Eight emerging Aussie songwriters get fast-tracked

Tuesday, 3 March 2009

Eight emerging Australian songwriters are now on a career fast-track thanks to the 2009 Professional Development Awards (PDAs), proudly presented on Monday 2 March, by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) at a ceremony at their new head office in Ultimo.

“The APRA Professional Development awards continue to go from strength to strength,” said Sally Howland, APRA|AMCOS’s Director Member Services. “This year we have seen a 45% increase in applications received. In addition, the quality of applicants has been outstanding, making the selection process difficult for our panels of songwriter and industry expert judges.”

“Thank you to our judges, the 27 partner organisations who processed hundreds of applications and our generous sponsors. With your support, APRA can continue to give emerging songwriters and composers the helping hand they need to kick start their careers."

All eight winners will receive $12,000 cash to advance their careers through study or travel, PLUS: a Gibson guitar courtesy of long-time APRA Awards partner Gibson Guitars, studio time at Trackdown Recording Studio and access to an online course provided by the award-winning Berklee College of Music. The prize package totals more than $16,000.

Drum roll … the winners of the 2009 APRA Professional Development Awards are:

  • Jazz: Sean Foran (Qld)
  • Country: Katrina Burgoyne (Qld)
  • Film & Television: Daniel Baker (NSW)
  • Indigenous: David Leha (aka Radical Son) (NSW)
  • Classical: Melody Eötvös (Qld)
  • Popular Contemporary:
  • Walter De Backer (Vic)
  • Laura Englert (Vic)
  • Abbe May (WA)

In addition, songwriter Paris Wells (Vic) has been awarded the 2009 Jessica Michalik Contemporary Music Endowment. APRA also administers this award as part of the PDA program. The Endowment gives a $10,000 development grant to a promising Australian songwriter or band, nominated by the producers of The Big Day Out.

The APRA Professional Development Awards (PDAs) were first awarded in 2001 to mark APRA's 75th Anniversary. The Awards were received so enthusiastically by the music industry that the APRA Board decided to make the PDAs a permanent fixture on the APRA cultural calendar. As a result, APRA now offers eleven PDAs, every two years, in Australia and New Zealand to promising emerging music writers in the early stages of their careers.


 

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