About | Pavan Kumar Hari

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Biography

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Full Biography ~415 words

Pavan Kumar Hari is a versatile and dynamic artist whose work spans composition, performance, dance, acting, and directing. He is widely recognised for his vibrant and expressive musical language—dramatic, energetic, and deeply emotive—crafted for theatre, film, dance, and the concert hall.

Pavan Kumar’s artistic journey began at the age of three at Saraswati Mahavidhyalaya (SMV), where he was immersed in the rich traditions of Indian classical and folk music and dance. He trained in Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Odissi, and a range of folk styles, including Bollywood, culminating in his Bharatanatyam arangetram (graduation) in 2023. In 2019, he completed a Bachelor of Music (Honours) in Composition and Percussion at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), specialising in percussion and piano. He also completed a Graduate Certificate in Film Scoring at the Berklee College of Music in 2024.

During his time at WAAPA, Pavan Kumar received multiple awards recognising his excellence in classical performance and composition. These include The Richard Gill Award for Best Classical Musician (2020), The Norman Archibald Percussion Scholarship (2018), and The Luigi Paolini Award for Best Classical Percussion in three consecutive years (2018, 2019, 2020).

He has performed with leading orchestras across Western Australia, including the Perth Symphony Orchestra (PSO), where he conducted and directed the Spirit Ensemble for the WA of the Year Awards in 2018 and 2021. Pavan Kumar has also performed with the Western Australian Charity Orchestra (WACO), the Western Australian Youth Orchestra (WAYO), and was a member of WAAPA’s award-winning Defying Gravity Percussion Ensemble. These experiences deepened his collaborative artistry and further expanded his versatility across orchestral and contemporary performance contexts.

Since graduating, Pavan Kumar has been an active force across the performing arts landscape—working in music, dance, theatre, and musical theatre. Drawing from a life lived between cultures and art forms, his unique style fuses traditions and genres to create work that is both grounded and boundary-pushing. His practice celebrates cultural exchange and invites audiences to experience the richness of the spaces in between.

He has worked with major Western Australian theatre and dance companies, including Black Swan Theatre Company (Fully Sikh, The Tempest), Barking Gecko Theatre Company (Fully Sikh), Spare Parts Puppet Theatre Company (Reach For The Sky), The Last Great Hunt (Bite The Hand), and STRUT Dance Company, along with leading independent artists such as Humphrey Bower (An Imaginary Life), Natalie Allen (In Crimson, The Abyss, In The Closet), and Brooke Leeder (The Resistance).

His accolades include the 2020 Performing Arts WA Award for Best Composition or Arranging for Fully Sikh (Black Swan & Barking Gecko Theatre Companies), and the 2024 Green Room Award for Best Artist Ensemble for Once The Musical (Black Swan and Darlinghurst Theatre Companies). In 2025, he was nominated for both Best Composition or Arranging and Best Supporting Role for An Imaginary Life.

Alongside his performance and composition practice, Pavan Kumar has engaged in a number of artist labs and creative development programs, including the Perth Festival Artist Hub (2020), Performing Lines WA Artist Hub (2020), and the Performing Lines WA Kolyang Creative Hub (2021). He is also dedicated to arts education, teaching percussion at Aquinas College since 2019 and dance at Saraswati Mahavidhyalaya since 2024, with earlier teaching roles at Woodthorpe School (2018) and Santa Maria College (2017).

Pavan Kumar Hari’s dedication, innovation, and passion for performance continue to shape and elevate the artistic landscape, captivating audiences with every project he undertakes.

Short Biography ~150 words

Pavan Kumar Hari is a dynamic multidisciplinary artist whose work spans composition, performance, dance, acting, and directing. Recognised for his vibrant and emotive musical language, he creates dramatic and expressive work for theatre, film, dance, and the concert hall.

Beginning his training at age three at Saraswati Mahavidhyalaya (SMV), Pavan Kumar developed a strong foundation in Indian classical and folk traditions across both music and dance. He later completed a Bachelor of Music (Honours) in Composition and Percussion at WAAPA and a Graduate Certificate in Film Scoring at Berklee College of Music.

Pavan Kumar’s accolades include the Performing Arts WA Award for Best Composition or Arranging for Fully Sikh (2020), a Green Room Award for Once The Musical (2024), and a 2025 nomination for Best Supporting Role and Best Composition for An Imaginary Life.

A passionate educator and collaborator, he continues to fuse cultures and art forms to create boundary-pushing, emotionally rich work.

