News October 4, 2019

AWMAs partners with non-profit SSI to see six acts attend the conference and Awards

The Australian Women In Music Awards have again partnered with Settlement Services International (SSI), the NSW not-for-profit organisation which helps out in the sectors of humanitarian settlement, housing, asylum seeker assistance, multicultural foster care, disability support and employment services.

For the second year running, SSI and AWMA have joined forces to support female acts from diverse backgrounds to attend the 2019 AMWA program next week in Brisbane.

This year, six female artists will join the two-day program, which includes a series of forums like Visibility in Hip-Hop: The Art of Rebellion & Image Making, a keynote speech from Eddie Ayres, networking opportunities and the Awards ceremony, concert and party.

The six successful acts attending the AWMAs thanks to help from SSI are:

Angela Paez (aka ANGE)

An alternative R&B singer-songwriter from Barcelona, Spain, ANGE’s has received plays from Triple J, FBi Radio, 4ZZZ and MTV Australia.

Angela Rosero

A Colombian artist who in 2010, established a creative space called “La Sala” where she produced events with a strong focus on community development.

Behiye Suren

A singer and songwriter of Turkish/Arap Alevi background, Behiye Suren produced her first EP ‘Season of Plums’ in 2010. The album rotated on SBS and FBi Radio stations before she toured in Australia, Dubai, Beirut and Turkey.

Jessica Paraha

A multi-disciplinary artist with a career spanning across film, television and radio production, Jessica is the co-presenter and co-producer of FBi Radio’s weekend breakfast radio show The Weekend Overhang with Daisy Catterall. The show celebrates diverse music, with a focus on First Nations and LGBTQ artists.

Sylvia Zambrano

Sylvia has led the production of large-scale concerts including Latin star Marc Anthony. In 2017 she was a presenter at the Australian Music Week conference and was part of the production crew of the Bigsound Festival.

Vyvienne Abla

A producer, artist and tour manager, Abla founded Vyva Entertainment in 2007, and in 2015, the 4ESydney Festival.

The six acts follow Armenian-Lebanese jazz composer and artist Zela Margossian, who had the opportunity to attend AWMA with SSI in 2018. This year, Margossian will be taking centre stage and performing her composition piece on piano.

The 2019 Australian Women in Music Awards (AWMAs) will take place Oct. 9 at Brisbane’s Powerhouse.

See the full list of nominations below:

ARTISTIC EXCELLENCE AWARD
Christine Anu
Nai Palm
NGAIIRE

CREATIVE LEADERSHIP AWARD
Claire Edwardes
Elaine Chia
Katie Noonan

DIVERSITY IN MUSIC AWARD
Christine Anu
Lisa Cheney & Peggy Polias (Making Waves)
NGAIIRE

EMERGING ARTIST AWARD
Alice Skye
Ella Fence
Lisa Caruso

EXCELLENCE IN CLASSICAL MUSIC AWARD
Caroline Almonte
Claire Edwardes
Sarah-Grace Williams

EXCELLENCE IN IMAGE MAKING AWARD
Chloe Jean
Melaine Knight
Ntombi Moyo

FILMMAKER AWARD
Aimée-Lee Xu Hsien Curran
Tashi Hall

HUMANITARIAN AWARD
Alison Hams
Dami Im
Lindy Morrison, OAM

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Joy McKean, OAM
Marcia Hines, AM
Vika and Linda Bull

LIVE PRODUCTION AWARD
Jenny Moon
Kait Hall
Laurie May