Once again the Australia Day Honours list is big on sport and community service, but it’s less cognisant of the contribution from the arts. Musicians, especially those well known throughout Australia, do better than many other artists.
This year, the full list includes celebrated Australian singers Jimmy Barnes, Nick Cave, Paul Kelly and Anthony Warlow.
We also notice that local musician Allan Zavod received an OAM, and was advised of the honour just before his death late last year. One of the highlights of the versatile musician’s career was in 1988. His Concerto Australiana A Piano Concerto for Jazz Trio and Orchestra. (Australia Council commission) was performed on Australia Day, Australian Bicentennial at the Sydney Opera House. Soloist/composer Allan Zavod with Australian Youth Orchestra was broadcast live on national broadcast ABC TV, and released in association with ABC for audio recording and televised broadcast-World premiere.
Classic Melbourne would like to boast of being ahead of the rest where it came to identifying another very worthy recipient of the OAM.
To quote the citation: Mrs Michelle Maria Leonard, Petersham: For service to the community, and to the performing arts.
Michelle Leonard and her Outback Choir has featured on our home page for the past few weeks. Read the full story.
