Matt Hsu's Obscure Orchestra

Welcome to the Obscure Orchestra, a curious world of intricately crafted experimental music, made with odd instruments and rethought everyday objects — the brainchild of nature-obsessed sound tinkerer Matt Hsu.

Matt Hsu’s Obscure Orchestra has grown from being Matt’s solo artist moniker and exhaust valve for offbeat multi-instrumental tinkerings, to becoming one of Queensland’s most respected music projects. Challenging the pomp and formality of classical orchestras, Matt Hsu’s Obscure Orchestra is a 20-piece DIY anti-racist ensemble underpinned by community-minded inclusivity, visibility and gender diversity. The orchestra comprises of 20 culturally diverse, First Nations, disabled, non-binary and trans artists, along with a dazzling constellation of guest artists.

Matt is a 2020 & 2022 Queensland Music Awards winning composer and multi-instrumentalist who draws on his Taiwanese-Australian roots to create otherworldly compositions that celebrate difference, inclusivity and the fuzzy spaces in-between cultures. Enamoured with natural sounds, Matt blends world and orchestral instruments with field recordings and everyday objects used to produce unique sounds (such as bicycle spokes, saws and kitchen utensils). As an advocate for the fair treatment of marginalised peoples, he often uses music projects to underscore First Nations, gender diverse, refugee and immigrant issues through artistic collaborations.

Learn more at obscureochestra.com