Sound Alliance 2026
Announcing the return of COMA’s cross-genre mentorship program, Sound Alliance!
Sound Alliance brings together musicians working in art music genres (original jazz, contemporary classical, sound art, experimental, and associated genres) with mentors working in contrasting primary genres. The program facilitates conversation, workshopping, and sharing between artists and is non-outcomes based. We are focused on supporting creative process and connection, so there is no pressure to prepare a performance or other outcome.
If selected as a participating artist, your mentor will be supported to provide 3 x 1 hour sessions in a manner that suits you both (via phone, video call, or in person). You will be conncected with them by the COMA team and together you will make your own session plan, with activity to take place over the first half of 2026. The COMA team is available throughout to support you to make the most of your mentorship.
Applications for our 2026 Sound Alliance Program are now closed.
Introducing our incredible pool of 8 mentors:
James Brown
art music, experimental, jazz, indie, folk
James Brown is a skilled musician, audio engineer, and producer from Adelaide, South Australia. Known for his versatility as a guitarist and bassist, as well as on the engineering side recording, producing, mixing and mastering, Brown’s musical style spans genres including folk, indie, jazz, rock and experimental music. He is a key member of the Jen Lush Band, playing guitar and producing and mixing the band’s albums. His contributions to the band’s sound have played a significant role in shaping their distinctive blend of folk, rock, and pop. Brown has been deeply involved in many aspects of the Adelaide music scene, collaborating with a range of local artists (Adam Page, Jarrad Payne, Lyndon Gray) and bands over the years (the genre defying 1.1 Immermann, groove- band Kubrick, and power-house trio YeahYeahAbsolutelyNoWay!. As the co- founder of Wizard Tone Studios, he has become a vital figure in the local music community, offering expert recording, mixing, and mastering services to independent artists. His work is known for its attention to detail and his ability to bring out the uniqueness of each project, working closely with artists to realise their creative vision. Outside the studio, he is also passionate about fostering local talent, teaching and building community to support Adelaide’s growing music scene. With a deep commitment to the artistic, technical, and community-based aspects of music making and production, Brown continues to be an influential figure in the Adelaide music industry.
https://tidal.com/album/364811318/u
Tom Noonan
jazz
Tom Noonan is a musician, saxophonist and teacher hailing from Melbourne, Australia and currently living in Adelaide. He co-directed the Bennetts Lane Big Band in 2014-15. He has been an active member of The Gremilys, who perform every Wednesday night at the Grace Emily Hotel, since 2023. He performs as part of The Exhibits, with Lyndon Gray, James Muller and Tim Firth, who released their first album in 2024, and will be releasing their second in 2026. His first major creation, pas de deux, was released in 2018, and was longlisted in the Australian Music Prize. He will be releasing a new album of original music in 2026.
Georgia Oatley
sonic arts, experimental, trip hop, electronic, IDM
Georgia Oatley crafts tender electronic music, weaving ambient textures, trip-hop grooves, and soulful vocals. Inspired by the organic beauty of the land, her sound is immersive, sensual, and deeply emotional—a rich sensory experience that invites listeners to connect and let go. She is a musician, broadcaster, and educator passionate about empowerment through access and education. Georgia is currently completing an Honours degree in Creative Practice at Adelaide University. She is active in the local arts community through her work with Tutti Arts, NSS, Carclew, Girls Rock! and she sits on the board of Three D Radio. Georgia was selected as one of Soundstream’s Emerging Composers for 2025 and launched her debut album A Pastoral in 2025. Recent performance highlights include WOMADelaide (2025) and New Found Sound (2025) and 100,000 Subtle Kinds of Music, a collaboration with Stephen Whittington and musicians from the Chinese School of Music at OzAsia Festival (2023).
Georgia Oatley ‘A Pastoral’ Album Launch at The Lab
Jesse Budel
sound art, experimental, art music, contemporary classical
Jesse is a composer-performer, sound artist and academic based in South Australia. His works are for diverse media and spaces, ranging from concert works and installations to community and interdisciplinary collaborations. His music has been performed the Australian String Quartet (AUS), Soundstream New Music (AUS), Zephyr Quartet (AUS), Elder Conservatorium Wind Orchestra (AUS) and Corvus Ensemble (Alaska, USA), and he has been an artist-in-residence at Adelaide City Library and Sir Robert Helpmann Theatre in Mount Gambier (SA, AUS), as well as at Arts Letters and Numbers (Upstate NY, USA), Atlantic Centre for the Arts (FL, USA), University of York (UK) and University of Birmingham (UK). In 2024, Jesse was a 2024 Arts South Australia Fellow, supporting creative development and research in higher-order ambisonics. As a member of the Acoustic Ecology and Ecoacoustic communities, Jesse currently serves as the President for the Australian Forum for Acoustic Ecology and Secretary for the World Forum for Acoustic Ecology.