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Curriculum Vitae

University (Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts) Awards

2020 Richard Gill Award for Best Classical Musician
2020 Luigi Pauline Award for Best Classical Percussion
2019 Luigi Pauline Award for Best Classical Percussion
2018 Luigi Pauline Award for Best Classical Percussion

2019

Fully Sikh (Theatre): Composer/Musician/Actor/Dancer
Appeared in minor roles as well as composed and performed live percussion/dilruba/piano/synthesiser/electronic music/indian semi-classical music for a season of Barking Gecko Theatre Company and Black Swan Theatre Company’s production of ‘Fully Sikh’. Premiered at Perth’s Studio Underground from October to November 2019

2018

The Crucible (Theatre): Composer
Neoclassical/electronic music created for a season of WAAPA’s production of ‘The Crucible’, directed by Matthew Edgerton, and performed in March 2018
In The Heights (Musical Theatre): Musician
Appeared as a percussionist in WAAPA’s production of the musical ‘In The Heights’ in March 2018
Western Australia Day (Music): Musician
Performed as tabla soloist with the Perth Symphony Orchestra in a performance at WA Day in June 2018
Ajax in Afghanistan (Theatre): Composer/Musician
Military percussion created for WAAPA’s production of ‘Ajax in Afghanistan’, directed by Melbourne-based director Bagryana Pompov in June 2018
The Fairbridge Festival (Music): Musician
Performed as a percussionist for Jewish Eclectic Folk Ensemble, Kol Nafshi at The Fairbridge Festival in June 2018

2017

Dark Lotus (Music): Composer/Director/Musician
Commissioned by Defying Gravity Percussion Ensemble, and premiered on ABC Radio National’s ‘The Music Show’ in September 2017
The Resistance (Contemporary Dance): Composer/Musician
Percussion/electronic music created for a season of WAAPA’s production of ‘Verge’
Commissioned by Perth-based dancer Brooke Leeder, and performed at WAAPA in November 2017. It had also received an international commission and was performed in the Kuan-Du Arts Festival in Taiwan in October 2018
Love and Information (Theatre): Composer/Musician
Percussion/Synth/Electronic music created for WAAPA’s production of ‘Love and Information’, directed by Andrew Lewis in August 2017
The Midnight March (Dance): Dancer/Musician/Composer
Appeared as Indian Classical/Contemporary dancer and created Indian classical music for Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA) exhibition of ‘I don’t want to be there when it happens’, directed by Jay Emmanuel in November 2017
I Am Ravana (Theatre): Actor/Dancer
Appeared in the role of Lakshmana in Saraswati Mahavidyalaya’s production of ‘I am Ravana’, which was performed at The Heath Ledger in July 2017
One Man’s Church (Documentary): Composer
Islamic music created for documentary ‘One Man’s Church’ for the WA Screen Academy which premiered at Luna Cinemas in October 2017
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Musical Theatre): Musician
Appeared as a keyboardist and percussionist in the Midnight Youth Theatre Company’s production of ‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee’ in April 2017
Finally At Peace (Music): Composer/Musician
Commissioned by Defying Gravity Percussion Ensemble and premiered at the Fremantle Arts Centre in March 2017

2016

Spanda (Contemporary/Indian Dance): Composer/Musician
Electronic/Indian classical/Spanish music created for contemporary dance piece ‘Spanda’ at the Swan Festival of Lights.
Commissioned by Saraswati Mahavidhyalaya, and performed at Elizabeth Quay in October 2016

Instruments Played

Piano (Western Classical/Jazz/Indian)
Synth/Keyboard
Percussion (Tuned and Untuned, including Orchestral, World Percussion (Japanese, African, Latin, Indian, Egyptian), Hand Drumming, Marimba & Vibraphone (mallets))
Dilruba
Harmonium
Veena
Indian Classical Vocal
Electronic Live Music
Looping Pedal

Vocal Range

D2-G4

Baritone, Bass, Low Tenor

Labs

Perth Festival Artist Hub February 2020
Performing Lines WA Artist Hub July 2020
Performing Lines WA Kolyang Creative Hub July 2021

Vocal Range

D2-G4

Baritone, Bass, Low Tenor

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Western Australian Awards

Performing Arts WA Award for Best Composition Or Arranging 2020 for his work in ‘Fully Sikh’, put up by Black Swan State Theatre Company and Barking Gecko Theatre Company
Performing Arts WA Award nominations for Best Composition Or Arranging and Best Supporting Role 2025 for his work in 'An Imaginary Life' put up by Humphry Bower and Libby Klytz

Past Performances & Commissions

2025

Reach For The Sky (Theatre): Composer/Musician
Appeared on stage with a multitude of instruments and live-scored the show. A work put up by Spare Parts Puppet Theatre Company in November 2025 in Fremantle Town Hall, Perth.
Child (Theatre): Composer/Musician/Actor
Created a theatre/music/dance work, appeared on stage with a multitude of instruments and live-scored the show. A work put up by Ascension Arts in June 2025 in Saraswati Mahavidhyalaya, Perth.
Sanctuary Within (Music/Ceremonial/Dance): Musician/Dancer
Performed congas and instruments from Reunion Island and danced as part of a Service Kabare (Maloya). A ceremony put up by Damdame as part of Fremantle Biennale in November 2025 on Bathers Beach, Perth.

