Melbourne Prize for Music 2013

The menu links to the 2013 program.

News

MELBOURNE PRIZE 2013 NEWS

Registrations of interest open in the Melbourne Prize for Urban Sculpture 2014.
Posted on 22 Nov
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The winners of the Melbourne Prize for Music 2013 and Awards have been announced.
Posted on 13 Nov
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Read the media release announcing the winners in the Melbourne Prize for Music 2013 and Awards.
Posted on 13 Nov
Click here

The finalist exhibition opens in the Atrium at Federation Square 8 to 22 November 2013.
Posted on 08 Nov
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The finalists in the Melbourne Prize for Music 2013 and Awards have been announced.
Posted on 04 Sep
See the finalists

Read the media release announcing the finalists in the Melbourne Prize for Music 2013 and Awards.
Posted on 04 Sep
Click here

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2013 Finalists

The Melbourne Prize for Music 2013 and Awards is closed.

The winners in each category have been announced. Please see these and the finalists below.

2013 Finalist Exhibition at Federation Square
Image courtesy of Leisa Hunt Photography

Click here for the exhibition catalogue (927kb)

With a total prize pool of over $100,000, plus a free public exhibition at Federation Square, the Melbourne Prize for Music 2013 and Awards is one of the most valuable music prizes in Australia.

Click here for a Prize and Awards summary.

Click here for past winners.

The finalist in each category are as follows. Please click on their names for information and to hear their music which is available at the Federation Square exhibition.

Click here to visit the Melbourne Prize Trust, which runs the annual Melbourne Prize.

2013 Key Dates

20 May 2013

Entries open

16 July 2013 (5pm)

Entries are now closed

4 September 2013

Finalists announced

8 to 22 November 2013

Finalist Exhibition at
Federation Square

13 November 2013

Recipients announced

29 November 2013

Civic Choice Award 2013 announced

2013 Finalist biographies

Melbourne Prize
for Music 2013 finalists

Brett Dean

An internationally performed composer and performer, Brett Dean has written an opera – Bliss – and is currently working on his second. Brett has been a resident at the Australian National Academy of Music and a curator of the 2006 and 2011 Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s Metropolis Series.

Tony Gould

Pianist, composer and educator in the improvised music and jazz fields, Tony Gould holds a Bachelor of Music, a Master of Arts and a Doctorate in Philosophy, in addition to his work in music education as the Head of the School of Music at the Victoria College of the Arts until 2005. Currently he is performing, writing and working part time at Monash University.

Mick Harvey

Inner city Melbourne Mick Harvey is a musician, record producer and composer whose work spans over the past 35 years. A member of several bands and having contributed to ten feature films, among other achievements, Mick has spent the last years touring.

Shane Howard

A songwriter, producer, musical mentor, performer and musician, Shane Howard has been involved in the industry for over 30 years. Regularly working with other artists, Shane’s contribution to the local music scene has seen him able to mentor and educate others.

Wilma Smith

A violinist, Wilma Smith has been concertmaster of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra since 2003. In 2012 she launched her own chamber music series called Wilma and Friends. Wilma teaches music privately at the University of Melbourne.

Outstanding Musicians
Award 2013 finalists

Ros Bandt

Sound artist, Ros Bandt, has worked since 1980 to further her career. Having been recorded by many studios, Ros has an extensive list of projects and abilities, including her skills as a wind player and a pioneer of the bowed spike fiddle.

Grigoryan Brothers

Live performance artists, the Grigoryan Brothers, have been a professional act since 2002. With regular gigs across Australia including regional centers, the duo have also toured internationally since 2005.

Stephen Magnusson

Inspired by the great animators of the 20th Century, Stephen Magnusson is motivated by the use colour, light, sound effects and music to create animation. He has also worked with claymation and stop motion video, in addition to collaborations with artists and filmmakers.

Gian Slater

A composer, arranger, performer and recorded artist, Gian Slater has worked in various contexts over many styles of music. Having released several albums, Gian wishes to further her solo career, following many collaborations and a definite catalogue of work.

Eugene Ughetti

Eugene Ughetti is a composer and performer, working over the past years with the Australian Ballet, Malthouse Theatre and international festivals. He is Artistic Director of Speak Percussion and has won many awards and fellowships.

Erkki Veltheim

Originally from Finland, Erkki Veltheim holds a Bachelor of Performance Music from the Victorian College of the Arts and a Master of Arts from Victoria University. Working as a composer, arranger, conductor, soloist and sound artist, Erkki has contributed to the wider community of musicians and audiences in Australia for the past fifteen years.

