SOUNZ Commission for Emerging Players 2018

In May 2018 Orchestra Wellington and Arohanui Strings will be giving a performance at the Walter Nash Stadium in Lower Hutt. This commission is an opportunity for a composer to create a work of 4-5 minutes featuring the combined forces of Orchestra Wellington and Arohanui Strings. The resulting work will need to have separate parts at an appropriate level for Arohanui Strings, and be suitable for a concert that will include popular songs, arias and overtures.

Call for proposals

Proposals for the commission from New Zealand composers should be emailed to info@sounz.org.nz by 9am Friday 8 December 2017. All applications will be forwarded to a panel facilitated by SOUNZ, and the succesful proposal will be announced on Monday 18 December 2017.

For more information see https://www.sounz.org.nz/events

2018 NZ Composer Sessions

in association with NZSO, RNZ Concert and SOUNZ

SOUNZ Centre for New Zealand Music is proud to announce the selection for the 2018 NZ Composer Sessions. Eight New Zealand composers’ works will be rehearsed and performed by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and recorded by RNZ Concert in January next year:

Chris Adams: Otira Gorge
Reuben Jelleyman: Hue Saturation and Brightness
Louisa Nicklin: One
Philip Norman: Two Fanfares
Andrew Perkins: Three Spanish Songs
Anthony Ritchie: Albatross in Flight
Patrick Shepherd: Lithosphere (3rd mvt)
Alex van den Broek: Barbour St. Late Evening

“NZ Composer Sessions is a quintessential SOUNZ project, bringing together our composers with the national orchestra to create high quality recordings of contemporary NZ music”, says SOUNZ Executive Director Diana Marsh. “Once again we are grateful for the support of our partners NZSO and RNZ Concert in helping to bring New Zealand composers’ music to a wider audience. The sessions also provide a valuable opportunity for other arts organisations to hear works by a range of New Zealand composers.”

A panel made up of representatives of the NZSO, RNZ Concert and the Composers Association of New Zealand (CANZ) selected the latest eight works to be recorded.

First-time participant Louisa Nicklin said, “I am so grateful to be selected for this amazing opportunity working with such talented musicians. This is my first year out of university and I couldn’t be happier with this outcome as it enables me to continue to develop as a composer.”

The 2018 recordings will take place in January at the Michael Fowler Centre in Wellington, including a concert for invited guests to promote the works to a range of orchestras and broadcasters.

The selected composers welcome the opportunity to work with the national orchestra. Andrew Perkins, who is taking part in the recordings for the third time, said, “The award provides me the welcome opportunity to work again with the NZSO, a world-class orchestra. I am also grateful of the acknowledgement of my work as a New Zealand composer.”

The project, previously known as NZSO-SOUNZ Readings (1998-2011) and NZSO-RNZ Concert-SOUNZ Recordings (2010-2016), was re-launched as NZ Composer Sessions this year. The collaboration offers composers an opportunity to have their orchestral compositions workshopped and performed by a professional orchestra, to be recorded in a professional setting and promoted to presenters. Throughout the years, over 130 works by 65 New Zealand composers have been recorded.

See the SOUNZ website for more information about the composers and the works.

Risingholme Orchestra Composition Competition

The Risingholme Orchestra is pleased to announce the Janet and John Emeleus Composition Prize for “Meaningful Musical Miniatures”.

Open to all Cantabrians, the competition encourages composers of all ages to hear their work performed in a concert scheduled for 1 July 2018 in The Piano: centre for music and the arts.

Cash prizes to a total value of $1,000 are available.

Finalist works will be given a performance in a concert by the Risingholme Orchestra.

For more information please see: https://www.risingholmeorchestra.co.nz/

Call for scores – NZ Harp Duo Composition Competition

The New Zealand Harp Duo are pleased to announce a competition for a new composition for two concert harps.
Two first prizes are offered, one for each category.

Category 1: 2-4 minutes
Must be currently enrolled in secondary school
Prize money $300

Category 2: 4-8 minutes
Under 30 years of age
Prize money $600

The winning compositions will be performed as part of the NZ Harp Duo’s concert series in 2017.

Closing date: entries must be received by midnight on the 19th August. Winners will be notified by 30th of September.

Rules

• The composition must be written for two pedal harps and must not have previously been performed in public nor entered into other competitions

• The composition may take any musical form

• Entrants for the secondary school category must have composed a piece of at least two minutes duration and no longer than four minutes

• Entrants for the under 30 year old category must have composed a piece of at least four minutes duration and no longer than eight minutes

• It must be an original work, not an arrangement of another work

• A composer may enter more than one work, but only one prize will be awarded to any one individual

• The competition is open to anyone who has New Zealand residency at the time the entry is submitted

• By submitting your composition you agree that the NZ Harp Duo will have performance and recording rights of the winning entries without additional fees

• By submitting an application, you agree to cooperate with the NZ Harp Duo on any possible edits deemed necessary by the duo to make the work successfully playable

• The composition must use standard tuning only, ie. no microtones

• All standard extended harp techniques are acceptable

• Composers may write for prepared harp, but it must not in any way compromise the instrument or its tuning.

• Submissions which are incomplete or do not follow the guidelines and parameters here will be disqualified

• All entries must include a separate short cover letter with: name, DOB, contact phone number, email address, name of school attending (if applicable). Please also include a short biography, short programme notes and a photo

 

The adjudication panel consists of:

Carolyn Mills – Principal Harpist NZSO

Kenneth Young – Composer, Conductor and NZSM Lecturer

Ingrid Bauer – Classical Harpist

The decision of the judging panel is final.

