On Thursday August 21st, the Sydney’s City Recital Hall welcomed the 2025 Art Music Award Ceremony.

The Art Music Award is an annual celebration of Australia’s art and music community presented by APREA AMCOS and the Australian Music Centre (AMC). It recognizes excellence among artists, performers and leaders in contemporary classical, jazz, experimental music and sound art. The ceremony was presented by Vanessa Hughes accompanied by guest presents Nardi Simposon and Hamed Sadeghi.

The biggest winner receiving two awards is Jack Symonds for

• Work of the Year: Dramatic for his re-telling of the poem Gilgamesh, with text by Louis Garrick.
• NSW State Luminary Award for his contributions to contemporary Australian opera.

Image: Angelina Zucco, Jack Symonds, Claire Edwardes (Credit: Jess Gleeson)

Women composers have continued to make a strong impact by winning four of the six Work of the Year categories:

• Work of the Year: Choral was awarded to Anne Cawrse for All Flesh is Fire
• Work of the Year: Chamber Music to Cathy Milliken for her work In Speak
• Work of the Year: Electroacoustic/Sound Art won Kate Milligan by with audio-visual work Tactus and
• Work of the Year: Jazz won by composers Cheryl Durongpisitkul, Stephen Hornby and Marcos Villalta for Koi Kingdom.

Image: Cheryl Durongpisitkul and her ensemble at the 2024 Art and Music Award Ceremony.

Many other artists such as Max Alduca, Jacques Emery, Brett Hirst, Chloe Kim, Oscar Neyland, Helen Svoboda, Jonathan Zwarts were awarded.

Several projects were also awarded for their work in cross-cultural collaboration such as Musica Viva Australia receiving this year’s Award for Excellence in Music Education for its Accessible Music Education Program.

Big hART won the Award for Excellence in a Regional Area for Tjaabi: Flood Country – 2024 Regional Tour and Aviva Endean took out the Award for Excellence in Experimental Practice for The Breath Becomes The Wind.

The National Luminary Awards which honors individuals and organisations who have impacted the community through their leadership and artistic practices were awarded to Stephen Adams for his dedication to Australian music as a broadcaster, producer, composer, and advocate. As well as Decibel New Music for its programs of concerts, released, tours and publications.

Art music visionaries, Jon Rose and Hollis Taylor received the prestigious Richard Gill Award for Distinguished Services to Australian Music for their boundary-pushing work and sonic exploration.

Click Here to find about more about the Awards Ceremony and the details for each categories.

2025 Art Music Award Winners

Work of the Year: Choral 
Title: All Flesh Is Fire  
Composer: Anne Cawrse 
Text: Kate Llewellyn 
Performer: Adelaide Chamber Singers 


Work of the Year: Dramatic 
Title: Gilgamesh 
Composer: Jack Symonds 
Text: Louis Garrick 
Performer: Sydney Chamber Opera, Opera Australia, Australian String Quartet and Ensemble Offspring 


Work of the Year: Jazz 
Title: Koi Kingdom 
Composer: Cheryl Durongpisitkul, Stephen Hornby and Marcos Villalta 
Performer: Koi Kingdom 


Work of the Year:  Large Ensemble 
Title: Ritornello 
Composer: Jakub Jankowski 
Performer: Australian Chamber Orchestra  


Work of the Year: Chamber Music 
Title: In Speak 
Composer: Cathy Milliken 
Performer: Arditti Quartet 


Work of the Year: Electroacoustic/Sound Art 
Title: Tactus 
Composer: Kate Milligan 
Performer: Jonty Coy 


Performance of the Year: Jazz/Improvised Music 
Performer: Max Alduca, Jacques Emery, Brett Hirst, Chloe Kim, Oscar Neyland, Helen Svoboda and Jonathan Zwartz  
Title: Music For Six Double Bassists 
Composer: Chloe Kim 


Performance of the Year: Notated Composition 
Performer: Sydney Chamber Opera, Opera Australia, Australian String Quartet and Ensemble Offspring 
Title:Gilgamesh 
Composer: Jack Symonds 
Text: Louis Garrick 


Award for Excellence in Music Education  
Musica Viva Australia for Accessible Music Education Program 


Award for Excellence in a Regional Area 
Big hART for Tjaabi: Flood Country – 2024 Regional Tour 


Award for Excellence in Experimental Practice  
Aviva Endean for The Breath Becomes The Wind 


Richard Gill Awards for Distinguished Services to Australian Music 
Jon Rose and Hollis Taylor 


Luminary: National Individual 
Stephen Adams for his outstanding contribution and dedication to Australian music as a broadcaster, producer, composer and advocate 


Luminary: National Organisation 
Decibel New Music for Decibel’s program of concerts, releases, tours and publications 


Territory Luminary Award: ACT 
Luminescence Chamber Singers for their annual program in ACT and beyond

State Luminary Award: NSW 
Jack Symonds for outstanding contributions to contemporary Australian opera

State Luminary Award: SA 
Adelaide Chamber Singers for sustained contribution to commissioning and artistic excellence

State Luminary Award: VIC 
Nat Bartsch for advocacy for neurodiversity in music

State Luminary Award: TAS 
Stevie McEntee for programming Clarence Jazz Festival and as artistic director/founding member of Lutruwita Art Orchestra

State Luminary Award: QLD 
Muses Trio for Muses Inc.  

State Luminary Award: WA 
Perth International Jazz Festival for growth of the Perth International Jazz Festival 2020 – 2024

Congratulations to all the participants and winners of this year’s Art Music Award Ceremony. Eastside is so happy to see Sydney celebrate the beautiful, talented and rising artists of our city.