NOMINATION: Work of the Year - Electroacoustic / Sound Art
The Electroacoustic / Sound Art category is for works which utilise and manipulate digital and/or analogue sound as the primary medium. The work may be interdisciplinary (incorporating more than one media). It may include, but is not limited to; sonic art, electronics, interactive work, generative music, environmental sound, installations, soundscapes, electroacoustic music, and intermedia works.
A work is defined as a single complete musical composition, or expression. This includes music with movements or sub-works (i.e. song cycles), installations, and real-time compositions (improvised music).
If you believe your work to be 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
Nat Bartsch
Title of the work
Forever Changed
Librettist(s) or source author(s)
Nat Bartsch
Performer
Nat Bartsch
Performance Date
15/11/2024
Venue
Forever Changed
Nominator Statement
Forever Changed is Nat Bartschs ninth album release - a visionary immersive project created by, for, and with the neurodivergent community.
Recorded at home with her 7yo son sleeping down the hall, the album celebrates Nat discovery of her autistic/ADHD identity in her late 30s, and reflects upon the enormous changes that have occurred in her life since: divorce, new love and a new family.
The album showcases a development of Nat's inimitably lyrical, emotive sound - creating a vast, ethereal sound-world using upright piano, harp, strings, electroacoustic ambient effects and synthesizers. The album is designed for spatial audio formats; both released in atmos and performed in scalable surround sound.
Forever Changed is a much anticipated follow up to her most popular release, the 2018 album Forever, and No Time At All. This album has had a substantial impact - receiving more than 10 million streams on Spotify, played by people from all walks of life on a daily basis. While her first lullabies were focussed on soothing babies and their parents, Forever Changed is focussed on reaching the neurodivergent community (as well as being music for all).
Nat's discovery of her AuDHD traits led to a deeper understanding of her sensory experience of the world. She began to note her love of patterns, colours, glitter, movement in nature and more. Through her difficult life transitions, Nat also noticed some unexpected sensory needs in music:
When everything changed, so did my listening habits. Instead of turning to meditative music in difficult times, I was drawn to a sensory-seeking wall of sound: artists like At the Drive In, Tears for Fears, Cornelius, Jon Hopkins and Floating Points. Consulting with other AuDHD people, and music therapists, I realised that I am not alone. Many neurodivergent people seem to find complex, detailed or dramatic music soothing. High pitched melodies, interlocking patterns, grounding rhythms. Richly layered, textured and varied sound.
Forever Changed is immersive music you can soak in, that explores these sensory needs. The music has same gentleness and repetition as Forever, and No Time At All: but there is glitter and detail on top. Some pieces are solo piano lullabies for the corner of a room; others are multi-layered, ethereal works that create a room for the listener to step into.
Nat premiered this album at Melbourne Recital Centre as Artist in Residence in November 2024.
Nominee
Nat Bartsch
Title of the work
Forever Changed
Librettist(s) or source author(s)
Nat Bartsch
Performer
Nat Bartsch
Performance Date
15/11/2024
Venue
Forever Changed
Recorded at home with her 7yo son sleeping down the hall, the album celebrates Nat discovery of her autistic/ADHD identity in her late 30s, and reflects upon the enormous changes that have occurred in her life since: divorce, new love and a new family.
The album showcases a development of Nat's inimitably lyrical, emotive sound - creating a vast, ethereal sound-world using upright piano, harp, strings, electroacoustic ambient effects and synthesizers. The album is designed for spatial audio formats; both released in atmos and performed in scalable surround sound.
Forever Changed is a much anticipated follow up to her most popular release, the 2018 album Forever, and No Time At All. This album has had a substantial impact - receiving more than 10 million streams on Spotify, played by people from all walks of life on a daily basis. While her first lullabies were focussed on soothing babies and their parents, Forever Changed is focussed on reaching the neurodivergent community (as well as being music for all).
Nat's discovery of her AuDHD traits led to a deeper understanding of her sensory experience of the world. She began to note her love of patterns, colours, glitter, movement in nature and more. Through her difficult life transitions, Nat also noticed some unexpected sensory needs in music:
When everything changed, so did my listening habits. Instead of turning to meditative music in difficult times, I was drawn to a sensory-seeking wall of sound: artists like At the Drive In, Tears for Fears, Cornelius, Jon Hopkins and Floating Points. Consulting with other AuDHD people, and music therapists, I realised that I am not alone. Many neurodivergent people seem to find complex, detailed or dramatic music soothing. High pitched melodies, interlocking patterns, grounding rhythms. Richly layered, textured and varied sound.
Forever Changed is immersive music you can soak in, that explores these sensory needs. The music has same gentleness and repetition as Forever, and No Time At All: but there is glitter and detail on top. Some pieces are solo piano lullabies for the corner of a room; others are multi-layered, ethereal works that create a room for the listener to step into.
Nat premiered this album at Melbourne Recital Centre as Artist in Residence in November 2024.