Australian Music Centre | Breaking sound barriers

Vale Robert Hughes (1912-2007) by Australian Music Centre

Distinguished Australian composer Robert Hughes passed away in Adelaide last week During his career Robert Hughes was a passionate advocate for the rights of the composer...

Composer Notes by Australian Music Centre

Richard Mills and Timerblake Wertenbaker’sThe Love of a Nightingale was short-listed for Best New Australian Work, Best Original Score and Best Music Direction and Best opera in the 2007 Helpmann Awards (www.helpmannawards.com.au), which were held 6 August in Sydney...

Performer Notes by Australian Music Centre

The Australian Chamber Orchestra collected the award for Best Classical Concert Presentation for their program ‘Revolution’ at the 2007 Helpmann Awards (www.helpmannawards.com.au), which were held 6 August in Sydney...

9th Peggy Glanville-Hicks Address by Australian Music Centre

For over 30 years, violinist Jon Rose has been at the sharp end of experimental, new and improvised music. When Jon delivers the Peggy Glanville-Hicks Address this year, he will look for positive models, forgotten notions, and unorthodox praxis that have entertained and given meaning to the lives of Australians over the last 200 years but which have never entered, or been allowed to enter, the canon of imported mainstream music making...

Composers_Connecting_Community by Australian Music Centre

Music making can be a powerful tool for engaging, empowering, and enriching the lives of individuals in our community. Many community-based music organisations exist throughout Australia to provide opportunities for music-lovers of all ages and abilities to participate in the creation, performance and reception of music...

Composer Notes - November 2007 by Australian Music Centre

Kaidan, a work by Ian Cleworth, Timothy Constable, Riley Lee, and members of TaikOz was awarded Best New Composition at the 2007 Limelight awards on 14th November...

Sydney Sinfonietta Project by Australian Music Centre

The deadline for entry to the 2008 Sydney Symphony Sinfonietta Project is rapidly approaching.

Ian Potter Music Commissions 2007 Fellowships by Australian Music Centre

The Ian Potter Music Commissions for 2007 were announced last week at a ceremony in Melbourne...

Overseas performances of Australian Music by Australian Music Centre

The following listing of performances of Australian music overseas is not a comprehensive list – the Australian Music Centre relies on performance data submitted by artists.

Orpheus Remix Awards by Australian Music Centre

When it comes to the notion of opera in Australia today, opinions are hugely diverse. For some, opera continues to hold its place as the ultimate form of musical expression; at the other end of the spectrum, it embodies the essence of music elitism...

The NOW now Festival of Spontaneous Music by Australian Music Centre

In less than a week, community members of the Blue Mountains (just west of Sydney) will have a chance to celebrate experimental music in all its guises as creative sound makers gather from across Australia and the world to participate in the NOW now Festival of Spontaneous Music...

Composer Notes - January 2008 by Australian Music Centre

Damian Barbeler is one of the four finalists selected for Toru Takemitsu Composition Award 2008...

Workshop Opportunity for Emerging Composers by Australian Music Centre

The Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic Orchestra (KPO), a community orchestra based in Sydney’s north, is currently seeking expressions of interest for the opportunity to develop experience in orchestral composition...

Trans-Tasman Composer Residency Exchange - Colin Bright by Australian Music Centre

2006 Trans-Tasman Composer Colin Bright’s new work Surf Symphony will be premiered by the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra during Aquatica ’08 – Auckand’s Harbour Festival...

2008 Classical Music Awards by Australian Music Centre

It’s that time of year again – time to reflect on the Australian new music community’s activities during last year...

Composer/Performer Notes by Australian Music Centre

Synergy Percussion Quartet made their U.S. debut last month at the 15th annual Tucson Winter Chamber Music Festival, providing most in the audience with their first taste of Australian contemporary music.

Opportunities and Events by Australian Music Centre

An impressive multi-national entry for the Performing Australian Music Competition 2008 means that the competition’s Preliminary Round will constitute an unprecedented celebration of Australian solo repertoire in the heart of London...

Festival Season for New Music by Australian Music Centre

April is a busy month for Australian new music, particularly when it comes to festivals. Throughout April musicians, composers and concert-goers alike will have the chance to celebrate new music in a variety of forms at four different festivals across the nation. From improvisation, installation and free jazz to contemporary classical, each festival offers an exciting line up of outstanding creative artists, demonstrating the diversity of talent in Australian new music...

