Four leading Australian jazz musicians have been announced as finalists for the 2025 Freedman Jazz Fellowship – one of the country’s most prestigious awards for emerging jazz artists.

Perth vocalist and composer Holli Scott, Melbourne trumpeter Niran Dasika, Sydney-based saxophonist Sam Gill and pianist Wilbur Whitta will each vie for the $30,000 fellowship, which supports a major career-defining project.

Top: Wilbur Whitta and Holly Scoot; bottom Niran Dasika and Sam Gill. Portraits supplied

The four finalists will perform in the Freedman Jazz Finalists Concert at the Neilson Room, ACO Pier 2/3, Sydney, on 22 November, with the winner to be announced the same evening.

Sydney saxophonist Sam Gill is a performer, composer and researcher known for his projects Coursed Waters and Scattered, and collaborations with artists including Chris Abrahams and Simon Barker. A 2022 recipient of SIMA’s Emerging Composers Mentorship, Gill completed his PhD at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 2023.

Perth-based vocalist Holli Scott brings an eclectic and atmospheric sound shaped by her background as a bandleader and lyricist. Since releasing her debut album DUST (2019), Scott has earned multiple WAM Award nominations including Best Vocalist and Song of the Year.

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