the amica team

Nat is gazing into the camera. She wears a white shirt and clear glasses. Her brown hair is long and layered. She is standing in a sunlit field.

nat bartsch
artist/founder/mentor

Nat Bartsch is a critically-acclaimed, multi-award-winning pianist and composer. Her meditative, lyrical music is enjoyed by people from all walks of life.

She has released eight albums of original music as a solo artist, as well as bandleader for Nat Bartsch Trio (active from 2008-2014). She is most well-known for her lullaby album Forever, and No Time At All, designed for parents to enjoy with their children; and Hope, her response to the Black Summer bushfires and long pandemic lockdowns in 2020. Acclaimed jazz re-interpretations of both of these albums, Forever More and Hope Renewed, cemented Nat’s reputation for moving effortlessly between genres.  

Nat has composed commissions for many leading classical artists including Grigoryan Brothers, Plexus Collective, Inventi Ensemble, Matt Withers, Sally Whitwell and Muses Trio.

She is one of a small handful of artists to be nominated in both jazz and classical ARIA categories, as well as receiving AIR, Music Victoria and Bell Award nominations. Nat received the 2021 Merlyn Myer Commission and 2010 Melbourne Prize for Music development award. She has an Honours degree in jazz & improvisation from the Victorian College of the Arts, and a Masters degree in classical composition from the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music.

Nat has toured Australia, Japan and Europe and performed at several festivals. She enjoys regular collaboration with fellow pianist Luke Howard, and has worked with artists including Matt Corby, Ryan Meeking, thndo, Ella Thompson and Sweet Jean. She is a Yamaha piano artist, and represented by the Australian Music Centre (associate composer), Cabin Artists (EU/UK/Asia) and Tom Ohsawa (Japan).

Nat is proudly neurodivergent, which explains her laser-like creative focus, excitable temperament and empathic music. Photo: Suzie Blake

On the left, Nic is playing a synth. He is wearing a navy baseball cap, navy shirt and glasses. He has a beard. On the right Évo is standing in a shady forest. He wears a light blue shirt and glasses. He also has a beard.

nic hyatt & évolène lüthi
moderna records

Moderna Records is a Canadian label born in 2015. Moderna traces a line from electronic sound designers to classical composers, connecting them through the realms of ambient and cinematic music. They are a growing global family that promotes and supports talented artists with unique voices and compositional styles. Moderna Records is a team of two, Évolène Lüthi (he/him) and Nicolas Hyatt (they/him) working in tandem on every aspect of the label.

Évo is based in Tiohti:áke/Montréal. He fell in love with the piano during a sound engineering and music production class in 2005, and began his own solo piano project shortly thereafter.. He founded Moderna Records in 2015, looking to offer a platform and create a community for composers of modern classical music with an innovative approach to sound design. He has an in depth knowledge of the instrumental music world ranging from post-rock to ambient to neoclassical and also has a passion for visual art influenced by geometry, minimalism and nature.

Nic lives on territory colloquially known as Whitehorse (Yukon). They studied experimental music composition as a young adult and began their career as a composer of chamber music, since transitioning to the world of pop music. Nic has cowritten a number of records with their projects Future States & Loon Town (wonky-pop), Parler bien (‘speech music’) and CLout gAMe (electro-hiphop), and played across North America and Europe. Nic has also worked as an educator, arts administrator, festival organiser and graphic designer. They joined Moderna Records in the spring of 2016.

Amica is Moderna Records’ first imprint, in the label’s spirit of fostering global collaboration and creative innovation They are also the nicest guys in the music industry, so kind music is pretty on-brand for them. Amica and Moderna are distributed by IDOL (one of the music industry’s truly independent distributors) and supported by their label management team.

hadyn buxton
audio production/mentorship

Hadyn Buxton is a producer, sound engineer, and educator based in Melbourne. He is one of Australia’s premier recording and mix engineers, creating over 100 albums across 25 years in the industry. He is highly sought after in classical, jazz and alt genres and passionate about recording unique artists that sit outside the mainstream.

He has worked regularly with Uncle Archie Roach, Luke Howard, Ecca Vandal, Grigoryan Brothers, Trial Kennedy, Steve Magnusson, Sam Anning, Spirograph Studies and Nat Bartsch. Several of his albums have gone onto win ARIA and APRA awards, including Luke Howard’s The Sand That Ate The Sea, and Archie Roach’s acclaimed final recordings The Songs of Charcoal Lane and One Song.

Beginning his career in Melbourne’s major recording studio Metropolis, Hadyn cut his teeth working with music royalty such as Kylie Minogue, John Farnham, Kate Ceberano and Little River Band. Since establishing a freelance career in 2006, he has expanded to work in live sound, tour management and stage management. Hadyn is also a passionate and talented educator, lecturing in creative music technology at Monash University. He is highly skilled in new immersive audio formats such as atmos mixing and mastering. Photo: Tamara Murphy

mia barham
label assistant

With her lyrical melodies, sensitive compositions and thoughtful improvisations, Mia Barham is an exciting saxophonist and flautist from Melbourne, Australia. Mia has performed with renowned jazz artists from around the globe including Nduduzo Makhatani, Ingrid Jenson and Andrea Keller. She has two releases to her name, both of which have been featured on ABC Jazz, PBS and have been performed at prestigious Melbourne venues The Jazzlab and Tempo Rubato.

Barham has developed a diverse body of original work. At just twenty-three, she has released three projects: Earth Songs, Inwards, and Where The Mountains Echo My Footsteps. Her albums Inwards and Earth Songs have been featured on ABC Jazz and performed at some of Melbourne’s most esteemed venues, including The Jazzlab and Tempo Rubato. She has also appeared at the Melbourne Women’s International Jazz Festival and the Melbourne International Jazz Festival, solidifying her presence in the national jazz scene.

Alongside her artistic pursuits, Mia works in music administration and social media marketing, having worked for the Sydney Improvised Music Association, Earshift Music, The Melbourne Women’s International Jazz Festival, Sandy Evans and Rudi Music. She is also currently completing a post graduate degree in Psychology, with the hopes of becoming a clinical psychologist.