Jazz Legend wins Don Banks Award by Australian Music Centre

The nation’s most valuable individual music prize – the Australia Council for the Arts Don Banks Music Award 2008 – goes to Australian jazz icon Bob Sedergreen...

A new ending for the Sorry Song by Australian Music Centre

'Sing sorry across this land' wrote the West Australian composer Kerry Fletcher in her 1998 Sorry Song. Since the apology to the stolen generations of Australian Indigenous people by the Australian government in February 2008, the song now has a new verse, and a new ending.

Composer Notes - June 2008 by Australian Music Centre

ABC Classic FM’s Lute Project website features audio and video of the new lute compositions premiered by Tommie Anderson during the 2008 Aurora Festival.

Tristram Cary remembered 3 by Australian Music Centre

Tristram was a dear friend of our family for over thirty years. Gwen and I met him in the early 1970s at a party at the home of John and Jenny Morley at Hazelwood Park. It was one of those meetings where one knew on sight that we would be friends.

Tristram Cary remembered 2 by Australian Music Centre

My friendship with Tristram was founded in storytelling. He was a great storyteller: there was history, musical and literary heritage and of course a great passion for all that he did – he had a gleam in his eye, and it was very infectious.

Tristram Cary remembered 1 by Australian Music Centre

The death of Dr. Tristram Cary in Adelaide on 24 April was a sad event that resonated within hours throughout the musical world, not only in Australia but around the globe, particularly across North America, continental Europe and the United Kingdom (as the scores of obituary appreciations have testified).

Very High Kings available online by Australian Music Centre

A live recording of Richard Meale's landmark orchestral piece Very High Kings has been made available online.

Tristram Cary remembered 4 by Australian Music Centre

In approaching the legacy of a man such as Tristram Cary, one is daunted by the sheer scale and scope of his life’s work and passions. He was literally a big man, and to find appropriate metaphors to hold that reality as we say farewell, it is probably most apt to think of a large mountain. As a composer, his output spans all known classical genres as well as being a pioneer of electronic music hardware, aesthetic and compositional techniques. What Australian composer of today has such breadth and depth?

Aphids Reel Festival by Australian Music Centre

The inaugural Aphids Reel Music Festival, held at Melbourne's Federation Square from 26 to 29 June, combines live music performances with moving image.

2008 Classical Music Awards - Finalists by Australian Music Centre

Connected by their shared passion and dedication to classical music; composers, performers, educators, promoters, musicologists and critics will once again gather for Australia’s annual celebration of classical music. Proudly presented by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and the Australian Music Centre (AMC) the 2008 Classical Music Awards will be held at The Sydney Opera House on Monday 21 July.

Overseas Performances of Australian Music by Australian Music Centre

This list of performances of Australian music overseas is not a comprehensive list – the Australian Music Centre relies on performance data submitted by artists.

MacKenzie-Spencer and Yu win the 3MBS awards by Australian Music Centre

Loclan MacKenzie-Spencer and Julian Yu are the prizewinners of the 2008 3MBS National Composer Awards. Their entries competed with 31 other new orchestral scores by Australian composers.

2008 Classical Music Awards - Winners by Australian Music Centre

The Australian music industry tonight celebrated the success of this year’s most outstanding Australian classical music achievements at the 2008 Classical Music Awards. The Awards were presented by APRA and the Australian Music Centre, at The Playhouse, Sydney Opera House.

Mills - Edwards - Brophy by Australian Music Centre

Interplay, a triple bill of new Australian ballet works has its world premiere in Melbourne this Thursday (28 August).

Stepping Stones education resource and Sibelius Awards by Australian Music Centre

Stepping Stones, a new education resource for senior secondary and tertiary music students, is now available from the Australian Music Centre. The education kit, prepared in cooperation with Ensemble Offpsring, Sibelius and MLC School provides learning resources and live listening experiences for years 9 to 12.

MODART09 applications close on Friday by Australian Music Centre

Emerging Australian composers are again invited to submit their proposals in the MODART professional development project.

APRA Professional Development Awards - closing soon! by Australian Music Centre

The APRA Professional Development Awards provide cash, travel and recognition to music composers and song writers in the early stages of their careers. Nominations for the 2009 awards are now being sought for.

Kiravanu - new opera for children by MLC and James Humberstone by Australian Music Centre

This Tuesday night (16 September), MLC School in Burwood, NSW, continue their tradition of commissioning new works from Australian composers with the premiere of James Humberstone's and Mary Elizabeth’s Kiravanu.

