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SOUNZ Centre for New Zealand Music is proud to announce the selection for the 2017 NZ Composer Sessions. The following composers’ works will be rehearsed and performed by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and recorded by RNZ Concert in April next year:

Richard Francis - I, Time (Mvt II from Three Movements for Orchestra)
Chris Gendall - Incident Tableaux Part One
Natalie Hunt - Only to the Highest Mountain
Philip Norman - When Gravity Fails
Patrick Shepherd - Two Seven Two One
Tabea Squire - Ao
Alex Taylor - Horn Concerto: Hydraulic Fracture
Louise Webster - Concerto for Violin & Orchestra

“Together with the project partners NZSO and RNZ Concert, we continue to celebrate the works of our composers with another instalment of high quality recordings”, says SOUNZ Executive Director Diana Marsh. “We are pleased to be able to extend the recordings this year, which is a strong indicator of the wealth of quality music created by New Zealand composers that deserves to be heard in Aotearoa and beyond.”

The selection panel, made up of representatives of the NZSO, RNZ Concert and CANZ, received 25 submissions from composers in June. The selected works reflect the diversity of musical styles and voices in New Zealand composition and the total duration of music to be recorded has been extended to create up to 90 minutes of recordings.

Composer Natalie Hunt, whose work was also selected in 2012, said, “I feel honoured and completely thrilled that ‘Only to the Highest Mountain’ has been selected, especially considering the high standard of composition New Zealand enjoys. I am really looking forward to the NZSO recording this work and hearing the recordings of the other works in this session.”

The 2017 recordings will take place in April 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. Chris Gendall, who is taking part in the recordings for the second time, said, “Working with the NZSO is such a pleasure for orchestral composers. Their technique, professional attitude, attention to detail and appetite for new music enable the swiftest possible access to music-making. I can’t wait to be involved again in 2017.”

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, 147 works by 89 composers have been recorded.

First-time participant Tabea Squire said, “I am very much looking forward to being in professional contact with both the NZSO and my colleagues, and to experiencing the rehearsal and recording of all the selected new works.”

You can browse composers and listen to past recordings on SOUNZ’s and RNZ Concert’s websites.