The Limelight Awards were an annual celebration of the performances, recordings and music personalities in Australian classical music. Sponsored by the monthly classical arts magazine '' Limelight'', they were the only publicly voted awards of their kind in Australia. In 2012 the awards attracted more than 4,500 votes. The Limelight Award winners are voted on from a shortlist of entries selected by an expert panel of ''Limelight'' critics and ABC Classic FM staff over ten categories. These categories included Music Personality of the Year, Best Newcomer and Best Orchestral, Chamber and Solo performances. From this shortlist the public were then invited to select and vote for their favourite musicians. The Limelight Awards were distinctly unique, being the only classical music awards in Australia where the public are invited to help recognise well-loved musicians.

Award winners

2012 *Music Personality of the Year:

Simone Young Simone Margaret Young AM (born 2 March 1961) is an Australian conductor. She is currently chief conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Biography and career Young was born in Sydney, of Irish ancestry on her father's side and Croatian ...

, conductor *Best Orchestral Concert:

Australian Chamber Orchestra The Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO) was founded by cellist John Painter in 1975.Verghis, Sharon"Bach with more bite pays off" ''Sydney Morning Herald'', 2 September 2005. Richard Tognetti was appointed Lead Violin in 1989 and subsequently appo ...

, Beethoven: Symphony No 9; Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage; Brahms: Geistliches Lied; Messiaen: Prayer of Christ ascending towards his Father *Best Chamber Music Concert: Australian String Quartet/

Brett Dean Brett Dean (born 23 October 1961) is an Australian composer, violist and conductor. Biography Brett Dean was born, raised and educated in Brisbane. He started learning violin at the age of eight, and later studied viola with Elizabeth Morgan ...

, Legacy *Best Solo Performance:

Anne-Sophie Mutter Anne-Sophie Mutter (born 29 June 1963) is a German violinist. She was supported early in her career by Herbert von Karajan. As an advocate of contemporary music, she has had several works composed especially for her, by Sebastian Currier, Henri ...

, Beethoven Violin Concerto *Best Opera Production: '' La traviata'',

Opera Australia Opera Australia is the principal opera company in Australia. Based in Sydney, its performance season at the Sydney Opera House accompanied by the Opera Australia Orchestra runs for approximately eight months of the year, with the remainder ...

*Best Performance in an Opera: Emma Matthews, Violetta in '' La traviata'' *Best Classical Recording: Sydney Symphony Orchestra /

Vladimir Ashkenazy Vladimir Davidovich Ashkenazy (russian: Влади́мир Дави́дович Ашкена́зи, ''Vladimir Davidovich Ashkenazi''; born 6 July 1937) is an internationally recognized solo pianist, chamber music performer, and conductor. He ...

, SSO Live 201201 *Best New Composition:

Elena Kats-Chernin Elena Davidovna Kats-Chernin (born 4 November 1957) is a Soviet-born Australian pianist and composer, best known for her ballet ''Wild Swans''. Early life and career Elena Kats-Chernin was born in Tashkent (now the capital of independent Uzbek ...

, Symphonia Eluvium *Best Event/Festival:

Australian Festival of Chamber Music The Australian Festival of Chamber Music (AFCM) is a ten-day international festival focused on chamber music held in Townsville, North Queensland commencing on the last Friday in July. The AFCM also incorporates a Winterschool for emerging artist ...

*Best Newcomer: Emily Sun, violinist 2011 *Music Personality of the year:

*Best Orchestral Concert:

*Best Opera Production: ''

Der Rosenkavalier (''The Knight of the Rose'' or ''The Rose-Bearer''), Op. 59, is a comic opera in three acts by Richard Strauss to an original German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It is loosely adapted from the novel ''Les amours du chevalier de Faublas'' ...

'', Opera Australia *Best Chamber Music Concert: Synergy Percussion, Xenakis Pleiades *Best Performance in an Opera:

Teddy Tahu Rhodes Teddy Tahu Rhodes (born 30 August 1966) is a New Zealand operatic baritone. Early life Rhodes was born in Christchurch, New Zealand, on 30 August 1966, to a British mother, Joyce, and a New Zealand father, Terrence Tahu Gravenor Rhodes. The Mao ...