Sound artists galore by Australian Music Centre

What is happening in the sound art world today? resonate asked a handful of Australian sound artists some basic questions and got the following answers.

Grant deadline reminder - Soundtravellers by Australian Music Centre

Applications for the second round of Soundtravellers grants close on Monday (22 September).

Composer notes - September 2008 by Australian Music Centre

Australian music and its representations of indigenous culture were a central topic in the Opera Indigene conference at Kings College, London, in the end of September. Composer Anne Boyd gave a paper titled 'To Didj or Not to Didj - Exploring indigenous representation in Australian Music Theatre Works by Margaret Sutherland and Andrew Schultz'. . .

Splinter Orchestra and the NOW Now series by Australian Music Centre

The improvised music ensemble Splinter Orchestra - a unique group of musicians with very diverse backgrounds, performing without a conductor - is now touring.

Songs of Joy by Dean in Liverpool by Australian Music Centre

Simon Rattle's return to the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, as part of Liverpool's year as European Capital of Culture, has attracted a lot of attention in the British media. Some of this attention has now been directed to the program of the evening, and the premiere of Brett Dean's Songs of Joy

.

Nigel Westlake: learning on the job by Australian Music Centre

This year's Melbourne International Art Festival featured a concert of Nigel Westlake's music, with the composer himself conducting the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. The following interview is a transcript of a radio conversation between Westlake, who recently turned 50, and Andrew Ford on ABC Radio National, a few days before the concert (11 October 2008).

HSC Repertoire for 2009 by Australian Music Centre

HSC repertoire lists for 2009 are now available from the Australian Music Centre. Each year, AMC prepares lists of repertoire suitable for performance in the NSW Higher School Certificate mandatory topic: Music of the Last 25 Years (Australian Focus).

Sibelius Awards finalists announced by Australian Music Centre

Sibelius Composer Awards 2008 finalists have been announced. The young composers' works will be premiered by Ensemble Offspring in the awards concert on 26 October.

Sinfonietta 2009 project for secondary students by Australian Music Centre

Australian secondary school composition students are again invited to participate in the Sydney Symphony Sinfonietta project.

Sibelius Composer Awards winners by Australian Music Centre

Melbourne lads stole the limelight in the national Sibelius Composer Awards at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music last Sunday. The competition drew over 100 entrants from across Australia. The secondary school award went to Jackson Sweeney (16) for his dark and dramatic work Delusional Mind, while Jesse McVeity (19) won the tertiary section for his intriguing use of texture and momentum in Luminous Patterns.

Garrett to meet with ANAM people by Australian Music Centre

The Federal Government's decision to not continue funding of the Australian National Academy of Music beyond 2008, has left the Academy in a situation where all planning for 2009 has been suspended, and the staff, students and guest lecturers are effectively preparing for a future without ANAM.

classic/amp website launched by Australian Music Centre

ABC Classic FM has launched a much-needed web service that will make available an increasing number recordings of Australian music previously unavailable for the general public.

Sandy Evans to present the PG-H address by Australian Music Centre

The 10th annual Peggy Glanville-Hicks address will be presented by the saxophonist and composer Sandy Evans on 1 December in Sydney.

Update on ANAM by Australian Music Centre

Update 26 & 28 November: review and media links added
Update 30 November - latest development: news item in The Australian
Updates 2 December - news item 1 on ABC Online ; news item 2 on ABC Online

Arts Minister Peter Garrett has announced funding for an entirely new organisation dedicated to training of classical musicians. Tuesday's announcement did not change the earlier decision to not continue funding of the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) beyond 2008 . . .

AMC opening hours in December by Australian Music Centre

Australian Music Centre will close for holidays at 12noon on 24 December and reopen at 10am on Monday, 5 January 2009.

We'd like to take this opportunity to wish all our members and customers a happy holiday season.

Brett Dean wins Grawemeyer Award by Australian Music Centre

Brett Dean has won the 2009 Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition for his violin concerto The Lost Art of Letter Writing. The Grawemeyer Award, granted annually by the University of Louisville (USA), is the world’s most prestigious composition prize, worth USD 200,000. Previous winners of the prize include Pierre Boulez, György Ligeti, Witold Lutoslawski, John Adams and Kaija Saariaho. Brett Dean is the first Australian winner.

Extempore journal by Australian Music Centre

The first issue of the arts journal Extempore, launched during the Wangaratta Jazz Festival, is available from a number of bookshops nationwide as well as online. Extempore is a bi-annual arts journal with a special focus on jazz and improvised music – or, as the new magazine itself puts it, a journal 'celebrating the creativity that surrounds jazz and improvised music'.

