APRA AMCOS and the Australian Music Centre have announced the nominations for the 2016 Art Music Awards, recognising contemporary art music written, composed and performed in 2015.

Sydney-based new music group Ensemble Offspring has received a number of nods in the nominations this year. The dynamic group has been nominated for the Award for Excellence by an Organisation – up against the Arcko Symphonic Ensemble, Speak Percussion and ABC Radio National’s The Music Show – and Artistic Director Claire Edwardes has been nominated for the Award for Excellence by an Individual section, for performance, advocacy and artistic leadership. Ensemble Offspring is also mentioned in the Instrumental Work of the Year category as the performers of Tristan Coelho’s read/write error, which is up against Michael Kieran Harvey’s Patañjali, Natalie Williams’ Saudade and Kate Neal’s Semaphore. Damien Ricketson – Ensemble Offspring’s former Co-Artistic Director – won the section last year for his immersive performance collaboration with Ensemble Offspring, The Secret Noise.

Composers Elliott Gyger, Paul Grabowsky and Andrew Schultz are nominated in a number of categories, and there are a swathe of nominees who are joining the list of finalists for the first time. These include Catherine Milliken, Louise Devenish, Kate Neal, Tristan...