Soprano Deborah Cheetham, ELISION and the Australian Art Orchestra are among those receiving VicArts grants.

The latest round of Victorian Government arts grants will see an investment of more than $1 million into the independent arts sector, with more than 1200 career opportunities created for artists and other creative industries workers across the state. The arts funding initiative by Creative Victoria was established to help bridge the funding gap caused by cuts to the Australia Council’s budgets in recent years, which saw over 60 arts organisations across the country lose out on operational funding applications in May 2016.

This year, 62 projects are set to receive VicArts funding, which will provide opportunities for almost 900 of Victoria’s independent artists and 350 professionals in technical, administrative and other support roles.

Those receiving grants include soprano Deborah Cheetham, for the development of Eumeralle: A War Requiem, a large-scale choral work to be written in the Gunditjmara language from South-West Victoria; the Australian Art Orchestra on behalf of Meng Wang for the development of a new contemporary music work, Cocoon; ELISION Incorporated for the presentation of the ensemble’s programme of contemporary concerts in Melbourne, Shanghai and Dresden; and Brian Lipson, for the development...