Resonate Magazine | Australian Music Centre

The Art Music Awards are the only event that specifically acknowledges the achievements of Australia's outstanding talent in the fields of contemporary art music, jazz and experimental music, with awards covering the best compositions, performances and achievements across 10 national categories, including the brand-new Award for Excellence in Jazz. The live performance program of the 2012 Art Music Awards will be curated by Marshall McGuire.

In the category Work of the Year: Instrumental finalists include Anthony Pateras (for the wonderfully epic Flesh and Ghost), Elliott Gyger (for his subtle and delicate …out of obscurity), Brett Dean for his Sextet, and the 2011 winner in this category, Paul Stanhope, for Qinoth.

Finalists in the category Work of the Year: Orchestral are composers Barry Conyngham, who pays homage to the Japanese tradition with Gardener of Time, Nigel Westlake for the powerful and touching Missa Solis - Requiem for Eli, Peter Sculthorpe with his tribute to Henryk Gorecki, The Shining Island, and Ross Edwards for the dramatic and engaging Spirit Ground.

Ross Edwards is also a finalist in the category of Work of the Year: Vocal/Choral, this time for Sacred Kingfisher Psalms. He is joined by Iain Grandage for a uniquely West Australian piece Blackwood, inspired by the Blackwood River (with text by Kevin Gillam). Clare Maclean is acknowledged for her Osanna Mass and Gerardo Dirié for Pomegranate Friends.

The list of finalists for Work of the Year: Jazz reflects the diverse nature of Australian jazz today. Andrea Keller is nominated for the deliciously unpredictable Affectations, Tom O'Halloran for his masterful Dissolve for two pianos, Peter Knight for the atmospheric Unknowness 1 and Jeremy Rose for River Meeting Suite which brings together Indian and Western jazz traditions.

With a wonderful performance that demands the listener's attention, Felicitas Fuchs, Qian Zhou and Bernard Lanskey are nominated in the category of Performance of the Year for Stille Sprache (composed by Andrew Schultz). Michael Kieran Harvey is nominated for his performance of Lawrence Whiffin's Piano Sonata no. 3 - a complex piece filled with delicate nuances. The Sydney Symphony is nominated for their breathtaking performance of Missa Solis - Requiem for Eli (composed by Nigel Westlake). And, in what is now the 10th premiere by the orchestra of this composer's works, the West Australian Symphony Orchestra are nominated for their performance of James Ledger's Two Memorials (for Anton Webern and John Lennon).

The four finalists for the Award for Excellence by an Organisation or an Individual are Arcko Symphonic Project (for their 2011 concert series), Claire Edwardes (for Flash: Marimba Miniatures recording project), Graeme Morton (for services to Australian music) and Speak Percussion for their 2011 annual program.

The Gondwana Choirs are finalists for the Award for Excellence in Music Education for their 2011 program, alongside Graeme Morton (for his contribution to music education through St Peters Chorale), Kirsty Beilharz (for the Diffuse series of educational concerts in 2011) and Moorambilla Voices for their education strategy in North Western NSW.

The finalists for the Award for Excellence in a Regional Area are Creative Regions for The Crushing: A Gothic Opera and Queensland Music Festival (for Ailan Kores community project). The Moorambilla Voices are again recognised, this time for their engagement with local community, and Gondwana Choirs, this time for their Cairns Residency Project.

Madeleine Flynn and Tim Humphrey are finalists in the Award for Excellence in Experimental Music for their 2011 activities, alongside Daniel Blinkhorn for his 2011 composition activities, Decibel for the PICA Performance Series, and Super Critical Mass for their 2011 activities.

And in the new category Award for Excellence in Jazz (for works, people and events) are the prolific Andrea Keller for her contribution to Australian jazz, Quentin Angus for composition, performance and international development, and Troy Roberts for the compositions Siarus and Oscar and the Shoe Box. Tom O'Halloran is nominated again for 'Piano Perspectives' performance of Dissolve.

The award for Distinguished Services to Australian Music (as determined by the Board of Directors of APRA and AMC) will be announced prior to the event.

APRA and the AMC would like to congratulate all the finalists for the 2012 Art Music Awards - a group that demonstrates the vibrancy and energy of contemporary Australian creative practice in music and sound.

