Art Music Awards Winners For 2022 Announced

Congratulations to the winners of the 2022 Art Music Awards, announced in Melbourne this week.

The awards, presented annually by APRA AMCOS and the Australian Music Centre (AMC), recognise some of Australia’s finest established and emerging artists who are outstanding in their fields of expertise which include composition, performance, education and a broad spectrum of musical styles, among them, contemporary classical music, jazz, improvisation, sound art and experimental music.

The winners and finalists of the 2022 Art Music Awards especially showcase the power of collaboration and community in music-making, recognising the contributions of diverse artists, audiences and communities around Australia.

The winners:

Work of the Year: Choral
Requiem by Paul Stanhope, a work combining the poetry of Oodgeroo Noonuccal, Neela Nath Das, Mary Elizabeth Frye and Emily Dickinson and premiered by the Sydney Chamber Choir in 2021.

Work of the Year: Dramatic
Poem for a Dried Up River by Jane Sheldon, a piece co-devised with installation artist and scenographer Elizabeth Gadsby.

Work of the Year: Jazz
Gian Slater’s Grey is Ground album. Composed and performed by Slater, it’s her sixth solo release, exploring the unknowns and mysteries of day-to-day life.

Work of the Year: Large Ensemble
Olivia Davies for Stratus, premiered by the West Australian Symphony Orchestra and conductor Asher Fisch, the composer’s first commission for large orchestra.

Work of the Year: Chamber Music,
Tristan Coelho’s Hokusai Mixtape, a piece which evokes the music of Debussy and Takemitsu, performed by Jonathan Henderson, James Wannan, Emily Granger and Tristan Coelho.

Work of the Year: Electroacoustic/Sound Art
Depth Disintegration by Sia Ahmad, written specifically for Benjamin Anderson and the world’s only double-belled bass trombone.

Performance of the Year: Jazz/Improvised Music
Jeremy Rose & The Earshift Orchestra featuring Simon Barker and Chloe Kim, for their performance of their collaborative work, Disruption! The Voice of Drums.

Performance of the Year: Notated Composition
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Australian Art Orchestra, Paul Grabowsky AO, Daniel Wilfred, David Wilfred, conducted by Benjamin Northey, for WATA, a work marking new territory for Yolgnu song tradition and the symphony orchestra.

Excellence in Music Education:
Honeybee Creative for teaching neurologically diverse people music skills, song writing and recording projects in the Sunshine Coast and Gympie regions of Queensland, culminating in a series of major public performances.

Excellence in a Regional Area:
WA-based organisations Tura New Music and Marrugeku for the Sonus3 program and tour, reaching communities across the Kimberley.

Excellence in Experimental Music:
ADSR Zine for activities including exhibition, showcase and online catalogue of publications.

Luminary Award for an Individual:
Liza Lim for her work in music composition, as well as her leadership in the Composing Women Program at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

Luminary Award for an Organisation:
Australian Art Orchestra for their sustained leadership and contribution as an organisation, recording, performing commissions and facilitating opportunities for others.

Luminaries in state and territory-based categories were also acknowledged:
The Canberra Symphony Orchestra (ACT) for their Australian Series.
Claire Edwardes (NSW), Kieran Welch (QLD), Mark Ferguson (SA), Andrea Keller (VIC), Mace Francis (WA) and Claire Kilgariff (NT) were each recognised for their sustained contribution to art music in their local communities through performance, artistic directorship, and mentorship. Simon Reade (TAS) was named a Luminary for his sustained contribution as a conductor.

Richard Gill Award for Distinguished Services to Australian Music:
Presented by Elliott Gyger to the late Nigel Butterley AM, celebrating his pioneering work as a composer, broadcaster and music educator.

2021 Distinguished Services Award:
Penny Lomax and Maureen Cooney for their sustained contribution to Australian music as founding producers of ABC Radio National’s iconic The Music Show. The show’s host, Andrew Ford OAM was on hand to present them with their award.

The 12th annual Art Music Awards were hosted by Stéphanie Kabanyana Kanyandekwe, Emma Donovan and Aaron Wyatt. With music direction by Barney McAll, the awards ceremony featured live performances by featured award winner Gian Slater and Invenio Singers; Helen Svoboda with Erik Griswold, Joseph O’Connor, Audrey Powne and Andrew Saragossi; violin and piano duo Andrew Haveron and Simon Tedeschi; Baroque recorder and harpsichord duo Hannah Coleman and Donald Nicolson; and Butchulla songman Fred Leone, with experimental contrabassist Samuel Pankhurst, Ritchie Daniell and Charlotte Jacke.