THE 2016 APRA SILVER SCROLL AWARDS: The shortlist

If you pick up the Business section of the New Zealand Herald you start to wonder if there isn't anyone in those offices who hasn't been given some kind of award.

The music world in New Zealand is a little more sparing in its prize-giving which makes awards nights like the annual APRA Silver Scrolls – where the best song is selected by the writer (or writers') peers -- very special.

Respect from your fellow musicians make the Silver Scroll one of the most coveted objects you can have on your mantelpiece, and you are in the company of people like Hammond Gamble, Shona Laing, Dave Dobbyn, Bic Runga, Neil Finn, Chris Knox, Brooke Fraser, Lorde with Joel Little, Ray Columbus . . .

Now in its 51^st year, the APRA Silver Scrolls are also a night where musicians celebrate their own away from the fickle business of pop charts and sales. Quality is the hallmark not units shifted or downloaded.

Also on the night there are some important other awards outside the Silver Scroll: the APRA Maioha Award, celebrating exceptional waiata featuring te reo Māori; SOUNZ Contemporary Award, celebrating excellence in contemporary composition; APRA Best Original Music in a Feature Film Award and the APRA Best Original Music in a Series Award (see finalists below).

All the awards – plus the induction of someone into the APRA Hall of Fame – will be presented at Vector Arena in Auckland on Thursday 29th September.

APRA SILVER SCROLL 

And the five finalists drawn from the previously published long list for the best song are:

Lydia Cole for Dream, (written by Lydia Cole)

The Phoenix Foundation for Give Up Your Dreams (written by Samuel Scott, Lukasz Buda, Conrad Wedde, William Ricketts, Thomas Callwood and Christopher O’Connor)

Thomas Oliver for If I Move To Mars (written by Thomas Oliver)

Street Chant for Pedestrian Support League (written by Emily Littler, Billie Rogers, Alex Brown, Christopher Farnham)

and

Tami Neilson for The First Man (written by Tami Neilson and Jay Neilson).

APRA MAIOHA AWARD

Rob Ruha feat. Tiki Taane – ‘Kariri’ – Rob Ruha

IHI – ‘Mana Whenua’ – Thomas Rawiri, Mokoia Huata

(Woodcut Productions / Waatea Music)

Kirsten Te Rito – ‘Tamaiti Ngaro’ – Kirsten Te Rito, James Illingworth, Joseph Te Rito

SOUNZ CONTEMPORARY AWARD

‘Piano Trip’ – Kenneth Young

‘Rainphase’ – Salina Fisher

‘Viola Concerto’ – Chris Cree Brown

APRA BEST ORIGINAL MUSIC IN A FEATURE FILM AWARD

Hunt For The Wilderpeople – Samuel Scott, Lukasz Buda, Conrad Wedde

(Native Tongue Music Publishing)

Mahana (The Patriarch) – Mahuia Bridgeman-Cooper, Tama Waipara

The Art Of Recovery – Tom McLeod

APRA BEST ORIGINAL MUSIC IN A SERIES AWARD

800 Words – Karl Steven (Native Tongue Music Publishing)

Jiwi’s Machines – Age Pryor

The Brokenwood Mysteries – Tami Neilson, Jay Neilson

All awards will be presented at Vector Arena in Auckland on Thursday 29th September.

For more information on APRA and the Silver Scroll awards go to http://apraamcos.co.nz