2 October 2012
2012 Helpmann Awards
Composers Iain Grandage and Stephen Page have been honoured at the 2012 Helpmann Awards, announced at the Sydney Opera house on 24 September.
Grandage was awarded Best Music Direction for The Little Match Girl, the latest piece in his long-time collaboration with cabaret performer Meow Meow. Best Original Score was awarded to David Page and Steve Francis for Bangarra Dance Theatre's Belong. Page is currently artist in residence with Bangarra.
Australian music featured highly among nominees for the awards, including David Chisholm's Kursk: An oratorio requiem, which was nominated for Best Chamber and/or Instrumental Ensemble Concert, as well as Best New Australian Work, alongside Elena Kats-Chernin's Sypmphonia Eluvium.
The category of Best Symphony Orchestra Concert included nominations for two programs featuring the work of Brett Dean; Adelaide Symphony Orchestra's Master Series 3, featuring Fire Music, conducted by the composer and a Sydney Symphony program including the Sydney premiere of Dean's violin concerto, The Lost Art of Letter Writing. The concerto was awarded the distinguished Grawemeyer Award in 2009.
Constantine Koukias' latest opera with his company IHOS, The Barbarians, was nominated for Best Opera. The new work was a commission for the 2012 MONA FOMA festival, which won the Helpmann Award for Best Contemporary Music Festival.
The annual Helpmann Awards recognise distinguished artistic achievement and excellence in Australia's live performance sectors, including musical theatre, contemporary music, comedy, opera, classical music, theatre, dance and physical theatre.
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The Australian Music Centre connects people around the world to Australian composers and sound artists. By facilitating the performance, awareness and appreciation of music by these creative artists, it aims to increase their profile and the sustainability of their art form. Established in 1974, the AMC is now the leading provider of information, resources, materials and products relating to Australian new music.
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