Dr Karl Neuenfeldt
The NFSA presented the inaugural Cochrane Smith Award for Sound Heritage to Dr Karl Neuenfeldt. Karl has made an enormous contribution to the sound heritage of the Torres Strait through his efforts in recording, producing and promoting musicians from the area. In doing this he has had to balance often-conflicting demands of an academic career with the field work and studio time required to get the Torres Strait Islander’s songs and stories onto CD. His success has ensured the preservation of this wonderful creative legacy and gained valuable exposure and recognition for talented musicians of the Torres Strait.
Karl has been a great supporter of the National Film & Sound Archive. He has collected and donated recordings from the Islands and rare recordings from around the world, which reveal an avid global interest in the didgeridoo. An academic with a string of papers and articles to his name, Karl is also an active musician himself. He is a mentor to young musicians and has played in Seaman Dan’s band, as well as producing his own ARIA-award winning albums.
