FCA team finalists in 2007 Classical Music Awards

Creative Arts Team
Finalists in the 2007 Classical Music Awards
The Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and the Australian Music Centre (AMC) have announced the 2007 finalists for the annual Classical Music Awards!

Initiated by AMC in 1988, the Classical Music Awards have been running in their present form since 2001, honouring the achievements and creativity of many within the Australian contemporary classical music industry.

In addition to highlighting the talent and dedication of organisations and individuals in the new music scene, this event also aims to raise public awareness of outstanding new classical composition over the past year.

Eleven national awards along with several state prizes will be presented in categories including composition, performance, music education and music in a regional area. The finalists will be judged by a panel of leading composers, performers, musicologists, educators and critics with winners announced at the Sydney Theatre, Walsh Bay, on Wednesday 12 September 2007.

The Faculty of Creative Arts is proud to congratulate 2007 finalists in the prestigious Work of the Year category for Vocal or Choral Bruce Crossman, Merlinda Bobis and Lotte Latukefu.

Nominated for their collaborative opera Daragang Magayon Cantata, Bruce completed is Doctorate of Creative Arts in Music Composition with the University of Wollongong (UOW) in 2000 under the supervision of Professor Andrew Schultz, Dean Faculty of Creative Arts. Merlinda is a respected author and current Senior Lecturer in the School of Journalism & Creative Writing with the Faculty at UOW.

This piece of Filipino-jazz inspired music theatre, was written for mezzo-soprano and piano - music by Bruce Crossman with text adapted from the epic-poem by Merlinda Bobis, Cantata of the warrior woman Daragang Magayon.

Daragang Magayon Cantata was performed live at the 2006 Aurora Festival by Faculty of Creative Arts Lecturer in Voice, Lotte Latukefu (singer) accompanied by Ian Munro (pianist) and Merlinda Bobis (dancer-chanter).

I was very surprised at the announcement, said Bruce Crossman, You work on things for a long time and it's great to receive this kind of recognition.

Lotte and Merlinda did a fantastic performance for the Aurora Festival last year and I'm very glad that they are being acknowledged in this award UOW is privileged to have such talented staff, said Bruce. This work was designed specifically for them both and working with Merlinda has opened my ears to the music of Asia and changed the way I write.

Bruce says he has been misquoted before as saying that his introduction to the sounds of Filipino music had reinvented his voice and in a way that's true. It has changed my musical language and is a direction that a lot of my music has taken. That includes a piece due to be performed by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in Wellington around the same time as the Classical Music Awards ceremony.

I am definitely planning on future collaborations with Merlinda and also hoping to work in film next year.