Clifton Hill Community Music Centre
Encyclopedia
Clifton Hill Community Music Centre (also known as 'the organ factory') was established in 1976 to provide a space for the playing and rehearsal of music that was not of a commercial nature. The building (in the inner-city suburb of Clifton Hill
, Melbourne
, Australia
) was an old two storey organ factory. It had strong links to the Latrobe University Music Department.
No money was charged from the audience, thereby eliminating the notion of possibly not getting one's money's worth. No money was paid to composers or performers. No equipment was supplied, and advertising was mostly word of mouth or very inexpensively photocopied posters. The removal of economics from the musical equation was of supreme importance in setting up a space with a truly alternative set of values.
Access to the space was completely open and no restrictions were placed on style or content of performances although there was a strong tendency towards experimental music as well as film performance and video. All one had to do was phone the co-ordinator of the Centre and a date for an event would be arranged.
The centre was run anarchically. A person elected, or was elected, to be co-ordinator who was then responsible for allocating performance times, opening and closing the building, arranging equipment for performers and making sure each night ran smoothly as well allocating the minimal publicity jobs. When that person tired of the co-ordinator's job, it was passed on to another. In this way, a sense of continuity and adapting to changing needs was built into the Centre's operation.
The most well known musicians to play there include David Chesworth
, Philip Brophy
, Warren Burt
and Ernie Althoff
.
Clifton Hill, Victoria
Clifton Hill is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 4 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. The border between Clifton Hill and Fitzroy North is Queens Parade and Smith Street. Merri Creek defines the eastern border of Clifton Hill. Its Local Government Area is...
, Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
) was an old two storey organ factory. It had strong links to the Latrobe University Music Department.
No money was charged from the audience, thereby eliminating the notion of possibly not getting one's money's worth. No money was paid to composers or performers. No equipment was supplied, and advertising was mostly word of mouth or very inexpensively photocopied posters. The removal of economics from the musical equation was of supreme importance in setting up a space with a truly alternative set of values.
Access to the space was completely open and no restrictions were placed on style or content of performances although there was a strong tendency towards experimental music as well as film performance and video. All one had to do was phone the co-ordinator of the Centre and a date for an event would be arranged.
The centre was run anarchically. A person elected, or was elected, to be co-ordinator who was then responsible for allocating performance times, opening and closing the building, arranging equipment for performers and making sure each night ran smoothly as well allocating the minimal publicity jobs. When that person tired of the co-ordinator's job, it was passed on to another. In this way, a sense of continuity and adapting to changing needs was built into the Centre's operation.
The most well known musicians to play there include David Chesworth
David Chesworth
David Chesworth is an award-winning Australian-based composer and installation artist. Known for his experimental, and at times minimalist music, he has worked in rock groups, classical ensembles, theatre, opera...
, Philip Brophy
Philip Brophy
Philip Brophy, born in Reservoir, Melbourne 1959 is an Australian musician, composer, sound designer, filmmaker, writer, graphic designer, educator and academic.-Music:...
, Warren Burt
Warren Burt
Warren Burt is an Australia-based composer of American birth. He is known for composing in a wide variety of new music styles, ranging from acoustic music, electroacoustic music, sound art installations, and text-based music...
and Ernie Althoff
Ernie Althoff
Ernie Althoff is an Australian musician, composer, instrument builder, and visual artist. He was involved in the Clifton Hill Community Music Centre during the late 1970s and early 1980s...
.
External links
- History of CHCMC written by Ernie AlthoffErnie AlthoffErnie Althoff is an Australian musician, composer, instrument builder, and visual artist. He was involved in the Clifton Hill Community Music Centre during the late 1970s and early 1980s...
- Clifton Hill Community Music Centre Tapes on-line archive of interview tapes with the principal participants of the CHCMC.