CLARE BOWDITCH - APRA
CLARE BOWDITCH - APRA
CLARE BOWDITCH - APRA
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2006 <strong>APRA</strong>-AMC CLASSICAL MUSIC AWARDS:<br />
Celebrating passion, dedication and artistic talent<br />
2006 <strong>APRA</strong>-AGSC SCREEN MUSIC AWARDS:<br />
Honouring the unseen champions<br />
>> Christopher Wilcock and John Crawford<br />
>> David Chesworth Ebsemble<br />
>> Gillian Armstrong and Peter Best<br />
>> Garry McDonald<br />
>> Peter Sculthorpe and John Crawford<br />
>> Carl Vine and<br />
Mary Jo Capps from<br />
Musica Viva<br />
>> Orchestra performs music f<br />
or Crocodile Dundee<br />
>> Eric Chapus and Paul Mac<br />
Photos by >> David Otott and Damien Ford<br />
Photos: Tony Mott<br />
The 2006 Classical Music Awards<br />
were presented on Monday 7<br />
August, at the Sydney Theatre<br />
in The Rocks. At an event<br />
broadcast live across the country<br />
on ABC Classic FM, ten national<br />
awards, five state awards and the<br />
prestigious Distinguished Services<br />
to Australian Music award were<br />
presented and guests enjoyed<br />
performances from some of<br />
Australia’s leading contemporary<br />
classical musicians.<br />
Musica Viva Australia – the world’s largest<br />
entrepreneur of chamber music - was<br />
presented with the 2006 Distinguished<br />
Services to Australian Music award.<br />
Joining the likes of Anne Boyd, Miriam<br />
Hyde, Robert Hughes and Richard Meale,<br />
this prestigious award recognises their<br />
enormous contribution to Australian music<br />
over the past sixty years, including the<br />
commissioning of almost 100 new works.<br />
“Musica Viva is the sum total of the passion,<br />
dedication and talent of all the people that<br />
have gathered in its name, to advocate<br />
and celebrate Australian music for over<br />
six decades,” said James Strong, Chair of<br />
the Australia Council for the Arts, in his<br />
introduction to the 2006 winner.<br />
The award was accepted by General<br />
Manager, Mary Jo Capps and Artistic<br />
Director, Carl Vine.<br />
The Works of the Year categories were won<br />
by: David Chesworth for his instrumental<br />
composition, Panopticon; Peter Sculthorpe<br />
for his orchestral work, Cello Dreaming; and<br />
Christopher Willcock and Michael Leunig<br />
won Choral/Vocal Work of the year for<br />
excerpts of their work, Southern Star.<br />
Arts patron, philanthropist and avid<br />
concertgoer, Barbara Blackman, collected<br />
the Outstanding Contribution by an<br />
Individual award. In 2005, her philanthropy<br />
totalled $1 million in support of fine music<br />
in Australia.<br />
“Encouragement is one of the highest forms<br />
that love can take, so my intention is the<br />
encouragement of audience. Because an<br />
audience that is alert, attentive, eager and<br />
informed, brings out the best in composers<br />
and musicians. Courage begets courage and<br />
we’re all in it for love,” said Ms Blackman in<br />
her moving acceptance speech.<br />
High and low culture mash-up group CODA,<br />
opened the evening’s proceedings with their<br />
performance of the tongue in cheek tribute<br />
to Robert Palmer, Palms of Shangrilah.<br />
Other performances during the evening<br />
included the remarkable Sydney Children’s<br />
Choir under the direction of the renowned<br />
musician and arts patron, Lyn Williams,<br />
winner of the State Award for NSW.<br />
Genevieve Lacey and Richard Haynes,<br />
from the internationally acclaimed ELISION<br />
group, performed works by John Rodgers<br />
for recorder and bass clarinet. Later in<br />
the evening, Genevieve received the Best<br />
Performance of an Australian Composition<br />
award for her performance of James<br />
Ledger’s Line Drawing with the West<br />
Australian Symphony Orchestra. Richard<br />
won the award previously in 2004.<br />
The audience was transfixed by Floating<br />
World, composed by David Chesworth<br />
(Instrumental Work of the Year winner)<br />
and performed by the David Chesworth<br />
Ensemble. Closing the evening, leading<br />
chamber ensemble and Musica Viva regulars,<br />
Sydney Soloists, performed Richard Mills’s<br />
