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 2019 Art Music Awards were held on Monday 19 August at The Great Hall of the University of Sydney.
| Richard Gill Award for Distinguished Services to Australian Music |
|---|
Winner |
The Necks |
| Award for Excellence by an Organisation |
|---|
Winner |
Zephyr Quartet for their 2018 activities and 20 years of sustained contribution to the local, national and international arts scene |
Finalists |
| Canberra International Music Festival for sustained creative excellence, exceptional growth and cultivation of Australian music |
| City Recital Hall for Extended Play Festival of New Music |
| Plexus for sustained and creative contribution to Australian music culture |
| Award for Excellence by an Individual |
|---|
Winner |
Lyn Williams for significant contribution to the creation and performance of choral music in Australia |
Finalists |
| Brian Ritchie for sustained contribution to the Australian music sector as a performer, curator and mentor |
| Cat Hope for leadership in the composition, performance and education of new music in Australia |
| Michelle Leonard for 25 years championing Australian Art music |
| Award for Excellence in Music Education |
|---|
Winner |
West Australian Symphony Orchestra for Crescendo, El Sistema inspired free music education program |
Finalists |
| Musica Viva Australia for Musica Viva In Schools long-term music residency program |
| Speak Percussion for Sounds Unheard education program |
| Topology for Top Up music education program |
| Award for Excellence in a Regional Area |
|---|
Winner |
Steel City Strings for activities in 2018 and commitment to new Australian music |
Finalists |
| Moorambilla Voices for 2018 activities and ongoing commitment to cultural competency and the creation of art music for youth from remote and rural NSW |
| Queensland Symphony Orchestra for Gladstone Enrichment through Music program |
| Warren H Williams, Michael Sollis and Barkly Arts for One Sky Many Stories, inspiring audiences as they explore their relationship to the night sky, Indigenous culture and the world around us |
| Award for Excellence in Experimental Music |
|---|
Winner |
Bendigo International Festival of Exploratory Music for their ongoing contribution |
Finalists |
| Leah Barclay for Listening Underwater, a large-scale experimental music and acoustic ecology project |
| Speak Percussion for Polar Force, an investigation of wind, water and ice through sound |
| Thembi Soddell for Held Down, Expanding, an exploration of states of trauma and mental distress, and how these may be imagined sonically |
| Award for Excellence in Jazz |
|---|
Winner |
Ross McHenry for recording, international touring, residencies and commissions |
Finalists |
| Andrea Keller for new works, projects, recordings and educational output |
| Jeremy Rose for high artistic excellence, and contribution to the creation, presentation and promotion of Australian jazz |
| Niko Schauble for recording activities at Pughouse Studios |
| Vocal / Choral Work of the Year | |
|---|---|
Winner | |
| Title: | The Howling Girls |
| Composer: | Damien Ricketson; with Adena Jacobs (director) |
| Performer: | Sydney Chamber Opera: Jane Sheldon (soprano); artists from The House That Dan Built (ensemble) |
Finalists | |
| Title: | In Due Season |
| Composer: | Rachel Bruerville; text by Valerie Volk |
| Performer: | Adelaide Chamber Singers |
| Title: | The Audience Choir |
| Composer: | Alice Chance |
| Performer: | Ensemble Offspring with audience participation |
| Title: | The Drowners |
| Composer: | Andrew Ford; text by Tim Winton, George Barker, Georgiana Molloy, Bruce Dawe, Stevie Smith and William Shakespeare |
| Performer: | Ruthless Jabiru, Morgan Pearse (baritone) and Kelly Lovelady (conductor) |
| Instrumental Work of the Year | |
|---|---|
Winner | |
| Title: | Ignis |
| Composer: | Mary Finsterer |
| Performer: | James Wannan (viola d’amore) and Christopher Pidcock (cello) |
Finalists | |
| Title: | Piano Sonata |
| Composer: | Elizabeth Younan |
| Performer: | Joyce Yang |
| Title: | Stalin’s Piano |
| Composer: | Robert Davidson |
| Performer: | Sonya Lifschitz |
| Title: | String Quartet No. 6 |
| Composer: | Andrew Ford |
| Performer: | Flinders Quartet |
