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.