim in Holland to develop the eMic. The eMic (Extended mic-stand interface controller) is a gestural controller for vocal performance and electronics.