2009 Jazz Awards celebrate SA's jazz culture

Jazz Award winners for 2009 (from left): Andrew Crago, Nikki Stedman, Sophie Zerner, Holly Thomas, Sam Leske, Matthew Sheens, Andrew Tucker, Ed Heddle and Nick Pietsch.
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2009 Jazz Awards guest performer Michelle Nicolle.
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The 2009 Jazz Awards are jointly presented by the Helpmann Academy and the University of Adelaide's Elder Conservatorium of Music.
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Thursday, 14 May 2009

The achievements of South Australia's top jazz students and graduates from the University of Adelaide's Elder Conservatorium of Music will tonight be recognised at the 2009 Jazz Awards.

$6500 in awards will be presented to nine of the state's most outstanding musicians from the Elder Conservatorium's jazz program.

The $2000 Hyatt Regency Award for the Most Outstanding Honours Jazz Student will be presented to pianist Matthew Sheens. Nick Pietsch - a talented trombone player - will be awarded the $1000 Adelaide City Council Award for the Most Outstanding Undergraduate Jazz Student.

Seven individual undergraduate awards will also be presented to:

• Andrew Crago - Top Jazz Saxophone ($500 Keith Langley Award)
  
• Andrew Tucker - Top Jazz Trumpet ($500 Keith Langley Award)
  
• Ed Heddle - Top Jazz Piano ($500 Tommy Norman Scholarship)
  
• Sam Leske - Top Jazz Guitar ($500 District Council of Mount Barker Award)
  
• Nikki Stedman - Top Jazz Bass ($500 Mitzi's Prize)
  
• Holly Thomas - Top Jazz Drums ($500 Billy Hyde Award)
  
• Sophie Zerner - Top Jazz Voice ($500 dB Magazine Award)

Hosted in the Hyatt Regency Ballroom, an entertaining evening of jazz will include special guest performer Michelle Nicolle, one of Australia's most celebrated jazz vocalists. Paul Grabowsky, Artistic Director of the 2010 Adelaide Bank Festival of Arts, who was very much looking forward to playing at this year's awards, has unfortunately had to pull out at the last minute for pressing family reasons. In the true tradition of show biz, Michelle has agreed to step in.

Michelle is an alumnus of the Elder Conservatorium's jazz program with an established career as a jazz performer. She is the winner of three Australian Entertainment MO Awards, a National Jazz Award and has been an ARIA Finalist twice. Together with the Michelle Nicolle Quartet, she has toured extensively throughout Australia and internationally, including a performance at the North Sea Jazz Festival in the Netherlands in 2005.

A South Australian institution since 1997, the Jazz Awards are presented by the Helpmann Academy and the Elder Conservatorium, sponsored by the Hyatt Regency Adelaide, Adelaide City Council, the District Council of Mount Barker, dB Magazine, Billy Hyde Music, Tommy Norman Scholarship, Keith Langley and Mitzi Craig.

WHAT: 2009 Jazz Awards - featuring guest performer Michelle Nicolle
WHEN: 7.30pm tonight (Thursday 14 May)
WHERE: Ballroom, Hyatt Regency Hotel, North Terrace, Adelaide
COST: $20 adult/$12 concession. Bookings can be made on +61 8 8463 5014.

The Elder Conservatorium of Music is a Helpmann Academy partner school.

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