December 2014

As the end of the year approaches we at SOUNZ are looking ahead to 2015 and the opportunities the New Year will bring us. Many exciting projects are in the planning stages and we will also celebrate the centenary of Douglas Lilburn’s birth. The abundance of events also means that we’ll be busy back at work in January, after a well deserved Christmas break.

But before we wish you happy holidays, read on for some musical inspiration, recent success stories and future opportunities.

The annual conference of the Institute of Registered Music Teachers (IRMT) takes place in Wellington 15.-18. January 2015. Lilburn’s Legacy: Fostering Musical Creativity Conference offers an exciting programme for anyone interested in contemporary composition or New Zealand music. More information and registration details here.

As part of the conference, the Wellington Branch of the IRMTNZ commissioned five composers to create new work for young pianists: Ewan Clark, Jonathan Crehan, Natalie Hunt, Karlo Margetic and Tabea Squire each wrote a piece for piano students at intermediate level. The initiative, supported by SOUNZ, produced a book of the works with pieces portraying a wide spectrum of energy, character and style. High Five will be sold at the conference and afterwards at SOUNZ online.

The launch event will take place on 17 January at the IRMTNZ Conference and the composers will be talking about creativity with Philip Norman, along with performances of the works by young Wellington pianists. Non-members welcome – more information here.

Congratulations to NZ composer Andrew Baldwin, who is one of the six winners in the Gallipoli song contest, organised by Australia's ABC Classic FM and Radio New Zealand Concert. Baldwin is the only winner from NZ in the competition commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli Campaign. The winning compositions will be professionally performed, recorded and broadcast on Anzac Day 2015 in Australia and New Zealand.

The inaugural New Zealand Classical Guitar Competition was held at Te Kōkī New Zealand School of Music in Wellington on  5.-7. December. The Youth Division winner is Joshua Peters, 17, from Auckland, and Jamie Garrick, MMus 2014, from Wellington, won the Open Division. Prizes for the Best Performance of a New Zealand Work, sponsored by SOUNZ, went to George Wills for Lucid by Mike Hogan, and Michael Riddell for his own work Vanya’s Lament.

The 26th Gisborne International Music Competition took place 1.-6. December and was won by Rustem Khamidullin (cello). SOUNZ donates a score for the contestants each year: this year we sent 20 different pieces to the 47 candidates, of whom 22 performed a work by NZ composers. The winner of the Pultron Composites Award for the best performance of a work by a NZ composer was Wellington violinist Julian Baker, playing Gyftiko by John Psathas.

Salina Fisher is the winner of this year’s NZSO TODD Corporation Young Composers Award and is named the NZSO TODD Corporation Young Composer of the Year for the second year running. The award, now in its tenth year, is open to young composers up to the age of 25. Some of New Zealand’s top young composers were mentored by Victoria Kelly and had their compositions workshopped, rehearsed and performed by the NZSO, with conductor Tecwyn Evans, and recorded by Radio New Zealand Concert.

The NZSO-SOUNZ-RNZC Recordings is a key SOUNZ project, run in partnership with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (NZSO) and Radio New Zealand Concert (RNZC), producing new recordings of orchestral music, which are then made available as full-length streaming audio free of charge, on SOUNZ Media On Demand and on RNZC website. To date, a total of 41 orchestral works have been recorded, and a further seven have been selected for performance by the NZSO and will be recorded by RNZ over four days in February 2015.

You can now listen to the three latest releases from the Recordings project: Volti by Michael Norris, Waltz-Fantasia by Andrew Perkins and Euphonium Concerto by Kenneth Young. Also included is an interview with each of the composers about their work and the recording process.

Next year is the centenary of the birth of Douglas Lilburn, #Lilburn100. SOUNZ will be celebrating all year long by promoting NZ music events taking place around the country. The IRMTNZ Conference: Lilburn’s Legacy, kicks off the celebrations in January, soon to be followed by the Adam Chamber Music Festival.

The Lilburn Research Fellowship for 2015 was awarded to Wellington writer and radio producer Chris Bourke. The fellowship was established in 2012 and is funded by the Lilburn Trust in association with the Alexander Turnbull Library. It aims to encourage scholarly research leading to publication on some aspect of NZ and music, using the resources of the Archive of New Zealand Music and the collections of the Alexander Turnbull Library.

And if you missed it, watch Lilburn’s posthumous induction to the NZ Music Hall of Fame here.

Or listen to the second annual Lilburn Lecture delivered by Dr William Dart here.

Are you a teacher and already thinking ahead for next year’s contests? Did you know SOUNZ online has specific education resources available for teachers? You can also browse through suggested repertoire lists for the Big Sing competition and NZCT Chamber Music Contest from previous years.

Did you know, RNZC broadcasts audio of The Big Sing Finale on Sundays until 14 December, culminating in the Gala Concert on that day.

A reminder from our friends at Chamber Music New Zealand: the applications for ensembles to tour in 2016 as part of the CMNZ Encompass Regional Concerts will close on 15 December. Read more here or check out the 2015 Encompass Season roster.
 

Also next year, CMNZ are opening their concert stages to amateur performers, giving them the opportunity to play for family and friends, their touring artists and other chamber music fans. The CMNZ Open Stage, presented in association with SOUNZ, will take place in the afternoon of the Composer Connections subscription concert in each centre.

If you are thinking of taking part, please get in touch with SOUNZ for repertoire suggestions for your ensemble.

Christmas is getting ever closer and we have recently updated our Christmas Gift Ideas with SOUNZ staff picks, featuring favourites from the past year. Check it out and make it a singing and dancing holiday for your family and friends.

Christmas Office Hours
The SOUNZ office will be closed for Christmas from Tuesday 23 December 5pm, and will reopen on Monday 5 January 2015. You can continue to make purchases online, though packiging & postage will be processed in January.

There is plenty of NZ music programmed for 2015. Keep your eye on the SOUNZ events page, where details will be posted in the new year.

As a teaser, you can take a look at the sample of tours and festivals below to get an idea of what is on offer around the country, along with the 2015 programmes of the NZSO, CSO, Orchestra Wellington and APO.

• CliK Ensemble’s tour of NZ
• Turnovsky Jubilee Ensemble tour
• CMNZ Composer Connections tour
• Auckland Arts Festival
• Adam Chamber Music Festival

Once a year we invite our supporters to become Friends of SOUNZ. As a SOUNZ news subscriber, you may have received an invitation in the mail, and our sincere thanks to those who have already responded.

Become a Friend of SOUNZ

As a Friend of SOUNZ you will enjoy a 10% discount on your purchases and receive exclusive invitations to music events. You can also choose to donate towards a specific project.

Download Friend of SOUNZ membership form here.

Have your contact details changed? Scroll down to the footer of this email and check and update your subscription preferences and contact details anytime. Did you know you can tell us which areas of SOUNZ catalogue (if not all of it!) you’re interested in hearing about in the future.

Forward this email to a friend.

Don’t forget to LIKE us on Facebook 

This email has been sent to you because you've expressed an interest in receiving communications from SOUNZ. If you have received this in error just delete it and unsubscribe here.

You can update your subscription preferences here.

Request email updates at:

www.sounz.org.nz

Join us on Facebook
 Forward to a friend