With 18 major award categories that are voted on by industry members, 2023 South Australian Music Awards spotlight the diverse and incredible local talent on display within the state.
"South Australia is at heart a creative state and the music talent coming out of this state is incredibly exciting and I don't envy the panel of independent judges this year," shares Music SA CEO, Christine Schloithe."MusicSA is very proud to host these awards each year on behalf of the South Australian contemporary music industry and we wish everyone all the best in all categories."
Read the list of 2023 SA Music Award nominees.
We'll be profiling a number of this year's nominees with our Spotlight On series, that continues with SA Youth Guitar Ensemble (SAYGE), whose president Judith Oh is nominated for Best Music Educator.
SAYGE's mission is to provide opportunities for young classical guitarists to be part of an ensemble.
"It's been a great year for SAYGE, and that's reflective of our nomination as a finalist in the SA Music Awards for Best Music Educator.
"Thanks again to all the tutors, ensemble members, and volunteers for making this perhaps the best year ever in SAYGE's history."
What's the elevator pitch version of your 2023 so far?
[Judith] As the only non-profit in Australia open to classical guitarists of all ages, abilities and background, SAYGE has had an incredible year in 2023 with an all time high membership of around 60 members, aged from 6 to 77, across 3 youth ensembles and an adult ensemble.
Community performances such as DreamBIG Children's Festival Gala concert, where we were one of five youth acts selected, was a highlight for our youth ensembles. Partnering with the Art Gallery for their Neo Teen programme during SA Youth week and participating in the Adelaide Guitar Festival Winter School have also become annual key events in our calendar.
Being nominated as a semi-finalist for the SA Community Achievement awards (Connecting Communities) and of course this nomination as a finalist for Best Music Educator, has been a great honour.
Biggest moment creatively you/ the band have had in 2023?
I think the DreamBIG Festival was our biggest moment creatively. Two of the pieces we performed were also composed by two of our SAYGE tutors, Marcus Kha and Caleb Lavery-Brook (who is also our Artistic Director).
It was so heartwarming seeing the joy and amazement from some of our younger ensemble members, where this was their first concert. It was also amazing seeing it all come together at Festival Theatre and hearing the gasp by the audience when the curtain was raised to see so many young guitarists on stage.
Being a creative, artist, musician can be a lonely existence, so what does it mean to be nominated for a South Australian Music Award?
To have been nominated as a finalist is an incredible honour. As a not-for-profit, it is wonderful to see the hard work of our ensemble members, tutors and volunteers recognised. I think this is also wonderful for the classical guitar community in South Australia, especially our youth.
In the school environment, there often tends to be less ensemble opportunities for classical guitar students compared to their orchestral counterparts, so this award validates the hard work we do in building ensemble skills and confidence through rehearsals, performance opportunities and initiatives that we have created at SAYGE.
Fast forward to the awards ceremony; if your name is read out as winner who are you mentioning-thanking in your speech?
First and foremost, our founder Andràs Tüske. SAYGE would not exist today without his vision of creating a youth ensemble for classical guitarists over 20 years ago, when he took 12 of his high school aged students to an international guitar festival in Darwin.
Given this award is for Best Music Educator, I would of course have to thank our SAYGE tutors: Caleb Lavery-Brook (who is also our Artistic Director), Marcus Kha and Megan Robson, who are each talented musicians in their own right.
Big thanks also goes out to other industry partners for their support, such as The Adelaide Festival Theatre, the legendary Slava Grigoryan and AGFO (Adelaide Guitar Festival Orchestra) conductor Paul Svoboda.
I'd also thank my fellow parent volunteers and committee members: Khai Ly, our social media guru; and Mana Kha, our Membership Coordinator and my 'right-hand woman'. Last, but definitely not least, I'd thank our ensemble members and their families for all their support.
How can folks best support independent musicians-bands?
The best way that independent artists and groups such as SAYGE can be supported by the community is with engagement.
This could be through joining as a member of organisations, through financial support, volunteering time to help run events or through attending concerts that the artists give. All support when it comes to not-for-profit organisations like SAYGE is welcomed and is appreciated greatly.
2024 is just around the corner; anything special you're brewing in the background you can share?
We are catching up with classical guitar legend and Adelaide Guitar Festival Artistic Director Slava Grigoryan, and the Adelaide Festival Theatre. We look forward to partnering with them to see what opportunities there are for SAYGE, to continue to build the classical guitar community in South Australia in 2024.
What makes South Australian music unique?
With Adelaide being the UNESCO City of Music, I think we are incredibly lucky to have access to so many music festivals such as the Adelaide Guitar Festival.
The 2023 SA Music Awards will be staged at Woodville Town Hall (Adelaide) on 8 November.
