Aaron is a violist, violinist, conductor, composer, programmer, and academic. Originally from Perth, he spent many years as a regular casual with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra before moving to Melbourne to take up an Assistant Lecturer position at Monash.

A member of the award winning Decibel New Music ensemble, he also develops their animated graphic notation app for the iPad, the Decibel ScorePlayer. In 2021 he became the first Indigenous Australian to conduct a state symphony orchestra in concert, and has since gone on to have engagements with the Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney, West Australian, and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras.

He was nominated for a Helpmann Award for his role as musical director of Cat Hope’s opera Speechless in the 2019 Perth Festival, and recently conducted the premiere of Gina Williams’ and Guy Ghouse’s Noongar opera Wundig wer Wilura. As a composer, he has written for Ensemble Offspring, GreyWing Ensemble, Ensemble Dutala, the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, and is currently Artist in Residence with Speak Percussion.

Music at McClelland is generously supported by Igor Zambelli, Mary-Jane Gething AO and The Robert Salzer Foundation. It is a seated event and is held in the Sarah and Baillieu Myer Education Pavilion.