Finalists announced for Art Music Awards, covering jazz, classical and experimental music
Sandy Evans, Andrea Keller, Barney McAll, Carl Vine, Move Records, The Australian Art Orchestra and Gondwana Choirs are among the finalists for this year’s Art Music Awards.
It is organised by APRA AMCOS and the Australian Music Centre and covers jazz, classical and experimental music.
Winners of eleven national categories and state/territory categories will be unveiled on Tuesday, August 21 at Melbourne’s Plaza Ballroom.
The APRA board of directors will announce the recipient of the Distinguished Services to Australian Music in coming weeks.
Previous recipients include John Pochée, Richard Gill, George Dreyfus, Helen Gifford and the late composer Peter Sculthorpe.
CEO of the Australian Music Centre, John Davis, said, “It’s particularly good to see first-time finalists and the emerging generation of artists featured prominently across this year’s award categories, alongside more established names.
“This is a testament to the vibrancy of our art music scene, reflecting a rich landscape of creative practice across the sector.”
The awards are hosted by Jonathan Biggins and with live music curation by Gabriella Smart.
Jazz Work of the Year
Title: American Counterpoint
Composer: Matthew Sheens
Performer: Zephyr String Quartet, Matthew Sheens, Lyndon Gray, Myele Manzanza
Title: [A]part
Composer: Ellen Kirkwood
Performer: Sirens Big Band, Andrea Keller (piano), Sandy Evans (saxophones), Gian Slater (voice)
Title: Opioid
Composer: Johannes Luebbers
Performer: Johannes Luebbers Dectet
Title: rockpoolmirror
Composer: Sandy Evans
Performer: Sandy Evans (saxophone), Steve Elphick (double bass), Alon Ilsar (drums), Satsuki Odamura (koto), Adrian Sherriff (trombone), Bobby Singh (tabla)
Instrumental Work of the Year
Title: Aspects of Return
Composer: Jakub Jankowski
Performer: Nicolas Altstaedt & Aleksandar Madžar
Title: Cantor (after Willa Cather)
Composer: Lisa Illean
Performer: Ensemble Offspring
Title: Up in the Clouds
Composer: Corrina Bonshek
Performer: All of the Above
Title: When We Speak
Composer: Lisa Cheney
Performer: Gemma Tomlinson
Vocal / Choral Work of the Year
Title: Biographica
Composer: Mary Finsterer; libretto by Tom Wright
Performer: Sydney Chamber Opera, Ensemble Offspring, Jack Symonds (conductor)
Title: Comeclose and Sleepnow: six Liverpool love songs
Composer: Andrew Ford; poems by Adrian Henri, Brian McGough, Brian Patten
Performer: The Monash Art Ensemble, with Gian Slater, Paul Grabowsky (conductor)
Title: Fiat Lux: The Light Cycle
Composer: Alice Chance
Performer: Leichhardt Espresso Chorus, The Song Company, Alice Chance, Benjamin Burton (and audience); Michelle Leonard (conductor)
Title: On Earth as in Heaven
Composer: Anne Cawrse: text by Michael Leunig
Performer: Adelaide Chamber Singers, Christie Anderson (conductor)
Orchestral Work of the Year
Title: Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra
Composer: Paul Stanhope
Performer: Joshua Davis (trombone), West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Asher Fisch (conductor)
Title: Entropia for Symphony Orchestra, no. 441 (2016-2017)
Composer: Andrián Pertout
Performer: Tatarstan National Symphony Orchestra, Guerassim Voronkov (conductor)
Title: Spirals for Clarinet and Bassoon
Composer: Maria Grenfell
Performer: Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, James Feddeck (conductor), Andrew Seymour (clarinet), Tahnee van Herk (bassoon)
Title: Spiritus
Composer: Lachlan Skipworth
Performer: West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Daniel Blendulf (conductor)
Performance of the Year
Performer: Australian String Quartet and Pieter Wispelwey
Title: String Quintet No. 2
Composer: Gordon Kerry
Performer: Eighth Blackbird
Title: Lobster Tales and Turtle Soup
Composer: Holly Harrison
Performer: Matthew Horsley
Title: A Book of Migrations
Composer: Liam Flenady
Performer: West Australian Symphony Orchestra and soloists; Simone Young (conductor)
Title: Maali, op. 101 – Concerto for oboe, clarinet, bassoon and horn with orchestra
Composer: Andrew Schultz
Award for Excellence by an Organisation
Australian Art Orchestra for collaboration, touring, mentorship and innovative programming
Gondwana Choirs for Songs of My Country collaboration with the Vienna Boys Choir
Move Records for 50 years of recording and release of new music
Tura New Music for 30 years of presenting, producing, commissioning, exhibiting, publishing, advocating and supporting Australian art music
Award for Excellence by an Individual
Carl Vine AO for 2017 activities
Connor D’Netto for outstanding artistic direction of ARGO throughout 2017
Keyna Wilkins for activities in original art music throughout 2017 as a composer-musician including the release of three original albums
Award for Excellence in Music Education
Australian Art Orchestra for Creative Music Intensive
Melbourne Conservatorium of Music Wind Symphony for MCM Wind Symphony Performances
MLC School, Sydney for MLC School Sydney Opera House Concert 2017
Young Music Society Inc. (ACT) for 50 years of community youth music activity
Award for Excellence in a Regional Area
Big HART for Acoustic Life of Sheds
Moorambilla Voices for their 2017 season
The Orpheus Club String Quartet for their 2017 ‘Festival in a String Quartet’ Central QLD tour
Tyalgum Music Festival for the 2017 Tyalgum Music Festival
Award for Excellence in Experimental Music
Chamber Made for Between 8 and 9 (Chengdu Teahouse Project)
Eugene Ughetti for Assembly Operation
Splinter Orchestra for new work, performances, exhibitions, concerts
Vanessa Tomlinson, Leah Barclay, John Ferguson for 100 Ways to Listen
Award for Excellence in Jazz
Alister Spence Trio for Not Everything But Enough
Barney McAll for Hearing the Blood
Jeremy Rose for the recording, performance, composition and promotion of contemporary jazz through Earshift Music
Sandy Evans for rockpoolmirror