Nat Bartsch is a critically-acclaimed pianist, composer, producer and neurodiversity advocate from Melbourne, Australia. Her meditative, lyrical music defies the conventions of genre and is enjoyed by people from all walks of life - often in profoundly personal moments, such as childbirth and death.
Nat has released nine albums of original music including for ABC Classic and Jazz, and recently established her own record label, Amica Records for genre-bending, kind music. She is most well-known for her lullaby album Forever, and No Time At All, designed for adults to enjoy as well as children; and recently released her critically-acclaimed follow up album, Forever Changed, which celebrates the discovery of her autistic/ADHD identity and explores neurodivergent sensory needs in music.
Nat is well known for moving effortlessly between genres, blending their characteristics, and re-interpreting and re-arranging her compositions. This approach was first shown in her jazz ARIA-nominated lullaby reinterpretation album, Forever More. But her genre transformations are most evident in her 2021 classical ARIA-nominated album Hope – a suite of pieces responding to the Black Summer bushfires and covid lockdowns of 2020. First released as neoclassical album for piano, string quartet and electronics, Hope was re-recorded as Hope Renewed in 2022 as a jazz/post-rock epic. Nat arranged and recorded the momentous title track, Hope, for symphony orchestra in 2023, and has performed the music in multiple iterations including a simplified version for community/emerging string players.
Nat 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, and many other prizes and scholarships. She holds an Honours degree in jazz improvisation from the VCA and a Masters degree in classical composition from Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. In 2023 she received the APRA-AMCOS Art Music Award for Jazz Work of the Year for her work Busy/Quiet. In 2024 she was Artist-in-Residence at Melbourne Recital Centre.
Nat has composed commissions for many leading classical ensembles including Grigoryan Brothers, Alicia Crossley, Plexus Collective, Inventi Ensemble, Matt Withers & Sally Whitwell and Muses Trio. As a performer, she has collaborated with artists including Vince Pope, Luke Howard, Teeny Tiny Stevies, Back to Back Theatre, Whitaker and Playschool. She has performed across Australia and abroad for more than 15 years.
Nat is proudly neurodivergent, and advocates for fellow autistic/ADHD musicians and audiences. She regularly mentors emerging artists in both jazz and classical music scenes. She is published by Origin Music, an AMC Associate Composer, a Yamaha artist, and represented by Cabin Artists (EU/UK/Asia) and Tom Ohsawa (Japan). She is embarking on a PhD at Melbourne Conservatorium of Music in 2025.