2012 Art Music Awards finalists

Work of the Year: Instrumental

Title: Flesh and Ghost
Composer: Anthony Pateras
Performed by: Speak Percussion

Title: …out of obscurity
Composer: Elliott Gyger
Performed by: Zubin Kanga (piano)

Title: Qinoth
Composer: Paul Stanhope
Performed by: ACO2, Australian Chamber Orchestra's young artists' training ensemble, led by Dale Barltrop

Title: Sextet
Composer: Brett Dean
Performed by: Australia Ensemble
Publishers: Boosey & Hawkes Inc (ASCAP), subpublished by Hal Leonard Australia Pty Ltd

Work of the Year: Orchestral

Title: Gardener of Time
Composer: Barry Conyngham
Performed by: Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Tadaaki Otaka (conductor)

Title: Missa Solis - Requiem for Eli
Composer: Nigel Westlake
Text: John Weiley, Hannie Rayson & Michael Cathcart
Performed by: Sydney Symphony, Nigel Westlake (conductor)

Title: Spirit Ground
Composer: Ross Edwards
Performed by: West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Margaret Blades (soloist), Paul Daniel (conductor)

Title: The Shining Island
Composer: Peter Sculthorpe
Publishers: Hal Leonard Australia Pty Ltd on behalf of Faber Music Ltd
Performed by: Canberra Festival Camerata, ANU School of Music Chamber Orchestra, Tor Fromyhr (conductor)

Work of the Year: Vocal/Choral

Title: Blackwood
Composer: Iain Grandage
Text: Kevin Gillam
Performed by: Sara Macliver (soprano), Allan Meyer (clarinet) and Graeme Gilling (piano)

Title: Osanna Mass
Composer: Clare Maclean
Performed by: Sydney Chamber Choi, Paul Stanhope (conductor)

Title: Pomegranate Friends
Composer: Gerardo Dirié
Performed by: Fusion Vocal Ensemble, Debra Shearer-Dirié (conductor)

Title: Sacred Kingfisher Psalms
Composer: Ross Edwards
Performed by: The Song Company, Roland Peelman (conductor)
Publisher: Edition-s Music-Sound-Art

Work of the Year: Jazz

Title: Affectations
Composer: Andrea Keller
Performed by: Bennetts Lane Big Band

Title: Dissolve for two pianos
Composer: Tom O'Halloran
Performed By: Tom O'Halloran and Graham Wood

Title: Unknowness 1 (from Fish boast of Fishing)
Composer: Peter Knight
Performed by: Peter Knight (trumpet and laptop), Adam Simmons (contrabass clarinet),
Frank Di Sario (double bass), Erik Griswold (prepared piano), Vanessa Tomlinson (percussion), Joe Talia (drum kit and electronics)

Title: River Meeting Suite
Composer: Jeremy Rose
Performed by: Compass Saxophone Quartet plus Bobby Singh and Sarangan Sriranganthan

Performance of the Year

Performer: Felicitas Fuchs, Qian Zhou and Bernard Lanskey
Title: Stille Sprache
Composer: Andrew Schultz

Performer: Michael Kieran Harvey
Title: Piano Sonata No 3
Composer: Lawrence Whiffin

Performer: Sydney Symphony, Nigel Westlake (conductor)
Title: Missa Solis - Requiem for Eli
Composer: Nigel Westlake

Performer: West Australian Symphony Orchestra, WASO Chorus, Paul Daniel (conductor)
Title: Two Memorials (for Anton Webern and John Lennon)
Composer: James Ledger

Award for Excellence by an Organisation or an Individual

Arcko Symphonic Project - 2011 concert series
Claire Edwardes - Flash: Marimba Miniatures recording project
Graeme Morton - services to Australian Music
Speak Percussion - 2011 annual program

Award for Excellence in Music Education

Gondwana Choirs - 2011 program
Graeme Morton - contribution to music education through St Peters Chorale
Kirsty Beilharz - Diffuse series of educational concerts in 2011
Moorambilla Voices - education strategy in North Western NSW

Award for Excellence in a Regional Area

Creative Regions - The Crushing: A Gothic Opera
Gondwana Choirs - Cairns Residency Project
Moorambilla Voices - engagement with local community
Queensland Music Festival - Ailan Kores community project

Award for Excellence in Experimental Music

Daniel Blinkhorn - 2011 composition activities
Decibel - PICA Performance Series
Madeleine Flynn and Tim Humphrey - 2011 activities
Super Critical Mass - 2011 activities

Award for Excellence in Jazz

Andrea Keller - contribution to Australian jazz
Quentin Angus - composition, performance and international development
Tom O'Halloran - 'Piano Perspectives' concert performance of Dissolve
Troy Roberts - compositions Siarus and Oscar and The Show Box

An additional category is awarded at the discretion of the Board of Directors of APRA and AMC for Distinguished Services to Australian Music.

Further links

Australian Music Centre - Art Music Awards
APRA - Art Music Awards finalists