The 2016 Australia Council Awards have been announced, honouring eight leading Australian artists who have demonstrated excellence and exceptional commitment to the arts over many years. Among this year’s winners is Australian musician Brett Dean, who was awarded the Don Banks Music Award.

“[Winning this award was] an extremely moving sense of acknowledgement,” says Dean in an interview with the Australia Council. “To read through the names of previous winners was very humbling and to know that my name now stands amongst them is a very touching and proud moment.” Dean joins the ranks of Jon Rose, Archie Roach and Mike Nock as winners of the prestigious award that honours artists over the age of 50 who have made a sustained and significant contribution to Australia’s musical scene.

Dean’s career has been taken him all over the world. After finishing studies in Brisbane, he moved to Germany in 1984 to join the prestigious Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, and it was only in 1988 that he began composing. His clarinet concerto Ariel’s Music won the...