Collaborators

Julian Hamilton

Composer
Biography

Julian Hamilton was born in 1976. He studied piano from a young age, and went on to pursue musical studies at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. There he met musical collaborator Kim Moyes. Together they went on to perform in the instrumental band Prop, and in 2003 formed the duo The Presets.

In 2008 he won the coveted APRA Song of the Year award for the Silverchair song Straight Lines, which he co-wrote with Daniel Johns. Also that year The Presets released the chart-topping album Apocalypso, selling over 250,000 copies in Australia.

The band went on to win five ARIA awards for the album, including Album of the Year in 2009, and the following year he shared the coveted APRA Songwriters of the Year award with Kim Moyes. In 2012 they were awarded Best Live Act at the In The Mix Awards, and followed that with the release of their critically acclaimed third album Pacifica.

In 2013 The Presets collaborated with Chunky Move Dance Company on Keep Everything, choreographed by Antony Hamilton (who is also Julian’s brother). Then in 2014 they toured the country with the Australian Chamber Orchestra performing their collaboration Timeline.

Julian and Antony continued their artistic relationship when they created Ruth – a commission for Campbelltown Arts Centre in 2015.

Hamilton has collaborated with other musicians both as a songwriter, composer, producer and featured artist – including Silverchair, The Sleepy Jackson, Dillon Francis, Cut Copy, Kris Menace, Gin Wigmore, Daniel Johns, Bertie Blackman, Adrian Lux and, more recently, Flight Facilities, KLP and Flume.

He lives in Sydney, Australia.

Julian is the composer for Forever & Ever, Roslyn Packer Theatre 16 – 27 October 2018