Chelsea Lee
jazz, experimental rock, trip hop, electronic and scoring.
Following her selection for Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead (USA) in 2015, vocalist and composer Chelsea Lee has earned acclaim in the Adelaide jazz scene. Graduating from the Elder Conservatorium in 2016 with first-class honours, Chelsea has composed and released three albums of original jazz music, one of which won the People’s Choice category at the 2021 South Australian Music Awards. In 2024, she released a highly experimental, score-focused album with her project Djawbreaker, funded by one of Adelaide’s best music venues, The Grace Emily Hotel. In 2025, Chelsea composed and performed for several projects, including a Miles Davis inspired post-bop quintet titled Pulpland, a set of David Lynch-inspired soundtrack material with Djawbreaker, both of which were featured at this year’s Adelaide Jazz Festival, and was a co-composer for the sold-out indie production ‘Scenes With Girls’, under Deus Ex Femina and State Theatre Stateside.
Keira Simmons
electronic, ambient, acoustic ecology, sound art
Keira J. Simmons (she/they) is an emerging South Australian sound artist and sound designer based on unceded Kaurna Land. She creates projects that explore bodily engagement with place and sound, through speculative soundwalking and through performing meditative ambient sets. As a freelance sound designer, they work with local and global artists on creative projects focusing on queerness, ecology, neurodivergence and embodied theatrical experiences. She is currently serving on the board of the Australian Forum for Acoustic Ecology, as Head Technician for Nexus Arts Venue, and as Chairperson of Creative Original Music Adelaide. In these roles they enjoy collaborating with artists on a wide range of performances and events, while facilitating projects that uplift marginalised and underrepresented voices.
Celia Craig
classical, experimental, soundscape, contemporary
An award-winning oboist and synesthete, Celia is internationally recognised for her bold collaborations, and colour-rich approach to sound. Principal Oboe Adelaide Symphony Orchestra 2011-2018, Principal Cor Anglais and Chair of BBC Symphony Orchestra, London 2003-6; Celia is 2025–26 Biennial Artist in South Australia and was 2024 Creative Arts Fellow, National Library of Australia. A lifelong synesthete; Celia perceives sound as colour—an innate, neurodivergent trait that fuels her creative practice. Her Creative Arts Fellowship research focused on fellow synesthete Dr. Miriam Hyde, trailblazing South Australian Scholar at Royal College of Music London, 1932–36. Winner of 2023 Australian Women in Music Award Excellence in Classical Music, an Associate of Royal Academy of Music, (LRAM and ARAM), Celia was awarded CreateSA’s 2025-6 Biennial Artist grant to develop synesthesia-inspired collaborative recordings. Her first release is Chromaesthesia. Fully improvised by groundbreaking group Collectif: Arc en Ciel, Caspar Hawksley (electric guitar), Harrison Smith (flugelhorn), and Thomas Marlin (cello), it features intersection between nature and music, live recorded at Adelaide Botanic Garden. Celia’s diverse musical path was influenced by working closely with Leonard Bernstein (synesthete) and Béla de Csillery (student of both Kodály and Hindemith). She is currently a Loree de Gourdon Artist and Guildhall ‘Ignite’ qualified Coach (EMCC).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8sc0-tKKdk
https://www.celiacraig.com.au/?p=2819
Adam Ritchie
experimental, cinematic, sound art, ambient, dark ambient, minimalism.
Adam Ritchie is a South Australian sound artist working under the name of r.domain and is involved in many ensembles. His practice traces the intersections of electronic synthesis, acoustic sound/space, and the act of listening itself – from minimal tones to noise and varying rhythmic intensities. Through modular systems, field recordings, and digital manipulation, Ritchie builds textural environments that investigate perception, decay, and the blurred boundaries between composition and improvisation. His solo work as r.domain explores the intimacy of sound as material, while projects like the PRT Ensemble extends these ideas into collective performance and real-time dialogue between humans and machines. Rooted in experimentation, his work invites participants to reflect on how sound shapes experience—physically, emotionally, and spatially.
If you are interested in applying for Sound Alliance, please complete the form below. Applications are open until 10 March 2026.
Applications will be assessed agains the following criteria:
- Relevance and impact: how will this program benefit both applicant and mentor?
- Artistic practice and suitability: do the expectations of the applicant match those of the program? Is the partnership likely to provide the desired outcome?
- Genre complements: does the proposed mentorship meet COMA’s aim of facilitating cross-genre collaboration and experimentation?
In this round of Sound Alliance we will be supporting 5 mentorships, so if you are interested, please consider applying.
Please note that this opportunity is available to South Australian-based musicians.
Contact COMA with any questions about the program or application process at thecomalist@gmail.com