Last year, VCASS commissioned composer Nat Bartsch to create a piece specifically tailored to our students: “When All Is Still And Quiet”, which premiered at our MRC Major Season in 2025. The live recording was nominated this year at the Art Music Awards for Work of the Year – Jazz / Improvised Music.

We would like to congratulate Nat Bartsch on winning the 2026 Work of the year Art Music Award for Jazz and Improvised Music for the premiere performance of “When All Is Still And Quiet”, directed by VCASS staff member Ian Whitehurst.

A huge congratulations to Ian Whitehurst and Dermot Tutty for preparing this memorable performance of such an inspiring work.

Included also in the awards was composer Anne Cawrse who won Work of the Year: Solo and Small Ensemble category for her 2022 composition.  Anne wrote and attended Street Music for this years MRC Major season.

Fittingly, the awards ceremony fell on 19th August—the exact same night as our 2026 MRC concert!

All of this demonstrates VCASS’s ongoing commitment to artistic excellence, collaborating with world-class composers to produce truly beautiful performances.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-19/art-music-awards-2026-winners-finalists/107004944