New chamber works in the shakuhachi concert by Australian Music Centre

The inaugural Shakuhachi Chamber Music Composition Competition concert will take place in Melbourne on Saturday, 13 December.

The latest on ANAM by Australian Music Centre

In a surprising twist to an already eventful story, the representatives of Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM), the Commonwealth Government and the University of Melbourne have agreed that ANAM's activities continue as business as usual for the whole of 2009.

Sandy Evans: 10th Annual Peggy Glanville-Hicks Address by Australian Music Centre

'It is a great privilege to give the 10th Peggy Glanville-Hicks Address. I would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of this land Gadigal clan of the Eora nation.

I am grateful that the New Music Network includes musicians from my field in its vision and community. It’s hard to say exactly what my field is, but it encompasses jazz and other improvised music and music with cross-cultural influences. My practise has many synergies with musicians approaching new music from a Western classical music perspective. I’m going to look at ways we can improve things for all of us and for future adventurers in new music. Our support of each other is probably the most important factor in ensuring the survival of the music we believe in and in improving conditions for the future. Fortunately, we are rich in this resource...

William Garnet James and his many hats by Australian Music Centre

As a special summer feature, resonate presents two extracts from David Tunley's book William James and the beginning of modern musical Australia, published by the Australian Music Centre (2007). This is a fascinating account of a composer, pianist and Federal Director of Music at the ABC whose significance in building Australian musical life is surprisingly little known.

Nine participants for MODART09 by Australian Music Centre

From a wide field of applicants, seven Australians alongside a composer from New Zealand and one from Hong Kong have been selected to participate in the 2009 MODART project. Initiated by The Song Company and the Australian Music Centre, MODART provides opportunities for emerging composers to develop new work for voices.

NMN Mini Series - call for applications by Australian Music Centre

Applications for the 2009 New Music Network Mini Series are now open - the closing date for submissions is 31 January.

Composer notes - January 2009 by Australian Music Centre

Cat Hope’s and Alistair Riddell’s articles are included in the new book Experimental Music – audio explorations in Australia, edited by Gail Priest (UNW Press 2009). Cat Hope writes about noise music and its impact on experimental music in Australia, while Riddell’s article is on the computational processes in experimental music. Experimental Music – audio explorations in Australia is available from the AMC Shop. Thomas Meadowcroft’s sound installation Monaro Eden is included in Queensland Art Gallery’s current exhibition...

Paul Lowin Prize 2009 - call for submissions by Australian Music Centre

Entries are now open for the 2009 Paul Lowin Prizes. The prestigious orchestral prize ($25,000) will be awarded to a work for modern chamber or symphony orchestra, while the song cycle prize ($15,000) will be given to a composition suitable for chamber performance, using up to eight independent vocal lines, accompanied by up to 10 instrumental players.

PAMC Grand Final broadcast by Australian Music Centre

The Grand Final concert of the 2008 Performing Australian Music Competition (PAMC) will be broadcast on Saturday on ABC Classic FM. Six talented musicians performed  Australian works in the final concert, recorded at Australia House in London.

Two new opportunities in February by Australian Music Centre

Two new opportunities closing in February 2009.

APRA Professional Development Awards shortlist by Australian Music Centre

AMC represented composers Amanda Handel, Daniel Rojas, Katherine Rawlings are among those shortlisted for the 2009 APRA Professional Development Awards. Shortlisted in the classical category are also: Melody Eötvös, Anthony Garcia, Jeff Harper, Symon Kohut, Stephen Lewis, Peter McCracken, Kate Neal, Alex Pozniak, Elisha Sando and Michael Sollis.

Sound Travellers tour grants announced by Australian Music Centre

Sixteen ensembles, bands and individual artists have received a touring grant from the second round of the Sound Travellers initiative.

Classical Music Awards 2009: call for nominations by Australian Music Centre

It is time to have your say about the new music year of 2008. Nominations can be made through the quick and easy instant nomination process by 27 March (we'll take care of the support materials for you) or through the full nomination procedure with complete support materials by 1 May.

Tony Gould wins Don Banks award by Australian Music Centre

Pianist and composer Tony Gould (AM) is the winner of the prestigious 2009 Don Banks Music Award. This $60,000 award is presented annually by the Australian Council for the Arts.

