Presented each year by APRA AMCOS and the Australian Music Centre, the Awards recognise achievement in the composition, performance, education and presentation of Australian art music. Art music covers activity across contemporary classical music, contemporary jazz and improvised music, experimental music and sound art.
The 2012 Art Music Awards were held on Tuesday 3 April at the Playhouse, Sydney Opera House.
| Distinguished Services to Australian Music |
|---|
Winner |
peter sculthorpe |
| Award for Excellence by an Organisation or Individual |
|---|
Winner |
Claire Edwardes for flash: Marimba Miniatures recording project |
Finalists |
| Arcko Symphonic Project for 2011 Concert Series |
| Graeme Morton for services to Australian Music |
| Speak Percussion for 2011 Annual Program |
| Award for Excellence in Music Education |
|---|
Winner |
Gondwana Choirs for 2011 Program |
Finalists |
| Graeme Morton for contribution to music education through St Peter’s Chorale |
| Kirsty Beilharz for Diffuse series of educational concerts in 2011 |
| Moorambilla Voices for Education strategy in North Western NSW |
| Award for Excellence in a Regional Area |
|---|
Winner |
Moorambilla Voices for engagement with local community in North Western NSW |
Finalists |
| Creative Regions for The Crushing: A Gothic Opera, Bundaberg |
| Gondwana Choirs for Cairns Residency Project |
| Queensland Music Festival for Ailan Kores community project, Thursday Island |
| Award for Excellence in Experimental Music |
|---|
Winner |
Madeleine Flynn and Tim Humphrey for 2011 Activities |
Finalists |
| Daniel Blinkhorn for 2011 composition activities |
| Decibel for PICA Performance Series |
| Super Critical Mass for their 2011 activities |
| Award for Excellence in Jazz |
|---|
Winner |
Quentin Angus for Composition, performance and international development |
Finalists |
| Andrea Keller for contribution to Australian Jazz |
| Tom O’Halloran for Piano Perspectives concert performance of Dissolve for two pianos |
| Troy Roberts for compositions Siarus and Oscar and The Shoe Box |
| Work of the Year: Vocal/Choral | |
|---|---|
Winner | |
| Title: | Osanna Mass |
| Composer: | Clare Maclean |
| Performer: | Sydney Chamber Choir, Paul Stanhope (Conductor) |
Finalists | |
| Title: | Blackwood |
| Composer: | Iain Grandage |
| Text: | Kevin Gillam |
| Performer: | Sara Macliver (soprano), Allan Meyer (clarinet) and Graeme Gilling (piano) |
| Title: | Pomegranate Friends |
| Composer: | Gerardo Dirié |
| Performer: | Fusion Vocal Ensemble |
| Title: | Sacred Kingfisher Psalms |
| Composer: | Ross Edwards |
| Performer: | The Song Company |
| Publisher: | Edition-s Music-Sound-Art |
| Work of the Year: Instrumental | |
|---|---|
Winner | |
| Title: | Sextet |
| Composer: | Brett Dean |
| Performer: | Australia Ensemble |
| Publisher: | Boosey & Hawkes Inc / Hal Leonard Australia Pty Ltd |
Finalists | |
| Title: | Flesh and Ghost |
| Composer: | Anthony Pateras |
| Performer: | Speak Percussion |
| Title: | …out of obscurity |
| Composer: | Elliott Gyger |
| Performer: | Zubin Kanga (piano) |
| Title: | Qinoth |
| Composer: | Paul Stanhope |
| Performer: | ACO2, the Australian Chamber Orchestra's young artists' training ensemble led by Dale Barltrop |
| Work of the Year: Orchestral | |
|---|---|
Winner | |
| Title: | Missa Solis – Requiem for Eli |
| Composer: | Nigel Westlake |
| Text: | John Weiley, Hannie Rayson and Michael Cathcart |
| Performer: | Sydney Symphony, Nigel Westlake (Conductor) |
Finalists | |
| Title: | Gardener of Time |
| Composer: | Barry Conyngham |
| Performer: | Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Conductor Hiroyuki Iwaki |
| Title: | Spirit Ground |
| Composer: | Ross Edwards |
| Performer: | West Australian Symphony Orchestra with Margaret Blades (violin) |
| Title: | The Shining Island |
| Composer: | Peter Sculthorpe |
| Performer: | Canberra Festival Camerata |
| Publisher: | Hal Leonard Australia Pty Ltd obo Faber Music Ltd |
| Work of the Year: Jazz | |
|---|---|
Winner | |
| Title: | Affectations |
| Composer: | Andrea Keller |
| Performer: | Bennetts Lane Big Band |
Finalists | |
| Title: | Dissolve for two pianos |
| Composer: | Tom O’Halloran |
| Performer: | Tom O’Halloran and Graham Wood |
| Title: | River Meeting Suite |
| Composer: | Jeremy Rose |
| Performer: | Compass Saxophone Quartet plus Bobby Singh and Sarangan Sriranganthan |
| Title: | Unknowness 1 |
| Composer: | Peter Knight |
| Performer: | Peter Knight (trumpet and laptop), Adam Simmons (contra bass clarinet), Frank Di Sario (double bass), Erik Griswold (prepared piano), Vanessa Tomlinson (percussion), Joe Talia (drum kit and electronics) |
| Performance of the Year | |
|---|---|
Winner | |
| Performer: | West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Conductor Paul Daniel |
| Title: | Two Memorials for Anton Webern and John Lennon |
| Composer: | James Ledger |
Finalists | |
| Performer: | Felicitas Fuchs (soprano), Qian Zhou (violin) and Bernard Lanskey (piano) |
| Title: | Stille Sprache |
| Composer: | Andrew Schultz |
| Text: | Rainer Maria Rilke |
| Performer: | Michael Kieran Harvey |
| Title: | Piano Sonata No 3 |
| Composer: | Lawrence Whiffin |
| Performer: | Sydney Symphony, Conductor Nigel Westlake |
| Title: | Missa Solis – Requiem for Eli |
| Composer: | Nigel Westlake |
| Text: | John Weiley, Hannie Rayson & Michael Cathcart |
| State Award Winners | |
|---|---|
Australian Capital Territory | |
Performance of the Year | |
| Performer: | Tamara Anna Cislowska, Lara St. John, Danish String Quartet, Justin Bullock & Andreas Borregaard |
| Title: | Torque |
| Composer: | Elena Kats-Chernin |
New South Wales | |
Performance of the Year | |
| Performer: | Zubin Kanga |
| Title: | Uncanny Valley |
| Composer: | Nicholas Vines |
South Australia | |
Performance of the Year | |
| Performer: | Zephyr String Quartet and Greta Bradman |
| Title: | Sea Chronicles |
| Composer: | Paul Stanhope |
Tasmania | |
Award for Excellence in Jazz | |
Nick Haywood Quartet | |
Western Australia | |
Orchestral Work of the Year | |
| Title | Two Memorials for Anton Webern and John Lennon |
| Composer: | James Ledger |
Victoria | |
Award for Excellence by an Organisation or an Individual | |
Speak Percussion for 2011 Annual Program | |
Queensland | |
Award for Excellence in Experimental Music | |
Lawrence English for Contributions to experimental electronic music in 2011 in Queensland | |