Resonate Magazine | Australian Music Centre

Image: Michal Rosiak will compose new works for woodwinds.  

AMC-represented Sandy Evans, Jane Hammond, Cat Hope, Kate Moore, Kate Neal, Chris Perren, Michal Rosiak, Michael Smetanin and Hollis Taylor have all received funding for new works and projects from the Australia Council for the Arts as a result of the latest round of grants for music.

Sandy Evans's grant goes towards a CD of new material by her trio and Bobby Singh. Jane Hammond's project is a new electroacoustic work for ensemble Three, while Cat Hope has secured funding for seven new commissions (by Kate Moore, Andrée Greenwell, Michaela Davies, Cathy Milliken, Laura Lowther, Thembi Soddell, Gail Priest) for her WA-based Decibel Ensemble. Kate Moore is writing for the US-based Australian pianist Lisa Moore, and Kate Neal is composing a vocal score for a music theatre project. Chris Perren's grant is for composing a series of audiovisual works exploring polyrhythmic looping of sound and image, Michal Rosiak will compose new works for piccolo, flute, flute ensemble and woodwind quintet and Michael Smetanin a new work for ensemble and fixed electronic media, to be premiered by the Dutch Ensemble Klang. Hollis Taylor is composing and recording new works based on the songs of the Pied Butcherbird. Also funded in this category were emerging composers William Jeffery and Anastasia Pahos, sound artist Philip Samartzis (soundscape for ABC and Radio France), Eve Klein, Genevieve Lacey and Callum Moncrieff. For more details, see the Australia Council website.

In the 'presentation and promotion' category, funded projects include Creative Original Music Adelaide's showcase of works by Erik Griswold, a collection of Roger Smalley's writings edited by Michael Hooper, a series of orchestral works for the Melbourne Festival by JOLT Sonic and Visual Arts, the New Wave: Sound program at Seymour Centre as part of Vivid Sydney Music in 2015, and the 14th annual NOW now Festival of Exploratory Music and Arts in 2015. More details about projects funded in this category.

Music organisations receiving annual funding in 2015 include Adelaide Chamber Singers, Melbourne Jazz Co-Operative, Camerata of St John's, Chamber Made Opera, JOLT Sonic and Visual Arts Inc, Jazz SA, Jazzgroove Association and Jazzgroove Mothership Orchestra, Queensland Youth Orchestras, Sydney Chamber Opera, Sydney Improvised Music Association, Sydney Philharmonia and West Australian Youth Jazz Orchestra Association. For all organisations funded, see the Australia Council website.

In all, new projects were funded to the sum of $1,690,000. Peer assessors for funding meetings included Mary Finsterer, Peter Knight, Lachlan Goold, Cheryl Pickering, Seja Vogel, Gina Williams, Michael Hutchings, Alex Masso, Callum Moncrieff, Dani Raymond, Eliza Sarlos, Danielle Bentley and Lawrence English.