The nominees for this year’s National Live Music Awards have been announced, with strong contenders in the running for Live Classical Act of the Year. Soprano Deborah Cheetham, Ensemble Offspring, recorder player Genevieve Lacey, Pinchgut Opera and PLEXUS have all been nominated in the newly introduced genre category.

Deborah Cheetham. Photo © Kristina Kingston

Didgeridoo virtuoso William Barton has been nominated in the Live Instrumentalist of the Year category, up against Bree Tranter, Jay Watson, Jen McCullogh and Kat Mear.

This year’s Awards also mark the first time the public are able to vote for the categories in their state or territory. Katie Noonan, who is about to tour her new album of Australian art songs with the Australian String Quartet, has been nominated for Live Voice of the Year in the Queensland awards, up against Jack Carty, Monica Sottile, Thelma Plum and Tia Gostelow.

In the Sydney awards, Megan Washington has been nominated in the same category, up against Alice Terry, imbi the girl, Ruel and Thandi Phoenix. The singer-songwriter is responsible for the curation of City Recital Hall’s upcoming 20th anniversary celebration We Are Twenty.

The National Live Music Awards celebrate...