At fifteen, Michael Atherton landed in Sydney carrying one thing only: a cheap guitar he didn't know how to play. By the 1990s he was Foundation Professor of Music at the University of Western Sydney, drawing on his self-taught, working-class background to become the driving force behind an innovative, community-minded approach to music education. In 2018, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in recognition of his service to the performing arts.

Michael is a multi-instrumentalist who explores innovative combinations of instruments both ancient and new. He has played in rock bands, early music and folk groups, cross-cultural groups Sirocco and Southern Crossings and the electroacoustic Sync, and composed extensively for TV, film, and performance.

His story is one of prodigious energy, of adaptability, and of always being open to new understanding and new opportunities. He has striven especially to challenge snobbery in music and to celebrate diversity, collaboration and community.