Information about writing for the harp can be found here:

http://www.15secondharp.com/

http://composingforharp.com/

http://sites.siba.fi/sv/web/harpnotation/harp

Technical questions about the harp and its performance techniques may be directed to the NZ Harp

Duo at info@nzharpduo.com with the subject line ‘Harp Composition Competition’


How to apply

Entries should be submitted electronically with the subject title ‘Harp Composition Competition’ to:

info@nzharpduo.com email or dropbox with pdf files preferred, but Sibelius files (that can be

opened in all versions of the programme) also accepted.

Competition enquiries: Can be emailed to the NZ Harp Duo, with subject title ‘Harp Composition

Competition’ at info@nzharpduo.com

Checklist

o Full scores together with indicative or mockup audio files

o Cover letter

o Biography

o Programme notes

o Photo

Auckland Philharmonia Composer Development Opportunity

The Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra have announced a call for submissions from composers who are interested in being involved with their next two year composer development opportunity. The project is for composers to write music in response to letters held at Auckland Museum which were written by soldiers during WW1.

Submissions due by 15th July.

http://apo.co.nz/letters-in-wartime

Opportunity for Composers of Opera: New Zealand Opera School

The New Zealand Opera School is seeking submissions from composers with an existing opera or part of an opera work yet to be completed, which has not previously been realised in a public performance. Through the success and ongoing development of the School it is offering to workshop a one act opera or part of a large scale work with selected students. The chosen work will be rehearsed over the course of the week under the musical guidance of Michael Vinten and Bruce Greenfield. This will lead to a public performance, staged by Sara Brodie, at the Wanganui Opera House.

Submissions of scores and any supporting material should be sent to 12 Rodney Avenue, Te Horo Beach, 5581 Kapiti Coast by September 31st, 2010. Candidates will be informed by 10th January 2011.

SOUNZtender – the concert, Sunday 30 May

As 2010 NZ Music Month draws to a close, the Centre for New Zealand Music (SOUNZ) will present a concert of five world-premieres in the Ilott Theatre, Wellington Town Hall.

At 11:30am on Sunday, 30th May, five exciting new works by Eve de Castro-Robinson, Chris Gendall, Ross Harris, John Psathas and Gillian Whitehead, will be premiered by pianists Diedre Irons, Gao Ping and Donald Nicolson, as well as NZSO clarinetist Phil Green and the New Zealand String Quartet.

Tickets are available online through Ticketek for just $20, plus a booking fee.

For more information about the concert (including links to the composers, works, performers and booking): http://sounz.org.nz/events/show/1585

175 East concerts

175 East announce their first concerts of 2010 in Christchurch and Auckland. The concerts include the world premieres of works by New Zealand composers Alexandra Hay, Samuel Holloway, Dylan Lardelli, Chris Watson and Alex Wolken.

The ensemble is joined by guest guitarist Dylan Lardelli who performs in his own new composition, commissioned by 175 East with funding from Creative New Zealand.

The concerts will be preceded by solo guitar improvisations by Greg Malcolm (Christchurch) and Nigel Gavin (Auckland).

CHRISTCHURCH
7pm Friday April 9, Maurice Till Concert Hall, Music Centre of Christchurch, 140 Barbadoes Street
$20/$10 (door sales only)

AUCKLAND
7pm Sunday April 11, Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre
$20/$10*
*Service fees will apply
Book now at www.buytickets.co.nz or 0800 BUY TICKETS
*$11 per order via phone, $5 per order via web, $1.50 per ticket via mail via box office.

"North Winds, South Winds"

A concert of New Zealand wind music by the Auckland Wind Orchestra, conducted by Ryan Youens.

Don’t miss this wonderful event featuring selections from New Zealand’s finest wind music.

Aue! – Christopher Marshall
The Ballad of Settler McGee – Philip Norman
Earthbound Wings – Yvette Audain
Far Star – Matthew Crawford
Forest Sketches – David Woodcock
Guardians of the North – Ryan Youens

Including two premieres:
The Pensieve – Zyia-Li Teh
Rotorua – Phillip Anderson

$10 waged, $5 unwaged (door sales only)

www.awo.co.nz

ACO: A Resonance of Emerald

The Auckland Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Peter Scholes, and with special guest Helen Medlyn, performs a ‘composer portrait’ of Eve de Castro Robinson.

Sunday 13 September 2009 5:00 PM

“And as for ‘why do I compose?’ There seems to be an inner surge of creative energy which must spring out and manifest itself in musical form. This usually involves much gazing out at trees and water (two life forces) and summoning up embryonic flickers and traces of sounds and ideas which may agree to be shaped and manipulated into larger forms and structures.

“I’m continually trying to figure out how to bridge the gap between being able to allow something to come into being and then to make some personal ‘concrete’ sense of it. I do try to achieve a balance between the peace of mind necessary for depth and clarity of contemplation, and the open and trusting (and therefore extremely vulnerable) state of being that is creative. I can only compose from inner conviction and speak with my heart. And I often return to a statement by Berio, who sees music as ‘a gift to be given and a gift to be received’ “.


http://sounz.org.nz/events/show/1206

http://www.aco.co.nz/2009-a-resonance-of-emerald.php