Hilary Geddes

Hilary Geddes – winner of The Jann Rutherford Memorial Award.

The Melbourne Women's International Jazz Festival ((MWIJF) is a festival which encourages and supports women as jazz musicians and composers. Tonight at The Jazzlab, the MWIJF proudly presents Hilary Geddes.

Hilary Geddesis a guitarist, improviser and composer based in Sydney. She is the 2019 recipient of the Jann Rutherford Memorial Award, which aims to assist the professional development of a young female jazz instrumentalist. Initially inspired by the theatrics of Angus Young from AC/DC and Murray from The Wiggles, Hilary began playing the guitar in her hometown of Griffith in south-west New South Wales. Since then, her musical tastes have remained just as eclectic, if not more expansive, ranging from the likes of Carla Bley to Big Mama Thornton.

Over the course of 2019, Hilary has been working as an in-demand guitarist in the Australian jazz and improvised music scenes, performing alongside jazz luminaries such as Mike Nock and Barney McCall. She is a member of the Sydney Women's Jazz Collective and performs in Underwards—a duo project with trumpeter Ellen Kirkwood. In 2018, Hilary graduated from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music with First Class Honours, studying under renowned guitarists Carl Dewhurst, James Muller and Steve Brien.

She also spent a year living in Germany, studying with esteemed guitarist Andreas Wahl at the Hochschule für Künste Bremen during 2016 and 2017 and performing with her trio Geddes/Teichmann/Petratos. Hilary is also part of garage rock band, The Buoys, who will be supporting DZ Deathrays on a triple j-endorsed national tour in October and will be performing at Lost Paradise later this year.

"A fine guitarist and a discerning sonic sculptor…" - John Shand, Sydney Morning Herald, 2019

"A mesmerising solo…" - Tyler Jenke, Tone Deaf, 2019

Hilary Geddes - guitar
Matthew O'Brien - trombone
Matthew Harris - piano
Maximillian Alduca - double bass
Alexander Inman-Hislop - drums