David Chesworth: I still struggle with descriptions by Australian Music Centre

David Bennett's Sounding Postmodernism - Sampling Australian Composers, Sound Artists and Music Critics, is a much-awaited publication that brings together an impressive amount of theory, debate and analysis on the topic of postmodernism and music. In Sounding Postmodernism, Bennett's extensive survey and analysis of the thories and debates on postmodernism is accompanied by interviews with Australian composers, sound artists and critics - this interview with David Chesworth was conducted in October 2005.

Sculthorpe's $3.5m endowment to Sydney Conservatorium by Australian Music Centre

Composer Peter Sculthorpe, who will turn 80 this April, has astonished the nation by his multi-million donation to the University of Sydney. The $3.5 million endowment is earmarked for establishing a Chair of Australian Music at the Sydney Conservatorium of music, where Sculthorpe himself taught composition from 1963 until the late 1990s.

ISCM and and Gaudeamus selections by Australian Music Centre

David Chisholm's and Amanda Cole's works have been selected for performance during the 2009 ISCM World Music Days in Sweden. Peter McNamara's work is among the fifteen works shortlisted for the 2009 Gaudeamus Music Prize.

Composer opportunities: Cybec & 3MBS Awards by Australian Music Centre

The 3MBS National Composer Awards and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra's Cybec 21st Century Australian Composers Program are calling for submissions - deadlines 29 May (3MBS) and 27 March (Cybec).

Advice to Young and Emerging Composers by Australian Music Centre and Matthew Hindson

Many Australian composers are intensely involved not only in writing their own music, but also in imparting knowledge and strategies for composition to students through teaching. There are so many composers doing this, and yet, to the best of my knowledge, there hasn't ever been a straightforward document outlining the gems of wisdom we so regularly impart to our students. Reading about Johannes Brahms's advice on musical composition recently lead me to wonder about what advice contemporary Australian composers and educators would give over a century later.

Australian Music Centre redefines the online world of Australian music by Australian Music Centre

Music lovers, festival programmers, teachers, students, and the creators and performers of original Australian music across the globe now have an indispensable new resource in Australian Music Centre Online at www.australianmusiccentre.com.au

Final year for Ian Potter Music Commissions by Australian Music Centre

Expressions of interest are invited for the final yearof The Ian Potter Music Commission Fellowships. There are two fellowships being offered: $20,000 for an emerging composer and $80,000 for an established composer, to compose portfolios of work(s) over a period of two years.

New represented artists at the AMC by Australian Music Centre

37 composers and sound artists have joined the ranks of represented artists and associated artists at the Australian Music Centre following the completion of the latest round of applications last month.

Something about Peter by Australian Music Centre

The most fitting celebration of Peter Sculthorpe's 80th birthday (29 April) is to open our ears at concerts of his music - easily done these days, with performances all around the country. The Arts in the Valley Festival (in Kangaroo Valley, NSW) and the Canberra International Music Festival deserve a special mention here, as both events not only feature Sculthorpe's compositions but also make room for musical re-interpretations, and entirely new works, inspired by Sculthorpe. We asked some of the composer's friends, students and collaborators to share personal insights and observations.

Mike Nock walks the Hall of Fame by Australian Music Centre

Pianist and composer Mike Nock has joined the company of Bernie McGann, Don Burrows, John Pochée, Allan Browne and Ade Monsbourgh in the Graeme Bell Awards Hall of Fame.

Composer notes May 2009 by Australian Music Centre

Our regular news bulletin from the composing world: performances, new releases, awards, commissions, web links.

ISCM World Music Days 2010 - call for works by Australian Music Centre

The International Society for Contemporary Music is currently seeking works for its 10-day event in Sydney, Australia from 30 April to 9 May 2010.

New Music Network 2009 concert series starts by Australian Music Centre

The New Music Network – a collective of contemporary music ensembles, sound artists and organisations from around Australia – kicks off its 2009 concert series in Sydney this weekend with a concert by Ensemble Offspring. The series continues with ten further events over the rest of the year. In addition to these, there are five concerts in the so-called mini-series, two of which bring together performances of several fine soloists.

Opportunities & reminders: Potter, Lowin, ISCM, Soundtravellers by Australian Music Centre

Opportunities: updated call for works for ISCM World Music Days 2010 is now available on the AMC website - Ian Potter Commissions closing next week - Lowin Prizes deadline 30 June - applications are now open for the next round of Soundtravellers grants.

AYO programs - applications close 19 June by Australian Music Centre

The Australian Youth Orchestra invites applications for its 2010 programs, including the Australian Youth Orchestra's international tour (with performances at some of the world’s most prestigious concert halls) as well as all the programs offered by the National Music Camp.

