Art Music Awards Announce 2017 Winners, Celebrating The Best In Jazz, Experimental & More

The best local music being made outside the mainstream had its moment in the sun at the 2017 Art Music Awards ceremony, held at Sydney's City Recital Hall last night.

The nation's finest composers, performers and educators from the realms of jazz, experimental and art music converged to see 11 national and eight state-based winners named as part of the seventh annual event, with the charge being led by dual winner Liza Lim, a Melbourne-based composer who won both Instrumental Work Of The Year (for the 35-minute-long How Forests Think) and Vocal/Choral Work Of The Year (for her opera Tree Of Codes).

Other winners included Lyle Chan (Orchestral Work Of The Year, My Dear Benjamin), Peter De Jager (Performance Of The Year, for his take on Chris Dench's Piano Sonata), Tom O'Halloran (Jazz Work Of The Year, Now Noise) and Andrea Keller (Award For Excellence In Jazz), among many others.

Tasmania's MONA also got a look-in for its work on 2016's MONA FOMA event, winning the state award for Excellence By An Organisation, while influential jazz drummer and band-leader John Pochée OAM was bestowed the Award For Distinguished Services To Australian Music.

The Art Music Awards also featured several performances, curated by Gabriella Smart, with hosting by Simon Marnie and presenters Sandy Evans, Paul Mason, Stephen Lias, Natalie Williams and Marshall McGuire.

See below for the full winners' list, and head to APRA AMCOS' website for more information about the event.

2017 Art Music Awards — Winners