Some of New Zealand’s best songwriters and composers have been shortlisted for three prestigious awards to be presented at the 2018 APRA Silver Scroll Awards.
The SOUNZ Contemporary Award, the APRA Best Original Music in a Feature Film Award and APRA Best Original Music in a Series Award will all be presented at Spark Arena in Auckland on Thursday 4 October.
SOUNZ CONTEMPORARY AWARD - The SOUNZ Contemporary Award celebrates excellence in contemporary composition.
Dance of the Wintersmith by Leonie Holmes
Occulmente by Rosie Langabeer
Sygyt by Michael Norris
Inspired by the fantasy novel Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett, Dance of the Wintersmith is a whirling work for violin and piano, and is the second SOUNZ Contemporary Award nomination for Auckland based composer Leonie Holmes.
Commissioned by American string ensemble Friction Quartet, Occulmente showcases Rosie Langabeer’s ability to evoke a sense of atmosphere in this hypnotic exploration of the sounds in her subconscious mind. This is her first nomination.
Created for throat singer, chamber ensemble, and live electronics, Michael Norris’ work Sygyt was commissioned by Stroma to explore the interesting textures and harmonics of throat singing, and marks his fifth nomination for the award, after his win in 2014 for Inner Phases.
APRA BEST ORIGINAL MUSIC IN A SERIES AWARD
Karl Steven for Dear Murderer
Matt Caradus for The Cul de Sac
Samuel Flynn Scott, Lukasz Pawel Buda, Thomas Conrad Wedde for Cleverman
Frequent finalist and former winner Karl Steven (front man for Queen Neptune, Supergroove, Drab Doo Riffs) is nominated this time for his work on dramatic historical TV series Dear Murderer, which charts the life and work of one of NZ’s most famous legal figures, Michael Bungay.
An emerging composer for film, TV, and video games, Dunedin based Matt Caradus is a first-time finalist for his work on post-apocalyptic teen sci-fi drama The Cul De Sac. While gaining experience in composing for many international series’, Caradus also has an extensive background in writing and performing acoustic folk-music.
Best known for their roles in The Phoenix Foundation, lately Luke Buda, Samuel Scott, and Thomas Wedde have been working together on composing for screen as Moniker. This year they’re a finalist for Cleverman, an Australian based futuristic drama with roots in Aboriginal mythology.
APRA BEST ORIGINAL MUSIC IN A FEATURE FILM AWARD
David Long for McLaren
Sean Donnelly for The Free Man
Stephen Gallagher for Human Traces
Local luminary David Long is known equally for his roles in bands such as The Muttonbirds and Teeth, and for composing the soundtrack to many of Peter Jackson’s films, along with a variety of other films and TV series. This year he’s a finalist for his work on acclaimed documentary about NZ racing driver Bruce McLaren.
Songwriter and composer Sean Donnelly is best known for his artistry as SJD, but has also made a name for himself in the world of screen composition. In 2018 he’s a finalist for his score created for Toa Fraser’s extreme-sports documentary The Free Man.
Stephen Gallagher has composed music for every size of production, from Hollywood blockbusters through to independent documentaries and online web series. This year he’s nominated for his sparsely fitting score to local sub-Antarctic thriller Human Traces.
The finalists for the APRA Maioha Award will be announced on Monday August 27th and the Top 5 in line for the Silver Scroll Award will be announced very shortly on Thursday August 30th.
All awards will be presented during a ceremony at Spark Arena in Auckland on Thursday October 4th. As a part of the celebrations, APRA will also be inducting a songwriter/s into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame.
Radio New Zealand will broadcast and live video stream the APRA Silver Scroll Awards ceremony on RNZ National, and online at www.rnz.co.nz/music.
The awards are proudly supported by Hallertau Brewery, and Soho Wines.