Cat Hope: Contribution to Music Education in Western Australia
Cat Hope is recognised for her dedicated focus on creating and performing Australian work and her massive contribution in the contemporary arts field, in particular in Western Australia but which resonates nationally. She has played a significant role in designing tertiary music studies program WAAPA, Edit Cowan University and was one of the authors of WAAPA's first postgraduate programs in music. Cat Hope has been responsible for initiating many significant projects such as Composer-in-Residence programs at WAAPA, the Tura Commisioning Award with Tura New Music and most recently her new music ensemble, Decibel. Hope's philosophy of music education is not only about the involvement and development of students in new music culture, but also of staff, research and the wider new comminity.
cathope.com
Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre: Composer-in-Focus 2010 with Ross Edwards
The JSPAC is to be commended on this interactive music education program based in Western Sydney, thereby providing access to many students who would not otherwise have this level of contact and immersion in Australian music. The combination of working with an established accessible composer such as Ross Edwards, the high calibre performers of the Ensemble Offspring and a public performance for the Western Sydney community made this a comprehensive and excellent education program. The integrated education kit gives this program an extended life. JSPAC is making a significant contribution to Music Education in Australian music and the cultural life of Western Sydney.
Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic: Commissioning Hide and Squeak by Damian Barbeler and the 2010 Kids Proms concerts
As a community orchestra in Sydney's north, and with limited resources, Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic is commended on its successful and innovative series of Kids Proms concerts to introduce 3-8 year olds to the sound world of an orchestra. In 2010, they commissioned Damian Barbeler with a brief to write 3-4 minute work with a tune familiar to the 3-8 year old age group as a starting point to create a piece that would display the different sound colours and contemporary expressive techniques of an orchestra, whilst engaging the young audience in an interactive entertaining work. It was also designed so that other community orchestras around Australia could use the work for similiar education projects.
The Australian Voices': Young Composers' School
The Australian Voices is distinct for the emphasis it places on developing new talent for the future of Australia's choral music. For the last twelve years, they have helped develop Australia's next generation of composers by running the Young Composers' School. The Australian Voices' commitment is especially strong with young Indigenous musicians and it has a long history of commissioning and performing with Indigenous artists. This School is a long-term and meaningful commitment to the development of the Australian composers of the next fifty years.
theaustralianvoices.com