| Orchestral Work of the Year | |
|---|---|
Winner | |
| Title: | Implacable Gifts (Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra) |
| Composer: | Carl Vine |
| Performer: | Kathryn Stott (piano), Piers Lane (piano), West Australian Symphony Orchestra and Rory Macdonald (conductor) |
| Publisher: | Hal Leonard/Faber |
Finalists | |
| Title: | DACCORD : A diary of discourse |
| Composer: | Cathy Milliken |
| Performer: | Jessica Aszodi, Vladimir Gorbach, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and Benjamin Northey (conductor) |
| Title: | Lebewohl (Piano Concerto No. 3) |
| Composer: | Elena Kats-Chernin |
| Performer: | Tamara-Anna Cislowska (piano), Queensland Symphony Orchestra and Alondra de la Parra (conductor) |
| Publisher: | Hal Leonard/Boosey & Hawkes Group |
| Title: | Ruler of the Hive |
| Composer: | Melody Eötvös |
| Performer: | Pamela Rabe (narrator), Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and Marko Letonja (conductor) |
| Jazz Work of the Year | |
|---|---|
Winner | |
| Title: | Trombone Song Cycle |
| Composer: | Joshua Kyle and Andrew Murray |
| Performer: | Joshua Kyle (voice), James Greening, James Macauley, Jordan Murray & Adrian Sherriff (trombones) and Andrew Murray (conductor) |
Finalists | |
| Title: | Gratitude and Grief |
| Composer: | Katie Noonan, Zac Hurren, Stephen Magnusson and Michael Leunig |
| Performer: | Elixir et al. |
| Title: | Love, As We Know It |
| Composer: | Brenton Foster with Christopher Poindexter (lyricist) |
| Performer: | Brenton Foster, Gideon Brazil, Stephen Magnusson, Aaron McCollough and Jordan Tarento |
| Title: | Nothing Remains Unchanged |
| Composer: | Ross McHenry |
| Performer: | Ross McHenry Quartet feat. Eric Harland, Matthew Sheens and Ben Wendel |
| Performance of the Year | |
|---|---|
Winner | |
| Performer: | Speak Percussion with Jessica Aszodi |
| Title: | Atlas of the Sky |
| Composer: | Liza Lim; texts by Bei Dao and Eliot Weinberger |
| Publisher: | Universal Music Publishing MGB obo Ricordi Berlin |
Finalists | |
| Performer: | Ali McGregor, Antoinette Halloran, Dimity Shepherd and the Victorian Opera Chamber Orchestra, Phoebe Briggs (musical director) and Sarah Giles (director) |
| Title: | Lorelei |
| Composer: | Julian Langdon, with librettists Casey Bennetto and Gillian Cosgriff; concept by Ali McGregor |
| Performer: | Ray Chen & Julien Quentin |
| Title: | Violin Sonata No. 1: Dark Matter |
| Composer: | Matthew Hindson |
| Publisher: | Hal Leonard/Faber |
| Performer: | Taikoz, Riley Lee, Kaoru Watanabe, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Gerard Salonga (conductor) |
| Title: | Breath of Thunder |
| Composer: | Lachlan Skipworth |
| State Award Winners |
|---|
Australian Capital Territory |
Award for Excellence by an Organisation |
Canberra International Music Festival for sustained creative excellence, exceptional growth and cultivation of Australian music |
New South Wales |
Award for Excellence in Jazz |
Ellen Kirkwood for [A]part and other projects and activities in 2018 |
South Australia |
Award for Excellence by an Individual |
Gabriella Smart for activity in 2018 |
Northern Territory |
Award for Excellence in a Regional Area |
Warren H. Williams, Michael Sollis and Barkly Arts for One Sky, Many Stories, inspiring audiences as they explore their relationship to the night sky, Indigenous culture and the world around us |
Western Australia |
Jazz Work of the Year |
Daniel Susnjar for Onward and Upward |
Victoria |
Award for Excellence by an Individual |
Cat Hope for leadership in the composition, performance and education of new music in Australia |
Tasmania |
Award for Excellence by an Individual |
Brian Ritchie for sustained contribution to the Australian music sector as a performer, curator and mentor |
Queensland |
Award for Excellence in Experimental Music |
Leah Barclay for Listening Underwater, a large-scale experimental music and acoustic ecology project |
The Art Music Awards consist of eleven national Awards:
An additional category is awarded at the discretion of the Board of Publisher and Writer Directors of APRA for the Richard Gill Award for Distinguished Services to Australian Music.
For each State or Territory, one Award will be given from one of the following eleven categories: