Kia ora koutou katoa, we hope that September is treating you well and that you are starting to see the signs of spring in the air. I am sure like many of us you are looking forward to the long sunlight hours that are just on the horizon! 

With the change of season filling the air with the aroma of spring flowers, it is the perfect time for us to finally share an exciting upcoming event, Bloom 2019, a collaborative event in conjunction with the Botanical Gardens 150th Birthday.  Hear more from our very own Thomas Voyce about this truly stunning, upcoming event below.

Here at NZSM, it has been a jam-packed August and September is shaping up to carry on this tradition.  We are focused on an array of events coming our way, including the second NZSM Orchestra Concert for 2019, lead by our talented conductor Ken Young, a classical guitar concert with Minh Le Hoang, and of course we have our final concerts for the 2019 Young Musicians Programme. Read on to get a full idea of the exciting times ahead.

So get your pens (or fingers) poised on your calendars ready to note down these upcoming dates; as always we look forward to seeing you there!

NEWS

Get Ready for Bloom....

Bloom 2019: A botanical soundscape

From Thomas Voyce, lecturer in Composition, New Zealand School of Music—Te Kōkī, Victoria University of Wellington

This year, the Wellington Botanic Garden celebrates 150 years. When Victoria University of Wellington’s New Zealand School of Music—Te Kōkī (NZSM) was asked if we would like to collaborate on a project for the Garden’s upcoming Spring Festival, I immediately put my hand up to be involved. I teach a paper on electroacoustic composition with a focus on surround sound techniques, and the Garden has long been a go-to destination for students looking to record interesting ambiances to turn into weird and wonderful music in our Lilburn Studios. I’m also involved with NZSM’s Master of Fine Arts (Creative Practice) (MFA(CP)) degree in Music/Sound, which is taught at the University’s Miramar Creative Centre. I wondered if there might be room to collaborate further with the MFA(CP) Film students and the Master of Design Technology (MDT) students who are also based at the Centre.

The result was Bloom 2019, a multimedia concert to be held at Begonia House on the evenings of 28 and 29 September.

Collaboration across different schools within universities can be tricky: incorporating these kinds of projects into coursework at short notice is a challenge, and also securing buy-in from students who will not be assessed for their work can be elusive. Bloom 2019 had some luck here. As part of their assessment, students from the School of Design’s MDT degree were asked to create fractal animations around a botanical theme in trimester one this year. Students from the MFA(CP) Film programme graciously shot interesting footage at the Garden, and edited the animations and footage together into ten four-minute films, including poignant homages to the Garden, quirky mashups, and outrageous quick-cut spectacles. My third-year Composition students composed multichannel electroacoustic works to accompany these images. Their only restriction: all source materials had to be recorded at the Botanic Garden.

With help from the Adam Art Gallery, we set up the concert in the middle of Begonia House, with a large projector screen, and as many as 18 loudspeakers in two rings, around the audience and above. My Composition students had been experimenting with ambisonic technology, which includes the spherical capture of sound environments with ambisonic microphones and the manipulation of source materials through multichannel speaker arrays. This technology results in immersive and spatially acute audio environments, much like those provided by modern Dolby Atmos systems installed in high-end movie theaters (including Wellington’s own Embassy Theatre). However, unlike blockbuster films shown at the Embassy, these works were unusual, experimental, and perhaps a little challenging. In addition to these concerts, Begonia House will be draped with small sound sculptures (produced by other NZSM Sonic Arts and Music Technology students) from Friday 27 until Sunday 29 September.

Bloom 2019 has added a new element to NZSM’s public programme, a programme that increasingly promotes sound art practices. In 2016, we established the jointly hosted Toi Pōneke Te Kōki New Zealand School of Music Sound Art Residency. We are currently reading submissions for our fourth residency for 2019/2020. Successful applicants include public events and installations as part of their residency. NZSM also produces the Aotearoa Audio Arts Festival, a biannual festival that focuses on sound art installations and live electronic performances. Last year’s event was an enormous success, and this year we are producing a smaller event at Wellington Museum called ‘Quadraphonics: presented by AAA’. This will include local and international artists taking over the Wellington Museum for one night on 8 November. Next year, we hope to be back with a full-bodied AAA event. Bloom promises to become another annual event that invites the public to experience sound art, this time with a particular focus on student work.

It seems very fitting to me that Victoria University of Wellington and the Wellington Botanic Garden should collaborate together for their Spring Festival, especially given our proximity to each other, and the number of students who litter the Garden hillsides when the sun comes out, and the clouds roll by a little slower.

IMAGE CAPTIONS: Thomas’s Composition students work together on their Bloom 2019 pieces. Left to right: Jeremy McLean, Mia Kelly, Thomas Voyce, Emma Bernard, Hunter Jackson (sitting)

AWARDS, AWARDS AND MORE AWARDS!

During August and September 2019 we have had a variety of competitions showcasing our diversely talented NZSM students and Alumni. Read an overview of some of these accomplishments.

CONCERTO COMPETITION 2019

Winner of the 2019 NZSM Concerto Competition, Nickolas Majic. You can hear Nickolas perform his winning concerto in our upcoming Orchestra concert on Friday 4 October.

BODY/HARRIS AWARDS 2019 

Congratulations to Sarang Roberts and Dominic Jacquemard who took out this year's Body/Harris competition, with their rendition of Komorebi by Salina Fisher, NZSM 2019 Composer-in-Residence.

LILBURN COMPOSER COMPETITION 2019

Congratulations to our winners Peter Liley and Jack Bewley! Special mention to our 2nd place winner Jack Woodbury and 3rd place winner Liam Furey.

Performance prizes went to Peter Liley, Samantha McSweeney, and Frances Thorpe

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AWARDS 2019

Fantastic work, Maxwell Stone, Brooke Singer, and Reuben Jelleyman, all current and former NZSM students. More information about these awards and the recipients can be found here. 

EVENTS

NZSM ORCHESTRA 2019

When: Friday 4 October, 7:30 pm
Where: St Andrew's on The Terrace
$15/10 presales from Eventfinda, $20/$15 door sales (EFTPOS only)

This concert will feature a composition by postgraduate student Luka Venter, 'ts'onot', and a performance of the Sibelius Violin Concerto, with the winner of the 2019 NZSM Concerto Competition, Nickolas Majic. The second half will feature a performance of Prokofiev's 5th Symphony.

MINH LE HOANG CLASSICAL GUITAR CONCERT

When: Saturday 21 September, 7:30 pm
Where: Adam Concert Room

Tickets: $20/$15 Bookings through Eventfinda or cash at the door (sorry no Eftpos).  

Minh Le Hoang began playing popular music at the age of nine while living in Vietnam. When his family moved to Australia in 1991, Minh—then aged 13—had great interest in classical guitar and decided to take the instrument seriously, studying firstly with Carolyn Kidd and continuing with leading Australian guitarist/teacher, Timothy Kain at the ANU School of Music. He subsequently graduated with first-class honours, receiving the highest mark ever achieved by a student in a solo recital. Minh then continued to undertake postgraduate studies and completed the course with a Master of Music.

Minh won first prize in the 50th Tokyo International Guitar Competition, having also won the Adelaide Spring Guitar Competition in 2001. As a soloist and recitalist within Australia, he has given masterclasses and concerts for guitar societies in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, and Canberra. He has also given concerts and classes in the United States and Southeast Asia and as well as making many appearances on radio and television. In 2008 he released the critically acclaimed solo album, 'The Fall of Birds' and a more recent recording, 'Duo Merindah' featuring music for guitar and flute.

Performing works by Albeniz, Bach, Piazzolla, Scarlatti, and Sculthorpe among others. 

YOUNG MUSICIANS CONCERTS

Young Musicians Programme Classical Concert

 When: 21 September 2019, 1:30–4:30 pm

Where: St Andrew's on The Terrace

Students of the NZSM’s pre-tertiary Young Musicians Programme piano, wind, string, voice, and chamber classes perform in their final concert for the year. Participants range from 9–18 years of age, and Grade 3 to diploma level.

