Who Will Be the 2018 Freedman Jazz Fellow?
After a nation-wide search, the distinguished judges for the 2018 Freedman Jazz Fellowship, Judy Bailey, Matt Keegan and Stuart Vandegraaff – all musicians, composers and educators themselves – have today announced the three finalists from a list of 16 nominees from across Australia.
These three finalists will compete live in concert at the Sydney Opera House on Monday 30 July for the title of the 2018 Freedman Jazz Fellow:
Nick Garbett (trumpet), nominated by NSW nominator Phil Stack
Angus Mason (drums), nominated by SA nominator Mark Ferguson
Carl Morgan (guitar), nominated by VIC nominator Barney McCall
All three have already forged strong careers as both composers and outstanding instrumentalists. The Freedman Jazz Fellowship, Australia’s most prestigious jazz award and a 16-year institution, enables them to take the next step in their careers with a $20,000 cash prize and studio recording time.
The winner will be decided at Freedman Jazz 2018 on Monday 30 July at Sydney Opera House. On this, the final night of the competition, each finalist will showcase their artistry as a final bid for the title and prize.
2015 Freedman Fellow, pianist Tal Cohen, will fly out from the USA to perform in the second half of the concert while the judges deliberate. The winner of the 2018 Fellowship will then be announced.
The Jazz Fellowship is funded by the Freedman Foundation. Past winners of the Freedman Jazz Fellowships read like a ‘Who’s Who’ of Australian jazz. They include guitarists Ben Hauptmann and James Muller, saxophonists Julien Wilson, Andrew Robson and Matt Keegan, pianists Andrea Keller, Matt McMahon, Marc Hannaford, Aaron Choulai and Tal Cohen, trumpeter Phil Slater, bassist Christopher Hale, vocalist Kristin Berardi and drummer James McLean who are all leaders in Australian jazz. The Fellowships are supported by The Music Trust and administered by SIMA.
ABC Jazz will be covering the event and will broadcast the concert. In addition to the cash prize, the winner will receive three days studio time in the ABC Jazz Studios to record and produce an album. The addition of this recording package makes the Freedman Jazz Fellowship Australia’s most lucrative Jazz award.