THNMF conference - call for papers by Australian Music Centre

Tura New Music and WAAPA@ECU invite proposals for formal papers, lecture-performances, artist talks, master-classes, and panels of three or four papers for The 2009 Totally Huge New Music Festival Conference to be held in Perth 30 – 31 October 2009.

Liquid Architecture & sound art forum by Australian Music Centre

Celebrating its tenth consecutive year, the Liquid Architecture festival starts off in Sydney (24-27 June) with performances, installations and a forum 'Sustainability of Sound Arts in Australia'.

The Navigator in Moscow and Paris by Australian Music Centre

Liza Lim's and Patricia Sykes's opera The Navigator will receive its European premiere this week in Moscow, Russia, as part of the 8th Chekhov International Theatre Festival. Later in 2009, The Navigator will be performed in France as part of the Festival d'automne à Paris...

Sounds of the future - MODART09 concerts by Australian Music Centre

Hear in concert the emerging creative talent from Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong in performance with The Song Company. The final concerts of MODART09 deliver a fascinating selection of nine new works for voices by nine of the finest emerging composers in the Pacific - for one night only in Sydney and Melbourne.

Tasmanian Orchestral Experience by Australian Music Centre

Five composers – Kevin March, Annie Hsieh, James Wade, Melody Eötvös and Chris Williams – have just spent a week in Tasmania, taking part in Symphony Australia TSO Composers' school 2009. Tutors this year were Richard Mills and Kenneth Young (conducting), Paul Stanhope, Maria Grenfell, and James Ledger. The 'school week' started on Sunday 21 June and finished on Thursday evening with the presentation of student works and orchestration excercises. We asked three of the participants – James, Melody and Chris – to put some of their experiences into words.

Stephen Leek and The Australian Voices on tour by Australian Music Centre

Stephen Leek and The Australian Voices choir have embarked on an Asian tour with a program of exclusively Australian choral music. Back home, The Australian Voices will give a special 'Sounds of Perfection' concert in the Queensland Conservatorium Theatre on 27 August to farewell Stephen Leek and to celebrate his 16-year association with the choir.

Intervarsity Choral Festival celebrates with premieres by Australian Music Centre

Choristers from universities around Australia are gathering in Hobart for a week in July to celebrate 60 years of Intervarsity Choral Festivals. The highlight of the festival program is two world premieres: new works by Don Kay and Matthew Orlovich will be performed in the concluding gala concert on Friday 17 July.

Peter Tahourdin (1928-2009) by Australian Music Centre

Peter Tahourdin, a highly respected composer, colleague and teacher, passed away on 28 July 2009 at his home in Melbourne.

Composer notes August 2009 by Australian Music Centre

Regular news bulletin from the composing world: performances, new releases, awards, commissions, web links.

Classical Music Awards 2009 - Finalists by Australian Music Centre

Australia’s finest compositions, performances and outstanding achievements in contemporary classical music will be nationally recognised today, with the announcement of finalists for the 2009 Classical Music Awards.

Proudly presented by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and the Australian Music Centre (AMC), the Classical Music Awards is the only program that specifically honours Australia’s outstanding talent in contemporary classical music.

Butterley's work included in 'Sounds of Australia' by Australian Music Centre

Nigel Butterley’s work In the Head the Fire (1966) is among the ten recordings recently added to the National Film and Sound Archive’s 'Sounds of Australia' registry, Arts Minister Peter Garrett announced earlier this week. The first Australian classical composition to win the Prix Italia, In the Head the Fire has been described as 'a piece of unmistakable importance both for its composer’s output and for Australian music as a whole' (Elliot Gyger in his article in 2008).

Australian music at Vale of Glamorgan Festival by Australian Music Centre

This year's Vale of Glamorgan Festival of Music in Wales (6-12 September) features a large selection of contemporary Australian composition, from orchestral works to solo pieces. The highlight of the festival is the all-Australian program of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales (10 September).

Farewell to Jan Sedivka and Geoffrey Tozer by Australian Music Centre

Australian music lost two fine artists within a week in August, when news came about the death of pianist Geoffrey Tozer, and a few days later, of violinist, Professor Jan Sedivka.