, Figaro in '' The Marriage of Figaro'' *Best Solo Performance: Fiona Campbell *Best World Music Recording: Band of Brothers *Best Classical Recording: Mozart Violin Concertos Vol. 2, ACO/

Richard Tognetti Richard Leo Tognetti AO (born 4 August 1965) is a leading Australian musician recognised internationally as a violin soloist, ensemble player, leader, composer and arranger, conductor and artistic director. He is currently artistic dire ...

(BIS) *Best Jazz Recording: Idea of North, Extraordinary Tale (ABC Classics) *Best Event/Festival: Musica Viva Festival *Best New Composition: Nigel Westlake, ''Missa Solis: Requiem for Eli'' *Best Newcomer: Zane Banks 2010 *Limelight Readers’ Choice: Emma Matthews (soprano) *Music Personality of the year:

*Best Orchestral Concert:

Schumann Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...

cello concerto;

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...

symphony no 5; Vasks: Vox Amoris; Mozart: Symphony No 41 Jupiter *Best Opera Production: Bliss (

) *Best Chamber Music Concert:

and Patricia Kopatchinskaja, The Barefoot Fiddler. *Best Performance in an Opera: Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Figaro in '' The Marriage of Figaro'' *Best Solo Performance: Paul Lewis (Piano) Musica Viva *Best World Music Recording: Band of Brothers *Best Classical Recording: Handel: Concerti Grossi Op. 6,

Australian Brandenburg Orchestra The Australian Brandenburg Orchestra (ABO) is an Australian period instrument orchestra specialising in the performance of baroque and classical music. Founders The orchestra's founder and artistic director is Paul Dyer. In 2013 Dyer was a ...

/ Paul Dyer ( ABC Classics) *Best Jazz Recording: James Oehlers and

Paul Grabowsky Paul Atherstone Grabowsky (born 27 September 1958) is an Australian pianist and composer. Biography Born in Lae, Papua New Guinea, Grabowsky is a pianist and composer of music for film, theatre and opera. His father Alistair had lived in Pap ...

, On a Clear Day (Head Records) *Best Event/Festival: Musica Viva Festival *Best New Composition: Bliss.

*Best Newcomer: Zubin Kanga (Piano) 2009 *Limelight Readers' Choice:

*Music Personality of the year:

Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu (22 January 1971 – 25 July 2017), commonly known as Gurrumul and also referred to since his death as Dr G. Yunupingu, was an Aboriginal Australian musician of the Yolŋu peoples. A multi-instrumentalist, he played ...

*Best Orchestral Concert: Sydney Symphony Orchestra/Vladimir Ashkenazy, Elgar: ''

The Dream of Gerontius ''The Dream of Gerontius'', Op. 38, is a work for voices and orchestra in two parts composed by Edward Elgar in 1900, to text from the poem by John Henry Newman. It relates the journey of a pious man's soul from his deathbed to his judgment b ...

'' *Best Opera Production: ''Bliss'' (Opera Australia) *Best Chamber Music Concert: Australian Chamber Orchestra, Schoenberg: '' Transfigured Night'' *Best Performance in an Opera: Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Figaro in '' The Marriage of Figaro'' *Best Solo Performance:

James Ehnes James Ehnes, (born January 27, 1976) is a Canadian concert violinist and violist. Life and career Ehnes was born in Brandon, Manitoba, the son of Alan Ehnes, long time trumpet professor at Brandon University (Canada), and Barbara Withey Ehnes, fo ...

with Sydney Symphony Orchestra *Best World Music Achievement:

Dan Sultan Daniel Leo Sultan (born 1983) is an Australian alternative rock singer-songwriter and guitarist, actor and author. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2010 he won Best Male Artist and Best Blues & Roots Album for his second album, '' Get Out While Y ...

Womadelaide WOMADelaide is an annual four-day festival of Music, Arts and Dance, which was first held in 1992 in Botanic Park, Adelaide, South Australia. One of many WOMAD festivals held around the world, it is a four-day event that presents a diverse selec ...

