The winners of the 2019 Art Music Awards have been announced at a ceremony in the University of Sydney’s Great Hall, in a celebratory evening of live performances hosted by comedian Jonathan Biggins. Presented by APRA AMCOS and the Australian Music Centre, the Art Music Awards celebrate achievements in Australian contemporary classical music, experimental music and jazz.

Carl Vine, Symphony No 8, Enchanted LoomCarl Vine. Photo © Keith Saunders

While the list of finalists this year included several newcomers, the night largely belonged to established voices and previous award winners. Carl Vine won Orchestral Work of the Year for his double piano concerto Implacable Gifts, inspired by the James Gleeson painting of the same name and given its premiere by Kathryn Stott, Piers Lane and the West Australian Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Rory Macdonald. The composer has been a regular finalist at the Art Music Awards across a number of categories (including for Orchestral Work of the Year in 2013 for his Second Piano Concerto) and was last year honoured with the Award for Excellence by an Individual. The composer was up against fellow finalists Melody...