2005 APRA Silver Scroll Awards Finalists Announced

The finalists for the APRA Silver Scroll Award for 2005 have been announced, as have the finalists for the SOUNZ Contemporary Award and the APRA Maioha Award.

 

Rock and roll vies with ballads for New Zealand’s most prestigious music award this year, as the songwriters from Pluto, The Mint Chicks and Evermore go up against more wistful offerings from Goldenhorse’s Geoffrey Maddock and Dave Dobbyn in the APRA Silver Scroll Award.

The five finalist songs are:

Tim Arnold,Milan Borich, Michael Franklin-Browne, Mike Hall,Matthias Jordan (Pluto) Long White Cross 
Dave Dobbyn Welcome Home
Dann Hume, Jon Hume, Peter Hume (Evermore)It's Too Late
Geoffrey Maddock (Goldenhorse) Out of the Moon
Kody Nielson, Ruban Nielson (The Mint Chicks)Opium of the People

The Silver Scroll Award has been presented since 1965. This year, APRA celebrates 40 years of creative excellence in songwriting at an exclusive invite only awards show on Monday September 12^th at the Auckland Town Hall.

Anthony Healey, APRA’s Director of New Zealand Operations observes, "the sheer number and quality of the songs entered this year was unsurpassed. Each of these songwriters represents the strength and vitality of NZ music right now and have all earned extraordinary success both here and overseas with great songs, simple hard work and sheer determination."

The line-up of finalists includes two sets of brothers in Evermore’s Dann, Jon and Peter Hume, and The Mint Chick’s Kody and Ruban Nielson.

It also features a first-time nomination for Pluto and repeat nominations for multiple-Scroll winner Dave Dobbyn and Geoffrey Maddock from Goldenhorse. Dave Dobbyn has previously won the Silver Scroll Award for You Oughta Be In Love (1987),Belle of the Ball (1993) and Beside You (1998). Geoffrey Maddock from Goldenhorse has been nominated three previous times (with co-writers including Kirsten Morelle), for American Wife (2001), Maybe Tomorrow (2002) – which won Most Performed Work in NZ in 2003 – and Riverhead (2003).

Commercial success is not a consideration for the judging panel that assess both musical and lyrical content equally.

Also presented on the night are the SOUNZ Contemporary Award, recognising creative excellence by a NZ classical composer and the APRA Maioha Award, presented for the best Maori waiata of the year.

Labyrinth for Tuba and Orchestra by Ross Harris

Gu Ta by Jeroen Speak

Kenneth Young’s Symphony No. 2

They were chosen as finalists from among 39 compositions submitted by 34 New Zealand composers. The annual SOUNZ Contemporary Award award is the major prize celebrating creative excellence by a New Zealand composer. It is a collaborative project between APRA and SOUNZ, the Centre for New Zealand Music. SOUNZ administers the award and convenes a jury of four music professionals to judge the entries.

• Rodger Cunningham Hawaiki

For the APRA Maioha Award, the judges are asked to consider the creative content of the music and lyrics, along with the use of Te Reo Maori. The judges felt the finalists showed strength in each of these components and were of a high quality. They commented that it was pleasing to see both established and emerging artists entering this award and were impressed with the volume of entries. The judges also felt that the Maori music industry is starting to show the ability to sustain artists like the three finalists.