2024

An Imaginary Life (Theatre): Composer/Musician
Appeared on stage with a multitude of instruments and live-scored the show. An independent work put up by Humphrey Bower and Libby Klytz in July 2024 in The Moore’s Art Space, Perth.
A Resting Mess (Contemporary Dance): Dancer/Musician
Contemporary Dance and Electronic music/African Drumming music performed for a season of Daisy Sanders' season of dance work, ’A Resting Mess’ performed at Old Customs House, Fremantle, Perth, in August 2024 as part of the festival, ’10 Nights In Port’.

2023

Evernow (Music): Musician/Composer
Created and performed live looping music with tabla, synth and handpan as part of French arts collective Compagnie Carabosse's ‘Fire Gardens’ which was put up by Perth Festival in October 2023 in Perth’s Government House Gardens.

2022

Once The Musical (Musical Theatre): Actor/Musician/Dancer
Appeared in the role of Svec in the Tony and Grammy award-winning musical, ‘Once’. The role includes performing cajon, drum kit, piano, guitar, castanets/shakers, and singing. It was put up by both Black Swan State Theatre Company and Darlinghurst Theatre Company, from June - August 2022, in Perth’s Regal Theatre, and Sydney’s Eternity Playhouse
In Crimson (Contemporary Dance): Composer
Electronic music/operatic/orchestral/flamenco/middle-eastern music/piano ambient music created for a season of Natalie Allen and HotHouse Company’s season of immersive dance work, ’In Crimson’ performed at All Saints College, Perth in July 2022.

2021

The Tempest (Theatre): Actor/Composer/Musician/Dancer
Appeared in the role of Ariel, as well as composed and performed live eclectic/percussion/synthesiser/orchestral/middle-eastern music in Black Swan State Theatre Company’s production of ‘The Tempest’ at The Octagon Theatre in November 2021
Children of the Sea (Theatre): Actor/Composer/Musician
Appeared as part of the ensemble, as well as composed and performed live percussion/synthesiser/dilruba/Middle Eastern folk music for a season of Performing Lines WA’s production of ‘Children of the Sea’. Commissioned by Perth Festival, premiered at Subiaco Arts Centre in February 2021
Western Australian of the Year Awards (Music): Director/Conductor/Arranger
Directed ‘The Spirit Ensemble’ (Perth World Music Ensemble under Perth Symphony Orchestra), whose debut performance was for the WA of the Year Awards 2021
Bite The Hand (Theatre): Composer
Electronic/soundscape music created for a season of The Last Great Hunt Theatre Company’s production of ‘Bite The Hand’ at Subiaco Arts Centre in October 2021

2020

Stained In Crimson (Contemporary Dance): Composer
Electronic music/flamenco/middle-eastern music/piano ambient music created for a season of WAAPA’s Link Dance Company’s production of ‘Arrival’.
Commissioned by Perth-based dancer Natalie Allen and performed at WAAPA in November 2020.

Education Qualifications

Bachelor of Music (Honours), majoring in Percussion and Music Composition & Technology at Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) 2016 - 2020
Graduate Certificate in Film Scoring & TV from Berklee College of Music 2024
Piano – 15 years, Classical and Jazz, Completed AMEB Grade 1-6
Classical Percussion - Studying Classical Percussion under Tim White (4 years)
Tabla - Studied for 13 years from Saraswati Mahavidhyalaya
Composition - Studied under Jazz & Classical Composer - Marty Pervan - 5 years
Composition - Studied under Lindsay Vickery, Stuart James, Lachlan Skipworth

Dance Styles Studied

Bharatanatyam
Odissi
Kathak
Indian Folk
Contemporary
Ballet

Teaching Experience

• Aquinas College 2019 - Present (Percussion Tutor)

• Woodthorpe School, 2018, (Percussion Tutor)

• Santa Maria College 2017 (Harmony and Theory Tutor)

• Saraswati Mahavidyalaya 2016 (Piano Tutor)