ZERO X MACE

5pm Verbrugghen Hall

Zero EMCEE rapper

Mace Francis composer & conductor

with Sydney Conservatorium Jazz Orchestra #2

  • Felix Neville, Christian Butler, Emma Chau, Jasmine Zaitsev & Dylan Chope saxophones

    Will Shaw, Adam Sher, Liam McRae, Sarah Morrison, Sophia Hunt trumpets

    Teppei Usami, Alex Putra, Micah Edwards, Carla Mears trombones

    Jack Hawthorne guitar

    Matt Dobell-Brown piano

    Jae Ryder contrabass

    Tom Vogel drums

  • Genre Bending - jazz big band and hip hop collide.

    Loud & Phat - Phat grooves and bold brass.

    Storytelling - Songs of struggle, resilience, friends and family – a tale of a young aboriginal man finding his way in the world.

    Fun & Games - Playful and fun music with a serious undertone.

  • ZERO X MACE is a cross-genre collaboration that brings together incisive hip-hop lyricism and contemporary jazz composition, grounded in improvisation, social commentary, and deep musical trust. Zero Emcee is a Western Australian Noongar MC known for his sharp storytelling, rhythmic agility, and fearless exploration of identity, culture, and lived experience. Drawing from hip-hop’s roots as a vehicle for truth-telling, his work balances raw honesty with wit and technical precision, commanding both intimate rooms and large festival stages.

    Mace Francis is an award-winning jazz composer and big band leader whose work spans large-ensemble jazz and cross-disciplinary collaboration. Renowned for bold compositional voice and a commitment to pushing Australian jazz forward, Francis brings structural depth, cinematic scope, and a strong sense of groove to every project he leads.Together, Zero Emcee and Mace Francis create music that sits at the intersection of jazz and hip-hop without diluting either form. Their collaboration is built on mutual respect for improvisation, rhythm, and narrative —with beats, brass, and spoken word interacting as equal forces. Live performances are dynamic and unpredictable, moving fluidly between tightly composed material and open improvisation, allowing space for risk, response, and real-time dialogue.

    Their work speaks to contemporary Australia: culturally engaged, genre-defying, and unapologetically honest. Whether performing in clubs, concert halls, festivals, or community settings, ZERO X MACEoffer a powerful example of how jazz and hip-hop can intersect to create something urgent, intelligent, and uniquely their own

  • “The way they fused it together with the jazz and the hip hop … it was just too good.” — audience member quoted in ABC News covering the tour

    “Zero was awesome. And the young orchestra really killed it.” — audience feedback reported after a performance.

    “It gives me hope for the future of live music … fusing hip hop and R&B into these genres makes it more accessible to everyone.” — local music teacher reflecting on the collaboration.