Bart Willoughby

Bart Willoughby’s creates and promotes Aboriginal Rock-Reggae. The Bart Willoughby Band was formed in 2007 to create a lineup of musicians by combining youthful exuberance and age to deliver Bart’s fusion of Rock and Reggae.

Ainslie Wills

Vocalist, composer and instrumentalist, Ainslie Willis, holds a Diploma of Music and a Bachelor of Music Performance. Ainslie has performed extensively in the past five years, in addition to logging four of her own recordings.

Julien Wilson

For the past two decades Julien Wilson has been part of the Australian Jazz scene. Noted for his tenor saxophone, Julien has been playing since the age of 14 and plays regularly with his own trio and quartet, the Virus Quintet. Julien has released over a dozen CDs and most recently, continues to make music with the Julien Wilson Trio.

Lisa Young

Lisa Young is known to the jazz world as a creative vocal stylist and improviser, incorporating Indian and African elements in her work. Having studied the South Indian music scene since 1994, Lisa is a founder of the vocal and percussion group Coco’s Lunch.

Development Award
2013 finalists

Michael Bakrnčev

A composer and resident of Melbourne, Michael Bakrnčev's works have been performed across Australia, and he was named the youngest member of the Society of Composers of Macedonia in 2012.

Helen Croome

Helen is a Melbourne based singer-songwriter who holds a Bachelor of Music composition and tours as Gossling with session musicians.

Jessica Jiang

Jessica Jiang, a flutist, studied at the University of Melbourne, the Australian National Academy of Music and internationally at the National Superior Conservatory of Paris for Music and Dance. Her performance experience includes Swan Lake, The Nutcracker and works with the National Orchestra of France.

Adam Katz

Pianist and composer Adam Katz is about to complete his Bachelor of Music (Jazz/Popular Performance) at Monash University. While studying, Adam has fronted the Adam Katz Group and Adam Katz Trio, taught, and performed and recorded in the groups of many others. This year, he released his debut album, featuring renowned US drummer, Keith Carlock.

Kate Kelsey-Sugg

Having started performing at age 10, Kate Kelsey-Sugg studied a Bachelor of Music Performance at the Victorian College of the Arts and has participated in many Jazz Festivals.

2013 Prize & Awards Summary

The annual Melbourne Prize trophies
Design by Cornwell – Made by Fundere Fine Art Foundry Melbourne – Photo courtesy of Andrew Curtis

Please see a summary of the Prize and Awards below. Entries are now closed.

Click here for the exhibition catalogue

The Melbourne Prize for Music 2013 and Awards have been presented – click here for the results.

Melbourne Prize
for Music 2013
$60,000 cash

The Melbourne Prize for Music 2013 will be awarded to a Victorian musician, or group of Victorian musicians, whose work has made an outstanding contribution to Australian music and has enriched cultural and public life.

ALL music genres are eligible for this Prize.

Supported by

Outstanding Musicians
Award 2013
$30,000 cash / plus $2,500
Qantas international air travel

The Outstanding Musicians Award 2013 will be awarded to a Victorian musician, or group of musicians, for recent work representing an outstanding example of creativity and skill.

ALL music genres are eligible for this award.

Supported by the late
Dame Elisabeth Murdoch AC DBE

Development Award 2013
$13,000 / comprising
$7,000 cash plus $6,000
Yamaha Music Australia grant

The Development Award 2013 will be awarded to a musician or group of musicians, 30 years of age and under, who demonstrate outstanding musical talent with the potential to develop their professional career. ALL music genres are eligible for this Award.

Yamaha Music Australia
Pty Ltd grant

Supported by Yamaha Music Australia Pty Ltd, the grant offers music instruments or equipment, of the winner's choice, to the value of $6,000 rrp. The grant provides the recipient with an opportunity to develop his or her music career and must be used within 12 months from the date of the announcement of the recipient.

The music instrument and equipment grant is supported by

The cash component is
supported by

The University of Melbourne Residency

A residency at the Victorian College of the Arts and Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, University of Melbourne, will be offered to the recipient of the three categories.

Civic Choice Award 2013
$4,000 cash

Supported by

The 2013 Judges

Kate Ceberano

Singer / Songwriter
Artistic Director, Adelaide Cabaret Festival

Huw Humphreys

Director of Artistic Planning, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra

Photo courtesy of the judges

Professor Barry Conyngham

Dean / Faculty of the VCA and MCM / University of Melbourne

Chong Lim

Composer / Producer / Musical Director