Winner Announced for 2005 Freedman Fellowship for Jazz
The Music Council of Australia and Freedman Foundation are delighted to announce the winner of the 2005 MCA/Freedman Fellowship for Jazz.
The winner is Sydney pianist and composer, Matt McMahon. Matt McMahon began classical piano lessons when he was seven, but it was in his teens that his interest in jazz began, influenced by the recordings of Miles Davis and Weather Report and live performances by such Australian greats as Mike Nock, Bernie McGann and Paul Grabowsky. Matt completed a BA from the University of Sydney in 1992 with an honours degree in English Literature. He later completed an Associate Diploma in Jazz Studies from the NSW Conservatorium of Music where he studied with Mike Nock and Roger Frampton, and studied in New York.
Matt has led his own groups including his trio, and is involved in the collaborative group “The Band of Five Names” featuring Phil Slater and Simon Barker, with whom he has recorded two albums. Matt won the National Jazz Award at the 1999 Wangaratta Festival of Jazz and has performed with many of Australia’s jazz icons including Vince Jones, James Morrison and Don Burrows. He is actively involved in the jazz community as a broadcaster and founder of the Jazzgroove Association, and has an interest in jazz education. He currently teaches at the NSW Conservatorium of Music and tours both nationally and internationally.
Matt McMahon was awarded the Jazz Fellowship following a public concert, Freedman Jazz, held in the Studio of the Sydney Opera House last night also featuring Melbourne musicians Sam Keevers (piano), and saxophonists Jamie Oehlers and Julien Wilson and their bands.
The prize money for the Fellowship, now in its fifth year, has been increased to $20,000. The award now comprises $15,000 cash, promotional materials up to $5,000, and consultations to assist with non-musical aspects of career-building, as well as active support from Music Council personnel during the Fellowship period. Previous winners are Andrea Keller (piano), Phil Slater (trumpet), Andrew Robson (saxophone) and James Muller (guitar).
The purpose of the Fellowship is to assist performers up to 36 years of age to further their careers and enhance their abilities as a jazz artist. Nominees propose a specific project to pursue their career objectives, either overseas or within Australia. They are assessed on this project as well as their musical achievements. A project within Australia should also in some way benefit the jazz scene.
Dick Letts, Music Council Executive Director said: “Opinions heard in the foyer after the concert supported every single contestant to win. I’m glad I wasn’t a judge – although I must note that all the judges did agree on the choice of Matt McMahon. He was the most extraordinary among extraordinaries”.
The judges are three respected Australian jazz musicians, pianist Mark Isaacs, drummer Hamish Stuart and bassist Jonathan Zwartz. In announcing the result, the panel observed: “Matt’s assured performance showed maturity, authority, and musicality. His comprehensive and far-reaching proposal to record not only his own compositions but those of other Australian composers contributed to an overall winning package which will benefit the Australian music scene as well as Matt himself”.
Established in 1998 by Laurence and Kathy Freedman, The Freedman Foundation also supports visual artists, Australian youth projects, and scientific and medical research.
The Music Council of Australia is a national music organisation representing the entire breadth of music in Australia. Click here to go to their website >
