So we have just had our first presentation of Australian Honours under the new Labor government.
Under the Morrison government, there was little recognition of artists in the national honours awards, any more than there was in arts policy (non-existent except by implication from in/action) and funding (in continuing decline). Artists even had to fight for inclusion in the COVID funding provisions provided to the population at large.
While Labor will not announce its arts policy until January 30 (we’re not quite there as this is being written), we are alert for other signs of support or neglect.
One would have to say that Labor’s Australia Day Honours List signals business as usual. Morrison’s business.
Under Morrison, the number of artists awarded a high level of Australia Day award shrank. There are four levels of award – the Companion AC, the Officer AO, the Member AM, the Medal OAM. Morrison gave a fair number of OAM awards and very few at higher levels.
Well Blimey, Labor same story. There is one AC, for Archie Roach. Archie was most certainly a musician, a popular musician, but also presented a very positive image as a successful, empathetic, expressive Indigenous man and one imagines that this played a big part in his selection.
No musician, no artist as I recall, was awarded an AO. None.
There were eight AMs awarded to music people. One is a well-known music theatre performer/union rep. One engages directly with (mainly) Indigenous music via musicological studies. There are managers – of pop musicians, orchestras, venues, a music theatre entrepreneur, a philanthropist, and a piano technician.
So, out of 8, one fine commercial performer, one academic, 4 managers, a donor and a techie.
There are 24 who received an OAM entirely or partially on account of their contribution to community musical life. 10 of these are music performers, and 8 of them were also music leaders – eg by organising/conducting a choir or marching band.
It’s interesting that making music moderately well can get you an OAM but with our one exception, nowhere in the country is there a musician who does it brilliantly enough to be awarded an AM, OA, or AC.
Amateur music making is of value to communities but transcendent music making does not really exist in the Honours system.
You can get an award for managing the Australian Chamber Orchestra but not for being the Australian Chamber Orchestra.
Of course, the Australian Chamber Orchestra may not have been nominated. But were none of the creators of profoundly beautiful and accomplished music nominated? And if they weren’t, what has discouraged nominations? A surrender to a sense of futility?
It is to be hoped that the new arts policy primarily supports the intrinsic value of the arts rather than their contribution to business and the economy – the sound of music, not of coins dropping.
Mozart died a pauper. But he left us rich.
Richard Letts AM, PhD (UC Berkeley). Currently Director of The Music Trust. Previously Founder/Director of the Music Council of Australia, Director Australian Music Centre, Director Music Board, Australia Council for the Arts, Director MacPhail Center for Music, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Director, East Bay Center for the Performing Arts, San Francisco. Author, editor, researcher, advocate, former musician.
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