STEPHEN O'Connell was on his way to work two years ago when a motorbike crash almost claimed his life.
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He was near Goulburn on February 8, 2017, when he hit a wallaby.
"I was pretty badly messed up and pretty lucky to still be here," he said.
The saxophonist had myriad wrist injuries that threatened his playing career.
"I was told I'd never play again," the Murray Conservatorium chief executive OAM said.
"My first reaction was that: 'I will' and 'I don't accept it'."
During the past two years Mr O'Connell got stuck into physiotherapy and occupational therapy to regain his musicianship.
His first gig in the following May "hurt like hell to play" and within 12 months he was still in pain.
"I did at least three times as much physiotherapy a day as was recommended and that's been the difference," Mr O'Connell said.
Mr O'Connell's experience has inspired Murray Conservatorium's new work Tonal Place - A Collision of Colour and Sound.
Music and projection intertwine in Tonal Place, which will be performed for the first time at Jindera and Mount Beauty early next month before coming to The Cube Wodonga later.
Mr O'Connell composed the music, which he will perform together with Jenny O'Hara (flute) and Adrian Smith (drums). Ms O'Hara made the visual backdrops while Chris Pidd is the curator.
Mr Pidd said his job was to ensure the performance was true to Mr O'Connell's experience to help it resonate with audiences.
"There are three incredible musicians to help him tell his story," he said.
"What comes out is authentic and real.
"What you want to do is for the audience to have a picture of their own.
"You hope it will make them think about perseverance; here's an event that happened to Stephen but everyone has their own version of this story."
Tonal Place will run at Jindera Pioneer Museum on March 2 from 8pm and Mount Beauty Auditorium on March 9 from 5pm. Audience feedback will be welcome afterwards.
It will play at The Cube Wodonga, under Joyful Encounters, on November 23 at 7.30pm.
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