2026 Art Music Award winners announced
The winners were announced at a glittering ceremony celebrating Australia's art music community at The Timber Yard, Melbourne
Chamber Made claims double honours as women composers continue to shine bright
The evening included performances curated by Sia Ahmad, featuring Eric Avery with Flinders Quartet; Sonya Lifschitz; Bhairavi Raman and more
The winners of the 2026 Art Music Awards were announced at a glittering ceremony celebrating Australia's art music community at The Timber Yard, Melbourne this evening (Wednesday 19 August).
Leading the night’s proceedings with two awards was Melbourne-based arts organisation Chamber Made, which picked up the Award for Excellence in Experimental Practice for its 2025 presentations and artist development activities, and the Victorian State Luminary Award for its incredible 35-year history of shaping Australian music and performance.
The ocean was a recurring theme for three of the evening’s winners. Five-time Art Music Award winner Paul Stanhope's epic Mahāsāgar (the Hindi word for ocean), with text by Alexander Maloof, Cass Lynch, Elizabeth Riddell, Michael Leunig, Rhys Halkidis and Steve Hawke, was awarded Work of the Year: Choral. First time winner Alex Turley's the ocean's dream of itself for mezzo-soprano and orchestra was awarded the Work of the Year: Large Ensemble; and Dark Oceanography, developed by Kate Milligan and a team of artistic and climate science researchers including Aaron Wyatt, Louise Devenish and Navid Constantinou, took out Work of the Year: Electroacoustic/Sound Art.
Other Work of the Year honours went to Mindy Meng Wang and Monica Lim (Dramatic) for Opera for the Dead; Nat Bartsch (Jazz & Improvised Music) for When All Is Still and Quiet; Anne Cawrse (Solo and Small Ensemble) for Killing the Angel in the House; and Noemi Liba Friedman's BloodRiverRootTree received Work of the Year: Medium Ensemble.
In the three Performance of the Year categories, The Cloud Maker was awarded Performance of the Year: Jazz & Improvised Music for The Cloud Maker; Nick Russoniello's performance of his own composition, Air Mass Suite, took out Performance of the Year: Soloist; and the Australian String Quartet and Yorta Yorta Dja Dja Wurrung performer and academic, Dr Lou Bennett AM, were awarded Performance of the Year: Classical & Experimental for nyilamum song cycles, a collaborative First Nations-led work by Dr Bennett and Paul Stanhope.
Luminary Awards recognised artists and organisations whose vision, leadership and commitment continue to shape Australian music across the country with Musica Viva Australia awarded the National Luminary Award (Organisation) and Daryl Buckley with the National Luminary Award (Individual). State and Territory Luminary Award recipients were announced before the ceremony and presented on the night.
The Wollongong Conservatorium of Music received the Award for Excellence in Music Education for its Music in Schools program, while Chamber Music Adelaide and Port Augusta Performing Arts won the Award for Excellence in a Regional Area for Where We Meet: Chamber Music.
Internationally acclaimed Australian composer, educator and researcher, Professor Liza Lim AM, received the prestigious Richard Gill Award for Distinguished Services to Australian Music in recognition of her visionary contribution to Australian art music.
Catherine Haridy, CEO of the Australian Music Centre (AMC), says: "Congratulations to all of this year's finalists and recipients recognised at the 2026 Art Music Awards! Tonight showcased the breadth of talent and ambition within the art music community; music and stories that reflect who we are as a nation. We are incredibly proud to celebrate these achievements with you and look to the future with enthusiasm."
Dean Ormston, CEO of APRA AMCOS, adds: "Tonight's recipients are proof that Australian art music is thriving and I give my heartfelt congratulations to them all! As we celebrate our 100th year, they remind us of the enduring power of great music to challenge, connect and inspire. From established artists to emerging voices, these creators are expanding the possibilities of music and enriching our cultural life for audiences and the next generation of music creators.”
Presented by APRA AMCOS and the Australian Music Centre (AMC), this year’s awards were hosted by Namila Benson with guest presenters Aura Go and Connor D’Netto. The evening included performances curated by acclaimed artist Sia Ahmad, featuring violinist, vocalist, dancer and composer Eric Avery with Flinders Quartet; pianist Sonya Lifschitz; Western and Carnatic violinist Bhairavi Raman with mridangam player and percussionist Nanthesh Sivarajah; genre-defying collaborators David Moran, Maryam Rahmani and Sebastian Collen; and Reuben Lewis’s I Hold the Lions Paw with vocalist Michelle Nicolle and choir.
Click here to see the full list of winners.
