NOMINATION: Luminary - Individual
The Luminary Awards seek to honour individuals who, through sustained contribution (demonstrated over a period 3-5 years prior), have impacted our community on a national scale through visionary leadership, fearless trailblazing, high-level artistic practice, and championing of Australian repertoire.
Nominations for individuals should demonstrate a program of activities or a range of projects rather than (for example) the recording and release of a single album. Nominations for a single work or project should be made in the Work of the Year or Excellence categories.
If you believe you are nominated in the wrong category or the details of your nomination to be incorrect, please contact the AMC via email at awards@australianmusiccentre.com.au before proceeding with the nomination.
Art Music Award guidelines →
Nominee
Matt Withers
Nominated Project/Activity
Australian Composition Competition
Nominator Statement
Matt Withers has worked tirelessly as a classical guitarist, recording and releasing many albums and collaborating with many other artists. What is most amazing about Matt's contribution to our music industry is his fierce advocacy for new Australian works for guitar. He developed the Australian Composition Competition 10 years ago, providing emerging composers with the opportunity to compose a paid commission for an album recording, as well as receive mentorship and career development through the process. His competition usually includes a piece of visual art as a prompt for the works.
His most recent release, Here & Now (on my record label Amica Records), showcases commissions by the two winners of the competition - Naomi Dodd's Snowy River Lullaby and Natasha Lin's Acacia, which were chosen as single releases, and placed on an album alongside more established composers.
He repeats this process every year, runs crowdfunding campaigns, finds sponsorships and grants, and does it all independently.
Nominee
Matt Withers
Nominated Project/Activity
Australian Composition Competition
His most recent release, Here & Now (on my record label Amica Records), showcases commissions by the two winners of the competition - Naomi Dodd's Snowy River Lullaby and Natasha Lin's Acacia, which were chosen as single releases, and placed on an album alongside more established composers.
He repeats this process every year, runs crowdfunding campaigns, finds sponsorships and grants, and does it all independently.