This year’s event is turning the spotlight on First Nations and multicultural performers in the industry, across the intersections of songwriting, production, journalism, photography, artistry, and more.
Delivering this year’s keynote speech is ABC Classic presenter, musician, teacher, and trans man Eddie Ayres, who tells us how it feels to be invited to take on this role.
“I think it’s kind of funny that I get asked to do more women’s stuff now that I’m a trans guy, than I was before when I was when I was female-bodied,” he laughs, “Happy to oblige!”
“I think it’s good to have a variety of views. I think people are really good about wanting to know more about the trans experience.”
“People are generally very accepting of trans people and I think when people aren’t they recognise that actually one reason that they might not be is that they just don’t know enough.”
“I think there’s a few trans people around now who are just happy to talk about our experiences and I do think it’s important to be open. It’s an opportunity to do that and just see the world from different perspectives.”
Speaking on different perspectives, Ayres says the ongoing discussion over the lives of transgender and gender diverse people in the media compels him to wield his platform wisely.
“It’s even more important to step up, so whenever people do ask me to come and speak at things I try and say yes as much as possible to counteract the ignorant speech of the rest of the media.”
“I do think it’s incredibly important to defend our space and defend basic decency which I think in some ways gets lost through this drive for free speech. Free speech is obviously great, but also there’s just the basic thing which most of us are taught by our parents; if you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say it.”
“If only more of these commentators would think about that, and think about the struggles that gay and trans people have to go through to get to a point where they can feel free and open and live the life that they have to live. The suicide rate for trans people particularly is devastating. . . So of course all of these negative comments add to that so I’ll do whatever I can to counteract that.”
After many years as a fixture of ABC Classic’s programming, Ayres stepped away from the airwaves after coming out as a transgender man, and spent some time teaching music in Afghanistan.
Now back on the mic at ABC Classic, Ayres says his return has been warmly welcomed.
“It’s actually really good, and all of the listeners are just so accepting. It’s really fantastic.
“There was just this huge flood of emails and letters and messages saying ‘good on you, I’m so glad that you’re happy now’ and some concerns that it was a difficult time for me over those years, but just so completely cool about it.”
Ayres' love for music has manifested itself in myriad ways. Years as a viola player in the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, and as a broadcaster in Hong Kong and Australia, as well as an internationally-renowned teacher and author of numerous books on the subject. . . But does Ayres sometimes delve into the world of techno?
“No!” Ayres laughs.
“There are actually a few Classic presenters who do listen to trance. I personally just don’t get into it. I get into some hip-hop music, I like Craig David. . . But I’m afraid I really am just a classical music nerd. I might come home and listen to a bit of Elton John, but very rarely.”
