Double-ARIA-nominated pianist and composer Nat Bartsch has been announced as Melbourne Recital Centre’s new Artist-in-Residence.

In this year-long role, the proudly neurodivergent artist plans to embark on several cross-genre projects and champion neurodiversity in music.

Nat Bartsch’s ethereal and meditative music defies conventions, traversing jazz, neoclassical, classical and children’s genres, drawing influence from artists including Nils Frahm and Debussy. Her compositions have reached people all over the world and are played by people from all walks of life, often in profoundly personal moments – from the birthing suite to the final hours before death.

To date, Bartsch’s career has spanned eight studio albums, domestic and international tours, as well as the recent establishment of her own record label, Amica Records. A Melbourne-based artist, she is best known for her 2018 lullaby album Forever, and No Time At All and her ARIA-nominated response to the challenges of 2020, Hope. Bartsch’s inimitable jazz re-interpretations of these albums, Forever More and Hope Renewed, have received wide acclaim from audiences and critics alike.

Bartsch said she was deeply honoured to have been selected Artist-in-Residence and recognised for her progressive career as a self-managed, independent classical jazz artist.

“This recognition is a welcome reminder that I’m on a good path, and that what I’m doing is meaningful to others,” she said.

“Although I’ve faced many challenges, I now see my neurodiversity as one of my greatest strengths, and I look forward to using the residency as a platform to start conversations about how we can better support and celebrate neurodivergent artists and audiences”.