SEVERAL high-profile Canberra-related music names appeared at the top of the list in the 2023 Art Music Awards, hosted by Monica Trapaga in Sydney on Tuesday night.

Director of the Canberra International Music Festival, Roland Peelman, received the national “Luminary” award for an individual, ANU associate professor William Barton received the Richard Gill award for distinguished services to Australian music, Heather Percy won the award for Work of the Year – Choral, and AJ America was named state and territory ACT Luminary.

But while this looks like an affirmation of Canberra music, only America was singled out purely for her services in the ACT.

Peelman won his award for “sustained service to Australian music as a conductor, pianist, artistic director and mentor to composers, singers, and instrumentalists, notably through his work with The Song Company and the Canberra International Music Festival.”

Barton was recognised for “his trailblazing contributions to Australian music, broadening, the horizons for the didgeridoo and the culture and landscape it represent it represents.”

Percy’s award was for ” for ‘Three Night Songs,’ performed by Sydney Chamber Choir and conducted by Sam Allchurch.”

And America was named in the state and territory-based Luminary Awards, presented to individuals and organisations who made significant contributions for their local communities, for “leadership in the ACT.”

The night of nights, presented by APRA AMCOS and the Australian Music Centre, is largely a celebration of metropolitan music, but this year the presenting organisations were keen to highlight that the winners of both performance categories demonstrated an “active cross-cultural approach to music making”.

The full list of recipients in the 2023 Art Music Awards may be found here

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