A Little Diary of Transformations.<br />
Hosted by ABC Classic FM’s Julia Lester<br />
(Drive), the 2006 Classical Music Awards<br />
were presented by industry luminaries such<br />
as Kenneth Tribe, James Strong, Brett Dean<br />
and Kathy Keele in front of 400 guests.<br />
For a full list of winners,<br />
go to www.apra.com.au/awards<br />
“The great thing about coming<br />
to this Awards Ceremony is<br />
clocking people like Grabowsky,<br />
Bridie, Best and lots more.<br />
People who have made the<br />
stories we tell, completely<br />
memorable. I believe you guys<br />
articulate the soul of the stories<br />
that are told in this country.”<br />
PENNY CHAPMAN, Producer and presenter at the<br />
2006 <strong>APRA</strong>-AGSC Screen Music Awards.<br />
The Australian screen and music industries<br />
gathered in November to pay tribute to<br />
their unseen heroes; screen composers.<br />
Held at the City Recital Hall, Angel Place,<br />
and proudly presented by <strong>APRA</strong> and the<br />
Australian Guild of Screen Composers,<br />
the event was hosted by Myf Warhurst<br />
and Alan Brough.<br />
The audience was treated to live<br />
performances of selected nominated<br />
compositions. The 13-piece orchestra<br />
was conducted by legendary composer<br />
(and award winner for Best Music in a<br />
Documentary), Paul Grabowsky.<br />
Gillian Armstrong presented veteran<br />
composer Peter Best, with the prestigious<br />
2006 International Achievement Award.<br />
Peter is arguably Australia’s most prolific<br />
film, television and jingle writer, with a<br />
list of impressive credits spanning three<br />
decades. Highlights of his stellar career<br />
include score for the worldwide smash<br />
movies, Crocodile Dundee I and II, Muriel’s<br />
Wedding plus We of the Never Never, High<br />
Tide, Doin’ Time for Patsy Cline and Bliss.<br />
Reflecting the camaraderie and the sense<br />
of community of the gathering, Peter<br />
noted wryly in his acceptance speech,<br />
“On awards nights we can mingle with<br />
the only people in the industry who<br />
understand and appreciate the value<br />
of screen music – ourselves.”<br />
The coveted Feature Film Score of the<br />
Year went to Francois Tetaz, whose eerie<br />
screen composition brilliantly matched the<br />
isolating tension of Australian box office<br />
hit, Wolf Creek.<br />
The two awards determined by statistical<br />
analysis were Most Performed Screen<br />
Composer – Australia, won by Jay<br />
Stewart, and Most Performed Screen<br />
Composer – Overseas, won by Garry<br />
McDonald & Laurie Stone for the second<br />
year running.<br />
A number of contemporary music artists,<br />
have turned to screen composition over the<br />
years with great success. Icehouse founder,<br />
Iva Davies won the award for<br />
best Music for Mini Series or Telemovie<br />
for The Incredible Journey of Mary Bryant.<br />
The multi-talented David Bridie won Best<br />
Soundtrack Album for R.A.N.; and ex-<br />
Models member Roger Mason won Best<br />
music for Television Series or Serial for<br />
Peking To Paris.<br />
Other winners on the night included<br />
Christopher Elves for Best Music for<br />
Children’s Television for Faireez – Episode<br />
40. Michael Yezerski won Best Original<br />
Song Composed for the Screen for<br />
Thursday’s Fictions – ARIA. Elliott Wheeler<br />
won Best Music for an Advertisement for<br />
McDonald’s Inner Child. Jonathan Nix<br />
received the award for Best Music for a<br />
Short Film for Gustavo and Andrew Hansen<br />
won Best Television Theme for The Chaser’s<br />
War on Everything.<br />
Encapsulating the commitment and support<br />
from <strong>APRA</strong> and the AGSC for Australia’s<br />
screen composers, <strong>APRA</strong> CEO Brett Cottle<br />
said, “Most of us could probably write the<br />
soundtrack to our lives, but we don’t have<br />
to because the people we are honouring<br />
here tonight have already done it for us.<br />
That’s why we have these awards.”<br />
For a full list of winners,<br />
go to www.apra.com.au/awards<br />
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