Christina Leonard and Mary Finsterer in conversation by Annemaree Dalziel and Australian Music Centre

In this interview transcript, composer Mary Finsterer and saxophonist Christina Leonard, saxophonist, discuss the art of composing, performing and collaborating. The interview was conducted earlier this year by Annemaree Dalziel, producer at the Campbelltown Arts Centre, where Mary Finsterer is currently composer in residence. One of the highlights of this residency is a forthcoming event 'Conversations', featuring not only her own new work but also music by the Aboriginal hip hop artist Wire MC and the didjeridu player William Barton. 'Conversations' follows on from two earlier events this year - 'Suburbs' in May and 'Rivers' in July.

Grant reminder: Sound Travellers by Australian Music Centre

Sound Travellers grants aim to develop viable touring opportunities for musicians and sound artists performing sound art, electronica, new jazz, improvisation and contemporary classical music. The closing date for applications is 21 September.

Interview with Larry Sitsky by Australian Music Centre

'I believe in the power of music (...) but I don't like man-made religions, because they're inevitably corrupt, bigoted and lead to wars.' This quote comes from an interview with professor Larry Sitsky, who celebrates his 75th birthday 10 September 2009. In the interview, originally broadcast on The Music Show on ABC Radio National in February 2005, Sitsky talks about his faith in the power of music, his composition, his early years in Australia as well as his major research on Australian 20th-century piano music.

Totally Huge live broadcast 19 September by Australian Music Centre

Tune in on Saturday 19 September to listen to ABC Classic FM's late night live broadcast/webcast from Perth's Totally Huge New Music Festival.

Classical Music Awards 2009 - winners by Australian Music Centre

The Australian music industry celebrated the year’s most outstanding Australian classical music achievements at the 2009 Classical Music Awards at Playhouse Theatre at the Sydney Opera House on Monday 21 September. The Awards were presented by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and the Australian Music Centre (AMC).

Paul Lowin Prizes 2009 - finalists by Australian Music Centre

Updated 8 October! The shortlisted works for the 2009 Paul Lowin Prizes have been announced: pieces by Carl Vine, Julian Yu and Mary Finsterer have been shortlisted in the Orchestral category, and Nigel Butterley's, Andrew Schultz's and David Chisholm's works made the list in the Song Cycle category. The winners will be announced in a special ceremony on Friday 30 October 2009 at The Utzon Room, Sydney Opera House, Sydney.

New Music Network - call for proposals by Australian Music Centre

Proposals for the Mini Series are welcome from any interested individuals or groups within contemporary new music practice: electronic, improvisatorial or composed. In 2010 the New Music Network is hoping to expand the series to Melbourne and Brisbane and welcomes proposals from interstate.

Ian Potter Fellowships: Kerry, Grandage and Ricketson by Australian Music Centre

The Ian Potter Cultural Trust has announced the recipients of the final round of Ian Potter Music Commission Fellowships. The Fellowships go to Gordon Kerry in the Established Composer category ($80,000) and to Iain Grandage in the Emerging Composer category ($20,000). The awards give the recipients the opportunity to create a significant portfolio of work over the next two years. At the judges’ recommendation and in recognition of the calibre of the field, an additional extraordinary grant of $8,000 was also awarded to Damien Ricketson to help create a specific work for premiere at Sydney Festival 2010.

Creative Explosion in the West by Australian Music Centre

In October, the University of Western Sydney gives the diverse communities of Western Sydney the opportunity to celebrate their musical and cultural traditions with an intercultural creative arts festival that draws its inspiration from Korean, Philippine, Japanese, Iranian and Macedonian traditions.

Australian music at the Melbourne Festival by Australian Music Centre

The Melbourne International Arts Festival (9-24 October 2009) kicks off this Friday with a varied music program including several premieres of Australian works. The largest of these in scale is Brenton Broadstock's Tyranny of Distance for the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. The work will be premiered in the MSO concert on 17 October, with Julian Yu's version of Modest Musorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition in the first half of the program.

ArtStart application deadline: October 26 by Australian Music Centre

The first round of applications for Australia Council for the Arts' new grants program for recent creative arts graduates is closing on Monday 26 October.

Australian premiere for Dean's award-winning concerto by Australian Music Centre

Brett Dean's Grawemeyer award-winning work The Lost Art of Letter Writing (2006) will be given its much-anticipated Australian premiere in Melbourne this November by violinist Kristian Winther and the ANAM Orchestra of the Academy, conducted by Dean himself.

2009 Paul Lowin Awards Prizewinners Announced! by Australian Music Centre

The judges voted Mary Finsterer the winner of the $25,000 Paul Lowin Orchestral Prize for her work In Praise of Darkness, while Andrew Schultz won the $15,000 Paul Lowin Song Cycle Prize for his work To the evening star.

