Sonorous XIII: Ros Bandt & Vijay Thillaimuthu

Step into an expanded universe of sound.

A liberation of sonics from the shackles of stereo, Sonorous welcomes audiences to go beyond a traditional listening experience into an expanded sonic universe.  

Marking the thirteenth edition of its Sonorous series, Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio (MESS) invites internationally acclaimed sound artist Ros Bandt and Tamil-Australian electronic composer Vijay Thillaimuthu to engage with the incredible instruments of the MESS collection. Crafting an immersive multichannel electroacoustic performance, these two extraordinary artists explore the potential of sound and diffuse these brand-new commissioned works in the acoustically rich Primrose Potter Salon.  

This is a rare chance to hear electroacoustic works in glorious octaphonic surround sound.

Tickets

Two seating options are available for this concert. Select from a Standard chair or a Beanbag chair. 

Beanbag Chair
Standard $55 ($50 Concession)

Standard Chair
Standard $45 ($40 Concession)

Please note, seating in the Primrose Potter Salon is General Admission.

A Transaction Fee between $4 and $8.50 applies to orders made online and by phone. Delivery Fees may also apply. A ticket limit of six is in place online to ensure fair ticket access for all. Want to bring a bigger party? Call our Box Office during business hours on (03) 9699 3333 to book.

About the Artists 

Ros Bandt  

Dr Ros Bandt is an internationally acclaimed sound artist pioneering new forms of sonic art since 1977. Her practice spans electroacoustic multichannel composition, site-specific ritual performance, sound sculptures, and interactive installations, performed on historical flutes, tarhu, ancient Greek lyre, and amplified seaweed and found objects. The first woman in Australia to win the Don Banks Composers Award, she received the 2020 Richard Gill Award for distinguished services to Australian Music and a subsequent Australia Council fellowship for experimental and emerging music.  

Vijay Thillaimuthu  

Vijay Thillaimuthu is a Tamil-Australian electronic composer, performer, and audio-visual artist drawing on the history of sound synthesis and electromagnetic phenomena. Working across modular synthesisers, node-based programming, and laser display systems, his immersive multisensory practice has been presented internationally at venues including Unsound, Seoul Arts Center, and the Tokyo Festival of Modular. In 2025, he premiered Oblation at The Substation as part of Asia Topa, exploring the relationship between vedic chanting, vibration, and geometry. 

Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio (MESS)   

Founded by Robin Fox and Byron J Scullin, MESS is dedicated to the creation of electronic sound and music. Representing one of the most eclectic and historically significant collections of electronic instruments worldwide, the ever-growing MESS collection is made available to creatives and the broader public to learn, play, and record with hundreds of electronic instruments at their fingertips.   

Sonorous is MESS's ongoing commissioning series devoted to multichannel concert works, providing artists with the resources, time, and creative space to forge boundary-transcending new compositions. This celebrated series has become a cornerstone of Naarm/Melbourne’s cultural calendar, inviting audiences to experience the vast creative potential of spatial composition and spatial listening.  

The 20-plus commissioned works to date consistently demonstrate how creativity thrives when artists are given the time and freedom to engage deeply with sound. By supporting artists to experiment with octophonic diffusion and embrace the spatial possibilities of electronic music, MESS fosters an environment where unique and transformative works can flourish.