MELBOURNE – Artist, creative director, percussionist, musician: there are many aspects and dimensions to Eugene Ughetti. One of these is his penchant for experimentation, which has shaped his artistic growth.
Appointed creative director of the Canberra International Music Festival last July, Ughetti also holds the same role for Speak Percussion, an artist collective he founded about 25 years ago.
The upcoming festival, running from April 30 to May 4, will be the first under his creative direction, promising a rich program of 25 concerts designed for lovers of both classical and experimental music. T
The chosen theme is Liberté – Freedom: “And by that, we don’t just mean artistic freedom, but also cultural, identity-based and territorial integrity,” he explained.
“Freedom from repression and political control.”
The theme is inspired by contemporary global affairs and aimed at rediscovering the importance of listening - not necessarily to respond, but to understand.
“We want it to be a musical and reflective space,” he added.
This choice aligns perfectly with his artistic vision, which seeks to create “a type of art that prompts reflection on the world and our place in it”.
“Because when we explore new ideas, we open ourselves to new ways of thinking and experiencing the world around us.
“That’s why I want to be an artist.”
The decision to entrust him with the Canberra Festival’s direction can be summed up, in Ughetti’s words, as a reflection of the festival’s identity.
“Even though the festival has a classical orientation, it has always had an adventurous and unconventional spirit,” he said.
His blend of classical musical training with a passion for experimentation and research must have been a crucial factor.
“I believe my long experience as a creative director in smaller organisations also played a role in the decision,” he continued.
“It’s given me an understanding of what it takes to manage them. You need to make the right artistic choices but also handle many other aspects like financial management, priorities and collaborations.”
Music, and percussion in particular, have always been a part of Ughetti’s life. His father, an Italian migrant to Australia, was a percussionist and ran a music shop where young Ughetti began playing at around six years old.
His more creative side may have come from his mother, who was a visual artist.
As a teenager, Ughetti pursued an education in classical music, leading him to perform under esteemed conductors with the Melbourne Youth Orchestra, travelling across Australia and internationally.
Over time, he felt the need to experiment and evolve, to make music in more intimate settings. It was during this period that he founded Speak Percussion, a space for exploring the boundaries of musical understanding and unleashing creativity.
“My curiosity led me to this approach,” Ughetti said, adding that he sees music as a travel companion “rather than something I need to fully understand at first listen”.
His journey with music has taken him into a broader world - not just of sound, but also of visual and theatrical interpretation, often incorporating body movements, lighting design and spatial planning, making it a truly multidisciplinary project, as he describes it.
His favourite part of the creative process is “that moment when you’re making something, developing your art, but you don’t yet know what direction it will take”.
“You know something will emerge, but you don’t yet know what. It’s a privilege,” he shared.
Being Italian-Australian has shaped his worldview: “In primary school, I spent a lot of time with my grandmother, who only spoke Italian, so I thought bilingually,” he explained.
“The way an Italian thinks is very different from an Australian: it’s more poetic and less direct. You circle around an idea rather than go straight to it.”
His Italian heritage has influenced his artistic development in two fundamental ways: first, by making him feel like an outsider and giving him an awareness of his difference from others. Second, by allowing him to internalise the concept of beauty - something intrinsically linked to Italian culture.
