THE inaugural national Luminary Award for an individual, for sustained contribution over several years, was presented to Dharug composer and ANU music lecturer, Chris Sainsbury, at tonight’s virtual 10th Art Music Awards, co-hosted by Jonathan Biggins, Lou Bennett and Zela Margossian.

As well, a state/territory Luminary Award for the ACT went to the Canberra International Music Festival for its 2019 event and its “ongoing reputation for high quality and innovative programming”.

Presented annually by the Australian Music Centre and APRA AMCOS, whose membership acknowledges the achievements of composers, performers and educators in contemporary classical music, jazz, improvisation, sound art and experimental music.

Sainsbury was singled out for initiating and driving the Ngarra-Burria: First Nations Composers program, a critically important project and the judging panel said “Chris’ work over the past five years has had a national impact in both training emerging First Nations composers and redefining their role and future within Australian art music”.

In accepting the award, Sainsbury said, “I’m glad about this award and I anticipate that it will be of benefit to the Ngarra-Burria program, our First People’s composers, and that’s what it’s all about, those composers. Big thank you to the Australian Music Centre, to Ensemble Offspring, to Moogahlin Performing Arts and to the ANU School of Music and, of course, the composers themselves”.

The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra was the recipient of the Luminary Award for an Organisation for its long-term commitment offering professional development for Australian composers and musicians, as well as for promoting gender equity through opportunities for female conductors. The judges also noted the TSO’s support of Australian music.

The Performance of the Year Awards, now presented in two categories, were a show of strength by women. WA percussionist Louise Devenish won the ‘Notated Music’ category with her program ‘Sheets of Sound’, while Sandy Evans’ “Bridge of Dreams” team (Sandy Evans, Shubha Mudgal, Aneesh Pradhan and Sirens Big Band) won the inaugural  Performance of the Year.

The ‘Work of the Year: Dramatic’ went to two very different operatic works, Elliott Gyger and Pierce Wilcox’s “Oscar and Lucinda” and Cat Hope’s “Speechless”, a wordless opera with a graphic notation score generated from the 2014 Human Rights Commission Report about children in immigration detention.

Bassist and composer Linda May Han Oh from WA won the Art Music Award for ‘Work of the Year: Jazz’ for her “Aventurine”, the award for ‘Work of the Year: Electroacoustic/Sound Art’ went to Melbourne-based Matthias Schack-Arnott’s “Everywhen”.

‘Work of the Year: Choral’ went to Paul Stanhope’s composition set to Steve Hawke’s text, “I am Martuwarra”, Award for ‘Work of the Year: Large Ensemble’ went to James Ledger’s Viola Concerto. ‘Work of the Year: Chamber Music’ went to Chris Dench’s solo piano composition “bells:day”, described by the judges as “an extraordinary contribution to the repertoire”.

The full list of winners in the 2020 APRA Art Music Awards apraamcos.com.au/news/