Reflections on ANAM 2025: A Message from Nick Bailey

The season of 67 carefully curated recitals by our musicians now forms the backbone of our musical year: amongst the ingenious repertoire combinations and juxtapositions this year were several programs that laid down compelling personal artistic credos.

 

Perhaps the most ANAMesque event, though, was Paavali’s masterfully curated tribute to one of his mentors, the iconoclastic Pierre Boulez. Over three sold-out concerts — who would have thought? — our musicians embraced the fearsome complexity of his dizzying musical world like new-music professionals.

And a taste of what Artistic Director-Designate Anna Goldsworthy will bring to ANAM was sampled in her exquisite exploration of the troubled history of the Abbotsford Convent. Anna and her three co-curators’ combination of music and text was a response to an ANAM-commissioned poem by renowned poet — and former Convent resident artist — Nam Le.

In the engine room, driving this body of work, our faculty laboured tirelessly to ensure that each of our musicians was performing at a higher standard at the end of the year than they had been at its opening.

Beyond the studios and concert stages, the first half of the year saw the entire ANAM community come together to advocate for further Commonwealth funding to deliver the studios and concert stages of architect Peter Elliott’s vision for the Town Hall. When this project is completed, anyone who has ever signed a letter, door-knocked, ‘written to the editor’, attended a meeting, or lent their quiet support will be embedded somewhere in one of the rooms of Peter’s beautiful building.

The extraordinary commitment of $12.5m by Minister Burke and the Albanese Government in May determined that the project would now go ahead, which, at speed, it is now doing.


South Melbourne Town Hall. New performance space. Render PE_A

The ANAM Set continues on its ground-breaking way, with another 18 works receiving their world premieres in 2025, thanks to the support of Sharon and Anthony Lee, all of which can now be heard here. Alongside them, the confirmation of new commissions for the 2026 and 2027 ANAM Sets brings to 130 the number of new pieces of Australian and New Zealand music — more than 13 hours of it! — to which this project has given birth.

Sadly, this year we lost a man at the centre of the ANAM story. ANAM was the inspired idea of John Painter, who passed away in September at 93, and whose dogged persistence 32 years earlier convinced then Prime Minister Paul Keating to give the country ‘an ANAM’. Not all went to plan for John at the start — he had originally intended ANAM to be in Canberra, for one thing — but when Paavali and I met him for a coffee in Canberra last year, it was clear that he was thrilled with the institution that his ANAM had now finally become.

We also lost a great supporter this year with the passing of John Macleod. Amongst John’s legacies at ANAM, the beautiful Carey Beebe harpsichord gifted by John and Rosemary in 2022 continues to bring joy to the ANAM community.

A couple of weeks ago, QSO Principal Bass and ANAM alumna Phoebe Russell delivered the keynote address at this year’s ANAM Celebrates graduation. Her final plea to our departing musicians carried much weight with her attentive audience: “Be curious. Be generous. Keep listening and, most importantly, be yourself. If you are true to yourself, life will take you to the place where you are meant to be.”

Until this morning this reflection was going to finish by focusing on Phoebe’s instruction "Be curious". However, on the Monday after the Sunday, “Be generous” feels more appropriate.

I am firmly of the belief that the music-making of our young musicians is not for nothing. The way in which they commit their lives to their craft, then selflessly offer up to us their sometimes-vulnerable souls in their music, provides us with a precious balm. It holds us. It gives us strength.

We often talk about the extraordinary ANAM community that together we have built, illuminated by the generous performances of our musicians. You are this community: listeners, guests and friends from across the globe, politicians, supporters, staff, teachers and students, past, present and indeed to come. The sentiment that binds us together has a tangible quality. Something we all instinctively know; that we can almost touch. Something infused with love.

Our love and thoughts go to all members of our community who may be hurting today.

To everyone over the coming weeks and months, may you stay safe and strong, and find peace.

Nick Bailey 
Managing Director