Sydney vocalist Kristin Berardi has won the 2007 Music Council of Australia/Freedman Jazz Fellowship.
The Fellowship concert – the final stage of the judging process – was held at the Sydney Opera House last night.
Kristin was accompanied by James Sherlock on guitar.
The other finalists were:
Marc Hannaford (piano, Melbourne). His group included Scott Tinkler on trumpet and Ken Edie on drums.
Matt Keegan (tenor saxophone, Sydney). The Matt Keegan Trio is Cameron Undy on electric bass and drummer Dave Goodman.
Carl Mackey (tenor saxophone, Perth). The Carl Mackey Quartet is pianist Tom O’Halloran, Phil Stack on bass and drummer Daniel Susnjar.
The judges for 2007 were Mark Isaacs, Kerrie Biddell and James Greening.
More about Kristin Berardi
At just 26 years of age Kristen has already performed extensively at jazz festivals and jazz clubs throughout Australia and overseas.
She was the winner of the 2006 International Jazz Voice Competition held at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland and has been invited to appear at Montreux again next month.
Born in Koumala, Queensland, Kristin completed her musical studies at the Queensland Conservatorium. Since graduating she has been involved in the Wangaratta Jazz Festival, the Melbourne Women’s International Jazz Festival, a live appearance on ABC Radio National with the West End Composers’ Collective, and as a featured soloist alongside pop legend Chrissy Amphlett in Women in Voice 13.
As a recording artist Kristin has worked in New York with American jazz piano legend Kenny Werner and trombonist Jim Pugh, and in Australia with James Sherlock, Mike Nock, James Muller and Kate Miller-Heidke
Kristin lectures in jazz voice at the Australian National University in Canberra and has held the position of guest lecturer in jazz studies at the Central Queensland Conservatorium of Music in Mackay for the past three years.
Earlier this year Kristin released a CD with master guitarist James Sherlock which has been shortlisted for Best Australian Jazz Vocal Album at the renowned Bell Awards.
Kristin intends using the Freedman Fellowship to travel to New York to perform and record her own compositions with local arrangers and musicians.
This is the first time that a vocalist has won the Freedman Jazz Fellowship.
The judges for 2007 observed, “Kristin marries intelligent readings of the text with a telling interpretation of her songs. She has the ability to move seamlessly between improvisation and composition and gets to the heart of what she wants to communicate, honestly and without pretence.”
The prize money for the Fellowship, inaugurated in 2001, is $20,000. The award 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.
The most recent winners are James Muller (guitar), Matt McMahon (piano) and Julien Wilson (saxophone).
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.
Part of the judging process involves a public concert at the Sydney Opera House as well as an assessment of their proposed project.
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.
Source: Freedman Music Fellowships/MCA