Sydney Chamber Choir wins two prizes at Tolosa Festival in Spain by Australian Music Centre

Sydney Chamber Choir has been ranked third out of a field of ten top choirs from around the world in its first appearance in an international choral competition...

MODART broadcast: 5 December by Australian Music Centre

On Saturday 5 December at 10:30pm, ABC Classic FM's New Music Up Late will broadcast the final concert of MODART09, featuring new works by the nine young composers who participated in the MODART composer development project during the first half of this year.

ASQ National Composers' Forum by Australian Music Centre

Entries are now open for the Australian Strinq Quartet's new National Composers' Forum initiative. Aimed at undergraduate and post graduate composition students, enrolled in an Australian university, as well as recent graduates, the forum will give composers the opportunity to have their piece workshopped, performed and recorded by the Australian String Quartet. The workshops, open to public, will take place in August 2010 under the guidance of Carl Vine.

Memorial concert celebrates Richard Meale by Australian Music Centre

Richard Meale's life and work will be celebrated in a free memorial concert at the Sydney Conservatorium on 14 February at 3pm. The composer of Voss and one of the most important creative artists of his generation, Meale passed away on 23 November last year.

Grammy nomination for Tim Davies by Australian Music Centre

Composer and conductor Tim Davies has been nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition for his piece Counting to Infinity. Grammy Awards are presented annually in the USA for outstanding achievements in the music industry by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

MODART09 podcasts by Australian Music Centre

The AMU podcast series by ABC Classic FM's Australian Music Unit now features several works premiered last year as part of the AMC's and The Song Company's MODART composer development project.

SIMA: Cool for School jazz program by Australian Music Centre

The Sydney Improvised Music Association (SIMA) is launching a new school jazz program that aims at bringing students together with professional contemporary Australian musicians, both established and young/emerging artists - from Sandy Evans, Mike Nock, Judy Bailey and austraLYSIS (Roger Dean), to Phil Slater, James Muller, and others.

British award for Hindson and Bintley's ballet by Australian Music Centre

David Bintley and Matthew Hindson's ballet E=mc², premiered and toured in the UK last year by the Birmingham Royal Ballet, has won one of the last ever South Bank Show Awards. The awards are named after the long-running British television art show The South Bank Show, hosted for 30 years by Melwyn Bragg and broadcast for the last time at the end of 2009 on the ITV channel.

New director for SOUNZ by Australian Music Centre

The Cenre for New Zealand Music SOUNZ has a new executive director as of the beginning of February. Julie Sperring takes the reins of SOUNZ from the long-term director Scilla Askew.

Composer notes January 2010 by Australian Music Centre

Regular news bulletin from the composing world: performances, new releases, awards, web links.

International composer survey by Australian Music Centre

The Centre for Music and Multimedia of Royal College of Music, London, has launched a major international online survey of composers. You can take part by answering a number of questions online.

ISCM World New Music Days - program announced by Australian Music Centre

From 30 April to 9 May, Sydney will be hosting the ISCM World New Music Days Festival - the first time in the 88-year history of the International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM) that the prestigious event will be held in the Southern Hemisphere. Full program details of the festival have now been announced and are available on the ISCM World New Music Days website.

New resource kits from the AMC by Australian Music Centre

AMC has just released three new resource kits and music study guides, focusing on music by Raffaele Marcellino, Peter Sculthorpe and Elena Kats-Chernin

Moya Henderson talks about her Anna Akhmatova's Requiem by Australian Music Centre

[Updated 26 February] Sydney Philharmonia Choirs celebrates its 90th anniversary year with a world premiere by Moya Henderson. I’d like to name them all by name: Anna Akhmatova’s Requiem is Henderson’s tribute to the women of Stalin’s Russia during the years of persecution and purges. In the concert on 31 March and 3 April, Henderson's work is paired with the 4th movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No 9. In this short interview, Henderson talks about the background of this work.

Update about the AMC restructure by Australian Music Centre

As many AMC members, customers and supporters are already aware, the AMC is currently undergoing a significant restructuring, brought about by financial constraints in 2010. At the AMC’s Extraordinary General Meeting at the end of February, the proposed revisions to the constitution were approved by an overwhelming majority of the ballots cast by AMC members. The changes result in a new relationship between the AMC and APRA, and provide for the AMC to continue delivering services to document and promote Australian music through its online facility, launched in 2009.