After a nation-wide search for the greatest jazz artist aged 35 and under, the judges for The Music Trust’s 2019 Freedman Jazz Fellowship, Gai Bryant, Mike Nock and Matt Keegan who are all musicians, composers and educators themselves, have today announced the three finalists from a list of 17 nominees from across Australia.

Congratulations to:
Elly Hoyt (Vocals) – nominated by Julien Wilson
Harry Sutherland (Piano) – nominated by Jonathan Zwartz
Novak Manojlovic (Piano) – nominated by Jonathan Zwartz

They will compete live in concert at the Sydney Opera House on Sunday 8 September for the title of the 2019 Freedman Jazz Fellow.

Distinguished judge Mike Nock ONMZ said “Each of the finalists exhibited an extraordinarily high level of musicianship. Interestingly, each is using visual materials in their proposed projects to broaden the reach to their potential audience”. He went on to say “The great contrast between the three finalists will promise a riveting evening of music at Freedman Jazz”.

About The Fellowships:
The Jazz Fellowship is funded by the Freedman Foundation, a philanthropic foundation chaired by Laurence Freedman, which assists young Australians in music and visual arts as well as providing support to medical and scientific programs. ABC Jazz is the media partner for the Freedman Jazz Fellowships and will be covering the event and will broadcast the concert. In addition to the cash prize, the winner will receive a recording package to produce a recording in the superb ABC Jazz Studios.

Elly Hoyt:

Vocalist and composer Elly Hoyt was born in Tasmania before moving to Queensland where she received a Bachelor of Music in Jazz and Contemporary Voice and a Masters of Vocal Pedagogy at the Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University (QCGU). Hoyt’s accolades include a Bell Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album, the Generations in Jazz Vocal Scholarship and a Marten Bequest Traveling Scholarship to study a Masters of Jazz Performance at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, USA. Career highlights also include supporting US pianist Kenny Barron and performing for Prince Charles and Camilla and she as also toured internationally playing venues, festivals and clubs in China, New York City, Boston (USA), Germany and of course Australia.

Elly plans to write and record an album in collaboration with bassist/arranger/composer Geoff Gascoyne (UK). The album will comprise a suite of original songs based on the story of Ali Dorani (aka Mr. Eaten Fish, cartoonist), an Iranian asylum seeker who was held in an Australian-run detention centre on Manus Island for over four years. This will involve documenting the project, publicising the project and performing live at festivals and concert halls in collaboration with the artwork of Ali.

Novak Manojlovic:

Sydney-based pianist, Novak Manojlovic first began playing piano at age eight. He went on to study at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music from 2012-2016 where he honed his craft as an improviser and composer, studying under pianists Mike Nock and Matt McMahon (Freedman Jazz Fellow 2005). Novak has led his own diverse projects and collaborated extensively in the pop music scene, acting as a musical director, arranger and touring musician for Ngaiire, Sampa the Great, Wallace and Martha Marlow. Novak has been quickly gaining recognition for his expressive approach, and since finishing his studies has been composing and performing with his subversive piano trio ‘HEKKA’, electro-acoustic outfit Colourfields and his large ensemble Grown Ocean throughout Australia.

Novak plans to use the Freedman Fellowship to take his longstanding piano trio HEKKA (featuring Jacques Emery on bass and Tully Ryan on drums) on a 10-date national and international Oceanic tour, where they will collaborate with a projection artist residing in each city. A new, one hour set of music will be composed specifically for the trio and visuals.

Harry Sutherland:

Sydney-born, Melbourne-based pianist and composer, Harry Sutherland graduated from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music with first class honours in 2013 under the tutelage of Matt McMahon, John Harkins and Mike Rivett. Performing since a young age, Harry has gained extensive experience playing with some of Australia’s most accomplished jazz musicians including James Morrison, Dale Barlow and Paul Furniss. He has been performing regularly with Geoff Bull and the Finer Cuts since 2012, playing and touring extensively with pop music and jazz artists including Matt Corby, Dereb the Ambassador, Touch Sensitive, Ben Hauptmann, Donny Benet and Ngaiire.

Harry’s project is to compose a new large scale work and release it as an album. In addition a large part of it would be filmed to form a strong promotional pack to promote the music online and to create better opportunities for touring in the future. The music itself explores the intersection of the band members’ individual voices and also a wide timbral palette offered by a somewhat unorthodox instrumentation. The ensemble would consist of Harry (piano, synthesizers), Ken Allars (trumpet, synthesizers, electronics), Tully Ryan (drums) and a string quartet.

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