Young Musicians Programme Jazz Concert

When:  23 September 2019, 6:00 pm

Where: SU310, Student Union Building, Kelburn campus

Students of the NZSM’s pre-tertiary Young Musicians Programme Jazz Class perform jazz standards in three combos. Participants range from 9–18 years of age.

FRIDAY LUNCHTIME CONCERTS

LOS ANGELES PERCUSSION QUARTET

24 September 2019, 7:30 pm

Hunter Council Chamber, Hunter Building, Kelburn Campus

Since 2009, the GRAMMY-nominated Los Angeles Percussion Quartet (LAPQ) has forged a distinct identity as a world-class contemporary chamber music ensemble that is dedicated to commissioning and presenting new works for percussion quartet. The New Zealand School of Music is proud to host them for this one-off concert in Wellington, which will introduce some of their exquisite sounds and compelling repertoire that make this group a ‘must-hear’!

PROGRAMME
Shaun Naidoo: The Year Before Yesterday
Joseph Pereira: Mallet Quartet
John Bergamo: Piru Bole
John Cage: Third Construction
Sarah Reid: Flux
Anna Thorvaldsdottir: Aura

MUSIC FORUM

Music Forum is a seminar series hosted by the NZSM Music Studies Programme. Staff, graduate students, and distinguished visiting speakers present recently completed research, or discuss work in progress. Music Forum is open to anyone to attend. 

7 October
Dr Kirsty Gillespie
Senior Curator Anthropology, Queensland Museum/ James Cook University, Australia
Stories from the Islands: Documenting sung narratives in Lihir, Papua New Guinea

COMPOSER WORKSHOP

Composer Workshop is a varied programme of guest presentations by established composers discussing their work, and workshop performances of student compositions. The following composer workshops in September and October are open to the public: 

25 September
LA Percussion Quartet discuss percussion repertoire

2 October
Thomas Voyce

9 October
CMPO101 Showcase

The NZSM Composition Programme presents Composer Workshop from 3:10–4:30pm each Wednesday during the trimester, in the Adam Concert Room on NZSM's Kelburn Campus (unless otherwise noted).

Don't forget the Baby Boomer Series interviews! 

Running until 8 October

ABOUT TOWN

NZSM students are involved in a few events around town this monthcheck them out. 

CLASSICAL SESSIONS AT TUATARA THIRD EYE

2 October at 6pm

ROGUE AND VAGABOND—NZSM Big Band

26 September at 8:30pm

Tour-Makers and Blackbird Ensemble Present Björk: All Is Full of Love coming to Wellington’s Shed 6 on Thursday 17 October, 7:30 pm for one night only.

Tour-Makers is pleased to be able to offer $10 to students to see the show called “Absolutely brilliant; musical execution in every regard quite superb…. a universe of musical textures. ….. it sounds mesmerising and magical and we are transported.” (Penny Dodd, writing for Theatreview).

Simply use the code BLACKBIRD when booking at ticketmaster.co.nz to access this special offer. 

Blackbird Ensemble, New Zealand’s most inventive and theatrical chamber orchestra, presents an awe-inspiring homage to the inimitable Icelandic pop artist Björk.

In All is Full of Love, Blackbird Ensemble serves up an audio feast of Björk’s finest songs across the decades, reimagining her much-loved classics from Debut through to Medulla and Utopia. Taking to the stage with signature flair they showcase a fine cast of vocal talent, with extraordinary visual design to evoke the themes which provide so much inspiration to Björk herself.

The line-up includes the talent of singer-songwriter Anna Coddington, the psychedelic soul of Mara TK, and dream-pop artist Priya Sami from the Sami sisters. A band of strings, brass, woodwind, keys, and percussion presents custom arrangements by Silver Scroll-winning composer/director Claire Cowan.

Check out the trailer on YouTube 

SUPPORT THE MUSICIANS, COMPOSERS AND SCHOLARS OF THE FUTURE

For some of New Zealand's most talented musicians, the only thing that stands in the way of their dreams is the lack of funds to make them real. For further information on how you can provide support for students at the New Zealand School of Music, please contact either: