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Paul Lowin Prizes 2009, Utzon Room, Sydney Opera House

30 October 2009 Story & Images: MiSociety

Paul Lowin Prizes 2009 for Song Cycle and Orchestral Compositions – Winners Mary Finsterer & Andrew Schultz
Representatives from The Australian Music Centre and the Perpetual Trustee Company, as managers of the Paul Lowin Prizes, welcomed musical composers and guests to the Utzon Room at Sydney’s Opera House for the announcement of the winners of the 2009 Paul Lowin Prize Awards.

The night was a celebration of the lasting benefits of philanthropy, in this case established in perpetuity by Czech emigree Paul Lowin, as well as the quality of contemporary composition in the Australian musical community.

The winners, as announced by compere Julian Day, the youthful face of ABC Classic FM, were Andrew Schultz for his Song Cycle “To the evening star” and Mary Finsterer for her Orchestral composition “In Praise of Darkness”.

The Paul Lowin Prizes, worth a total of $40,000 are held every two to three years and continue to inspire Australian composers to craft exciting and challenging works. Mary Finsterer spoke of her own work as being akin to casting a message in a bottle out to sea and who ever knows where it will end up or who will find it – a wonderful analogy on a heartening night for lovers of contemporary classical music.

Full details of the winners and those highly recommended

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