*Best Classical Recording: Goldner String Quartet, Beethoven the complete string quartets *Best Jazz Recording: Tom O’Halloran Trio, We Happy Few *Best Event/Festival:

*Best New Composition:

Carl Vine Carl Edward Vine, (born 8 October 1954) is an Australian composer of contemporary classical music. From 1975 he has worked as a freelance pianist and composer with a variety of theatre and dance companies, and ensembles. Vine's catalogue inclu ...

Symphony No. 7 *Best Newcomer: Hamer String Quartet 2008 *Music Personality of the year:

*Best Classical Crossover Artist:

Il Divo Il Divo (; ) are a multi-national classical crossover vocal group. The male quartet, which originated in the United Kingdom in December 2003, consists of tenors Urs Bühler, David Miller, and Sébastien Izambard. It also included bariton ...

*Best Orchestral Concert: Sydney Symphony/ David Robertson, Stravinsky: ''The Firebird'' *Best Chamber music concert: Australian Brandenburg Orchestra with Andreas Scholl. *Best Solo performance:

Nigel Kennedy Nigel Kennedy (born 28 December 1956) is an English violinist and violist. His early career was primarily spent performing classical music, and he has since expanded into jazz, klezmer, and other music genres. Early life and background Kenn ...

violin concertos by Mozart & Beethoven *Best World music achievement:

*Best Classical recording:

Slava Grigoryan Slava Grigoryan (born 1976) is an Australian classical guitarist and recording artist. He frequently collaborates and performs with his younger brother, fellow guitarist Leonard Grigoryan, performing as the Grigoryan Brothers. Early life He was ...

& Leonard Grigoryan, Baroque Guitar Concertos (ABC Classics) *Best Jazz achievement:

Don Burrows Donald Vernon Burrows (8 August 1928 – 12 March 2020) was an Australian jazz and swing musician who played clarinet, saxophone and flute. Life and career Donald Vernon Burrows was born on 8 August 1928, the only child of Vernon and Beryl and ...

*Best Event/festival:

Sydney International Piano Competition The Sydney International Piano Competition is a music competition, presented in Sydney and broadcast live throughout Australia and internationally. It is held every four years, over a three-week period in July–August, and is internationally r ...

of Australia *Best Newcomer: Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu 2007 *Music Personality of the year: Jonathan Welch (Choirmaster, Choir of Hard Knocks) *Best Classical Crossover Artist:

*Best Orchestral Concert: Piers Lane (piano) with the Queensland Orchestra/

Pietari Inkinen Pietari Inkinen (born 29 April 1980, Kouvola, Finland) is a Finnish violinist and conductor. Biography Inkinen began violin and piano studies at age 4. As a youth, he also performed in a rock band. He attended the Sibelius Academy and gradu ...

, Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 5 ‘Emperor’ *Best Chamber music concert: Australian Chamber Orchestra/Patricia Kopatchinskaja: Hope *Best Solo performance: Hakan Hardenberger, Trumpet *Best World music achievement: Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu *Best Classical recording:

Sara Macliver Sara Macliver is an Australian soprano singer, born and raised in Perth, Western Australia. Macliver is a versatile artist, appearing in operas, concert and recital performances and on numerous recordings. She is regarded as one of the leading ...

Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra (TSO) is a symphony orchestra based in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. It is the smallest of the six orchestras established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). History The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestr ...

/Sebastian Lang-Lessing, Mozart: Arias (ABC Classics) *Best World Music Achievement: Joseph Tawadros & James Tawadros, Ben Rogers, Epiphany *Best Jazz achievement: Phil Slater Quartet; The Thousands *Best New Composition: Kaidan by Ian Cleworth, Timothy Constable

Riley Lee Riley Kelly Lee (born 1951) is an American-born Australian-based shakuhachi player and teacher. In 1980 he became the first non-Japanese person to attain the rank of Dai Shihan (grand master) in the shakuhachi tradition. He is a recipient of t ...

and members of TaikOz *Best Event/festival: Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Sibelius Festival *Best Newcomer:

Benjamin Northey Benjamin Northey is an Australian conductor, musician and arranger. He has been Chief Conductor of the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra in New Zealand, since 2015.Wikipedia:Footnotes on how to create references using tags which will then appear here automatically --> {{Reflist Classical music awards Australian music awards