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