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Media Published Tuesday 1 July 2025
Image L-R: Vanessa Hughes, Nardi Simpson, Hamed Sadeghi, Sia Ahmad

The 2025 Art Music Awards will be held on Thursday 21 August at the City Recital Hall, Sydney

The event will be hosted by Vanessa Hughes, Nardi Simpson and Hamed Sadeghi, with music curation by Sia Ahmad 

The awards honour Australia’s finest creators and performers for their stellar efforts in contemporary classical music, jazz and improvised music, experimental music and sound art


APRA AMCOS and the Australian Music Centre (AMC) announce the 2025 Art Music Awards will take place on Thursday 21 August at the newly revitalised City Recital Hall in Sydney. 
 
Each year, the Art Music Awards gathers the national art music community to celebrate outstanding achievements across 15 categories, including contemporary classical music, jazz, improvised music, experimental music and sound art. The event has become a key annual event for Australia’s art music creators, performers and leaders.  
 
AMC CEO, Catherine Haridy, says: “The AMC is proud to continue to partner with APRA AMCOS on the Art Music Awards. It’s a highlight in the art music calendar.  

“In the 50th year of AMC operations, we are in awe of the high-calibre work of our Australian creators. The Art Music Awards marks the pinnacle of those achievements and honours those who work with belief and relentlessness to support and produce outstanding work.” 
 
Dean Ormston, CEO of APRA AMCOS, adds: “We’re thrilled to be back for our 14th Art Music Awards, celebrating the best of the best of this country’s finest creators, composers and leaders. 

“Despite the challenges our arts community continues to face around the viability of producing and performing music, and the highs and lows of working with AI, the nominations we’ve seen this year have astounded us and fill us with hope for the future of art music in this country.” 
 
Finalists for the 2025 Art Music Awards will be announced on Thursday 17 July, ahead of the awards ceremony. The Awards recognise outstanding achievements across 13 national categories, including excellence in works, performance, music education, experimental practice and regional activity. Luminary Awards will be conferred to individuals and organisations who have made sustained contributions to the local music community in their state or territory.  
 
The APRA and AMC Boards of Directors will also jointly present the Richard Gill Award for Distinguished Services to Australian Music. The annual award is reserved for individuals or groups who have made a sustained and impactful contribution to Australian art music. Recent recipients include Lynn Williams AM, Maureen Cooney Nigel Butterley, Penny Lomax and William Barton.  
 
This year’s Art Music Awards will be hosted by Vanessa Hughes, a beloved broadcaster known as the presenter of Classic Drive on ABC Classic. She will be joined by two guest presenters, award-winning tar player and composer, Hamed Sadeghi, and Yuwaalaraay storyteller and musician, Nardi Simpson. 
 
As customary for a celebration of music, the Awards will showcase live performances of Australian music curated by Sia Ahmad, reprising her role as Music Director. The Canberra-based music creator and facilitator is known to bring a “DIY punk aesthetic” and a vast perspective of the Australian art music scene to programming.  
 

CATEGORIES FOR THE 2025 ART MUSIC AWARDS

  • Work of the Year: Choral
  • Work of the Year: Chamber Music
  • Work of the Year: Large Ensemble
  • Work of the Year: Dramatic
  • Work of the Year: Electroacoustic/Sound Art
  • Work of the Year: Jazz
  • Performance of the Year: Notated Composition
  • Performance of the Year: Jazz/Improvised Music
  • Excellence in Music Education
  • Excellence is a Regional Area
  • Excellence in Experimental Practice
  • Luminary Award - Individual
  • Luminary Award - Organisation
  • Luminary Awards - State/Territory Awards
  • Richard Gill Award for Distinguished Services to Australian Music*

*As determined by the APRA and AMC Boards of Directors
 

2025 ART MUSIC AWARDS 
5.30pm (AEST) Thursday 21 August 
City Recital Hall, 2 Angel Place, Sydney  
Hosted by Vanessa Hughes with guest presenters Hamed Sadeghi and Nardi Simpson, and music curation by Sia Ahmad 
 

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