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SOUNZ Centre for New Zealand Music is delighted to announce that Auckland based composer Reuben Jelleyman has won the 2022 SOUNZ Contemporary Award | Te Tohu Auaha with Catalogue.

Reuben Jelleyman says, “I toa ahau! I’m super thrilled to win the SOUNZ Contemporary Award for 2022 – it’s a dream. Catalogue is a gateway piece; it’s an entry point to new things, and I couldn’t be more excited by the way that it has been received by the public. I’m honoured to bring my music back to Aotearoa, and to receive such an accolade from the NZ music community.

I want to thank all who have helped me along the way and believed in my music. Thanks to Léo Warynski and the Multilatérale team, and most particularly Gérard Pesson and all the other teachers at the Paris Conservatory.”

The Hon Carmel Sepuloni, Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage presented the Award at the 2022 APRA Silver Scroll Awards held at the Spark Arena on Tuesday 18 October.

“It was an honour to present the SOUNZ Contemporary Award | Te Tohu Auaha which, for 24 years, has recognised and celebrated the immense creativity and talent of Aotearoa New Zealand composers. Congratulations to all of the finalists, and especially to Reuben for his winning work Catalogue” said Minister Sepuloni.

SOUNZ Chief Executive Diana Marsh says, “The winning work Catalogue demonstrates the high quality of New Zealand composition which the SOUNZ Contemporary Award has been recognising for more than two decades. Catalogue is intricate, complex and exciting. This is the third time Reuben has been a finalist and we are delighted to see his work win in 2022!”

 The SOUNZ Contemporary Award | Te Tohu Auaha, now in its 25th year, recognises New Zealand compositions demonstrating outstanding levels of creativity and inspiration and has been presented in collaboration with APRA AMCOS NZ since 1998.

This was Reuben’s third nomination for the SOUNZ Contemporary Award | Te Tohu Auaha. Reuben has recently returned from overseas study in Europe. Of his winning work, he says,  

“Catalogue was written for the ensemble Multilatérale to complete my masters at the Paris Conservatory. The piece is quite a chaotic collision of my musical explorations during my studies, and yet, it’s hardly the conclusion to anything. It’s more of an explosive start: there are things in the piece that are a little out of control, and struggling to find their place. For me that’s quite exciting.”

 The winning work was selected through an anonymous process by a judging panel of independent industry representatives, including an international judge Peter Veale (New Zealand/Germany) and New Zealanders Ashley Brown, Justine Cormack, Mark Menzies and Sonya Waters. This year, 54 works were entered by 46 composers, demonstrating the high quality of New Zealand composition through compelling, fascinating works representative of a broad range of styles.