The 2019 Art Music Awards winners have been unveiled, with some of Australia’s best composers, performers and educators across contemporary classical music, jazz and experimental music taking home awards.
Held at University of Sydney's Great Hall earlier tonight, the annual event included 11 national categories and eight state categories, with Aussie jazz legends The Necks taking out the newly-named and prestigious Richard Gill Award for Distinguished Services to Australian Music following the release of 2018's Body.
“It confirms what we’ve always suspected about our group being more than the sum of its parts,” The Necks’ Lloyd Swanton told The Music on their win.
“We are extremely flattered to be associated with Richard’s name. Richard Gill was a force of nature. He prosecuted a compelling case for the necessity of music education and the vital role of music in society with what seemed like endless vigour.”
Swanton also revealed The Necks will finish mixing their next album his week, before performing a double bill with the Art Ensemble of Chicago at the Supersense Festival in Melbourne and then heading over to Europe for a run of shows.
Tonight's ceremony included performances from composer Alice Chance, pianist Sonya Lufschitz, improvisational saxophonist Scott McConnachie, organist Amy Johnansen, Ensemble Offspring’s Jason Noble and Emma Jardine and more.
THE 2019 ART MUSIC AWARDS WINNERS
Richard Gill Award for Distinguished Services to Australian Music
The Necks
Vocal/Choral Work of the Year
Title: The Howling Girls
Composer: Damien Ricketson; with Adena Jacobs (director)
Performer: Sydney Chamber Opera: Jane Sheldon (soprano); artists from The House That Dan Built (ensemble)
Jazz Work of the Year
Title: Trombone Song Cycle
Composer: Joshua Kyle and Andrew Murray
Performer: Joshua Kyle (voice), James Greening, James Macauley, Jordan Murray & Adrian Sherriff (trombones) with Andrew Murray (conductor)
Instrumental Work of the Year
Title: Ignis
Composer: Mary Finsterer
Performer: James Wannan (viola d’amore) and Christopher Pidcock (cello)
Orchestral Work of the Year
Title: Implacable Gifts (Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra)
Composer: Carl Vine
Performer: Kathryn Stott (piano), Piers Lane (piano), West Australian Symphony Orchestra with Rory Macdonald (conductor)
Publisher: Hal Leonard/Faber
Performance of the Year
Performer: Speak Percussion with Jessica Aszodi
Title: Atlas Of The Sky
Composer: Liza Lim; texts by Bei Dao and Eliot Weinberger
Publisher: Universal Music Publishing MGB obo Ricordi Berlin
Award for Excellence by an Organisation
Zephyr Quartet for their 2018 activities and 20 years of sustained contribution to the local, national and international arts scene
Award for Excellence by an Individual
Lyn Williams for significant contribution to the creation and performance of choral music in Australia
Award for Excellence in Music Education
West Australian Symphony Orchestra for Crescendo, El Sistema-inspired free music education program
Award for Excellence in a Regional Area
Steel City Strings for activities in 2018 and commitment to new Australian music
Award for Excellence in Experimental Music
Bendigo International Festival of Exploratory Music for their ongoing contribution
Award for Excellence in Jazz
Ross McHenry for recording, international touring, residencies and commissions
STATE AND TERRITORY AWARDS
ACT Award for Excellence by an Organisation
Canberra International Music Festival for sustained creative excellence, exceptional growth and cultivation of Australian music
NSW Award for Excellence in Jazz
Ellen Kirkwood for [A]part and other projects and activities in 2018
NT Award for Excellence in a Regional Area
Warren H. Williams, Michael Sollis & Barkly Arts for One Sky Many Stories, inspiring audiences as they explore their relationship to the night sky, Indigenous culture and the world around us
Qld Award for Excellence in Experimental Music
Leah Barclay for Listening Underwater, a large-scale experimental music and acoustic ecology project
SA Award for Excellence by an Individual
Gabriella Smart for activity in 2018
Tas Award for Excellence by an Individual
Brian Ritchie for sustained contribution to the Australian music sector as a performer, curator and mentor
Vic Award for Excellence by an Individual
Cat Hope for leadership in the composition, performance and education of new music in Australia
WA Jazz Work of the Year
Daniel Susnjar for Onward And Upward
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