Nexus Arts is pleased to announce the line up for the 2026 Interplay program. Interplay offers a unique forum for contemporary musicians from culturally diverse and First Nations backgrounds to develop their practice, networks, and community.
While the program has ongoing support from the Music Development Office, Nexus Arts is pleased to announce an additional seventh place within the Interplay program, as supported by City of Port Adelaide Enfield for a culturally diverse musician living in the council area.
The selected contemporary musicians take part in a unique year long program that encompasses career guidance, a tailored mentorship, a creative intensive, writing and recording a new song, filming and screening of a video clip and a performance series.
Applications for the 2026 Interplay program exceeded expectations with the biggest number of applications and the most musically diverse in genre, with musicians experimenting with contemporary and traditional music styles to share their cultures and stories. The Interplay 2026 cohort reflects the talented community of culturally diverse artists in South Australia.
Xueqian (Chien) Zhang is a bilingual singer-songwriter, poet, MC, and storyteller. She recently performed at the Lucky Dumpling Market as part of OzAsia 2025 and will debut her new show at Adelaide Fringe 2026.
Recently nominated for an SA Music Award in the People’s Choice category, Donni Heat is a genre-blurring solo artist mixing emo intensity with the punch of modern alt-rock.
Elizabeth Ruyi is a singer & songwriter, her sound drifts between soul and indie, coloured by vibrant dream-pop tones. Elizabeth writes form the heart with lyrics that explore culture, love, belonging and mindfulness.
Co-founder of Silk Strings Ensemble, Felix Wang is an accomplished huqin (Chinese fiddle) musician. His artistic practice explores the dialogue between voice and string.
Meena De Silva is a Sri-Lankan Australian pop/R&B artist; she released her debut album Call On Me in 2021 and in 2024 performed at WOMADelaide as part of the Northern Sound System Academy program.Zimbabwean Australian artist Praise Mangena has a current focus on the alchemy of music, movement and spoken word poetry in live performance. She is the creative director of music label Adverse Reign.
From busking in Willunga at 10-years of age, Maori hip hop artist Taiaha has released multiple albums and toured internationally and performed at WOMADelaide.
Nexus Arts will be welcoming the new cohort with their first Interplay Connect session in early February. We look forward to working with these talented emerging musicians, seeing their development and growth across the year.
