The memory of two Queensland music greats lives on with the announcement of the 2009 Grant McLennan Memorial Fellowship and Billy Thorpe Scholarship finalists.
Premier and Minister for the Arts Anna Bligh said entries had been received from across Queensland for the highly-competitive one-off grants.
“Entries have been received from across Queensland, from Atherton Tablelands in the North to the Gold Coast in the South – all from musicians keen to hone their creative talents and establish their professional career,” Ms Bligh said.
“Grant McLennan, who died in 2006, was an incredibly talented songwriter and a founding member of internationally successful Brisbane band The Go-Betweens,” Ms Bligh said.
“The $20,000 fellowship offers the winner a trip of up to two months to either London, Berlin or New York; cities which had a lasting impact on Grant’s songwriting and career.
“I am pleased to announce that Brisbane-based Helen Franzmann, Heinz Riegler, Kate Jacobson and Daniel Widdicombe have all been shortlisted for the 2009 fellowship.
“Last year’s winners, John Busby and Chris Dale of Halfway will release their third album later this year after travelling to London to expand their creative horizons.”
The selection panel, made up of Robert Forster, Adele Pickvance and Glenn Thompson from The Go-Betweens, selected the finalists with the winner to be announced at a ceremony at the State Library of Queensland on 21 July.
One of a group of talented young musicians will also be one step closer to becoming a professional artist when the winner of the annual Billy Thorpe Scholarship is announced.
“Five Brisbane-based musicians, Sue Ray, Alan Boyle, Melissa Tickle, Stephanie Lees and Kimberley Bowden, have been shortlisted for the scholarship, named in honour of late, great Australian musician Billy Thorpe," Ms Bligh said.
"Billy spent his formative years in Brisbane, making an enormous contribution to the Australian music industry over five decades of performing, writing and producing and this scholarship is part of his musical legacy.
The annual Billy Thorpe Scholarship provides a range of support for an emerging musician through career planning and the opportunity to record with a local producer.
Members of the Thorpe family will announce the winner at the Q Song Awards, an annual event run by Q Music to celebrate Queensland songwriting talent.
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10 July 2009
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