Resonate Magazine | Australian Music Centre

Image: Stéphanie Kabanyana Kanyandekwe, host of the 2024 Art Music Awards  

APRA AMCOS and the Australian Music Centre are delighted to announce the 2024 Art Music Awards will take place on Wednesday 14 August at the Malthouse Theatre in Melbourne | Naarm.

The Art Music Awards gathers Australia's creators, performers, and leaders in art music to celebrate outstanding achievements in contemporary classical music, jazz and improvised music, experimental music, and sound art from the past year.

AMC CEO Catherine Haridy says, "The Art Music Awards is an annual highlight for Australian music and showcases some of the best music-making our nation has to offer. We are continually inspired by the collective innovation in the art music community and look forward to celebrating the unrelenting passion and creativity of creators and collaborators, and their outstanding contributions to music-making."

Finalists for the 2024 Art Music Awards will be announced on Thursday 11 July. The Awards span 13 national categories, recognising excellence in works, performances, as well as excellence in music education, experimental practice, and activity in a regional area. The Luminary Awards will be presented to individuals and organisations from each state and territory to acknowledge sustained contributions within their local music communities.

The APRA and AMC Boards of Directors will jointly award the annual Richard Gill Award for Distinguished Services to Australian Music. In the spirit of its namesake, this award recognises an individual or group considered to have made a sustained and impactful contribution to the art music sector.

Recipients from recent years include William Barton, the late Nigel Butterley AM, Penny Lomax and Maureen Cooney.

Hosts

The Art Music Awards will be hosted by composer and multi-disciplinary storyteller Stéphanie Kabanyana Kanyandekwe, who is also widely recognised for her work as a broadcaster of ABC Classic. She will be joined by guest presenters Miranda Hill - contemporary double bassist, improviser, and past Luminary Award recipient - and esteemed conductor Benjamin Northey.

Curator

In a true celebration of Australian art music, the Awards will showcase live performances curated by 2022 Art Music Award winner Sia Ahmad. A Canberra-based songwriter, artist, improviser and facilitator, Sia brings an outsider's eye and "DIY punk aesthetic" to creative collaboration and programming. This will be the first Art Music Awards under her musical direction.

More about the Art Music Awards.