APRA AMCOS Announce 2018 Art Music Awards Finalists
Celebrating achievements and excellence in Australian contemporary classical, jazz and experimental music, APRA AMCOS and the Australian Music Centre have announced the finalists in the 2018 Art Music Awards.
The winners in eleven national categories, as well as Australian state or territory awards, will be announced at a presentation on Tuesday 21 August at an event at Melbourne’s Plaza Ballroom, hosted by Jonathan Biggins and live music curation by Gabriella Smart.
The recipient of the awards for Distinguished Services to Australian Music has yet to be announced. The winner will join the ranks of previous winners who include John Pochée, Richard Gill, George Dreyfus, Helen Gifford and the late Peter Sculthorpe.
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)
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/ Peformer: 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
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
