Jack Symonds Doubles Up At 2025 Art Music Award

Angelina Zucco, Jack Symonds, Claire Edwardes at the 2025 Art Music Awards

Jack Symonds was the big winner at the 2025 Art Music Awards, where he collected a brace of doughnut-shaped trophies.

Presented Thursday, August 21 at Sydney’s City Recital Hall, Symonds took home Work of the Year: Dramatic for his operatic re-telling of “Gilgamesh”, with text by Louis Garrick; and the NSW State Luminary Award for his outstanding contributions to contemporary Australian opera.

The epic poem proved golden for Sydney Chamber Opera, Opera Australia, Australian String Quartet and Ensemble Offspring, which claimed Performance of the Year: Notated Composition.

Women composers won four of the six Work of the Year categories, while three Excellence Awards were won by projects that illuminate the importance of cross-cultural collaboration and artistic practice in contemporary Australian art music.

The Award for Excellence in Music Education went to Musica Viva Australia for its Accessible Music Education Program; arts and social change organisation Big hART won the Award for Excellence in a Regional Area for Tjaabi: Flood Country – 2024 Regional Tour; and Aviva Endean took out the Award for Excellence in Experimental Practice for The Breath Becomes The Wind. 

As previously reported, art music visionaries Jon Rose and Hollis Taylor were saluted with the prestigious Richard Gill Award for Distinguished Services to Australian Music for their boundary-pushing work and sonic exploration. Rose was on hand to accept the award on the pair’s behalf. 

Produced by APRA AMCOS and the Australian Music Centre (AMC) the Art Music Awards is an annual celebration of the national art music community, saluting excellence among creators, performers and community leaders in contemporary classical, jazz, experimental music and sound art.

“Congratulations to this year’s finalists and winners on their remarkable achievements,” comments Dean Ormston, CEO of APRA AMCOS. “Once again, they have pushed the boundaries of art music and sonic exploration.”

This year’s finalists “showcase the incredible breadth of talent we are so lucky to have in Australia’s art music community,” comments Catherine Haridy, CEO of AMC. “We, at the AMC, are committed, in our 50th year of existence, to celebrating and valuing the creation of Australian composers, performers and industry leaders.”

Guests on the night were treated to performances from four-piece supergroup Asteroid Ekosystem; drummer and electronic musician Laurence Pike with VOX Sydney Philharmonia Choirs; percussionist Claire Edwardes in collaboration with turntablist Martin Ng; and others.

Visit apraamcos.com.au/2025artmusicawards for more. 

2025 Art Music Award Winners 

State Luminary Award: NSW 

Jack Symonds for outstanding contributions to contemporary Australian opera

State Luminary Award: SA 

Adelaide Chamber Singers for sustained contribution to commissioning and artistic excellence

State Luminary Award: VIC 

Nat Bartsch for advocacy for neurodiversity in music

State Luminary Award: TAS 

Stevie McEntee for programming Clarence Jazz Festival and as artistic director/founding member of Lutruwita Art Orchestra

State Luminary Award: QLD 

Muses Trio for Muses Inc.  

State Luminary Award: WA 

Perth International Jazz Festival for growth of the Perth International Jazz Festival 2020 – 2024