Winners of the fifth national choral composition competition, Compose Aotearoa, have just been announced, following a record number of entries. The Open category was won by Wellington’s William Philipson. William, who has never written for choir before, has a day job writing music for the long running television soap Shortland St.

“I’m honoured to have won this competition—I can hardly believe it! Being selected among so many talented and inspiring composers is amazing,” says William, “The title of my piece “Etaoin” is inspired by the phrase "Etaoin Shrdlu”, a nonsensical string that often appeared in print accidentally during the era of hot metal typesetting. Similarly, this piece invites listeners to discover their own meaning, as the sung text is drawn from corrupted Latin, masking any overt understanding of the words.”

The Waiata category winner is Alice Carter, who is only 16-year-old. A soprano in the Aotearoa Academy Choir, Alice is a student at Chilton St James School and is also in the New Zealand Secondary Schools Symphony Orchestra. Alice’s composition is Tapu Te Ariki Kia Whakapaingia, a Sanctus and Benedictus in Te Reo Māori. “At the beginning of my setting to the Māori text, the choir starts unaccompanied, and a few bars later the organ joins in with only a solo line. I wanted the organ solo to imitate taonga pūoro, specifically a koauau,” says Alice.

Jacob Barrett won the Under 25 Years category and the esteemed position of 2025 Composer-in-Residence. A graduate of Instrumental/Vocal Composition at Te Kōkī New Zealand School of Music, Jacob went on to post-graduate study and feels the residency has come at the perfect time in his career. As well as composing music, Jacob plays a number of instruments, including guitar, piano, drums, cavaquinho, bass, ukulele, and harmonica, and enjoys collecting new instruments to learn.

Since 2020, Choirs Aotearoa New Zealand has invited composers across the country – from the freshest to our most esteemed – to create a new work for a mixed four-part choir (up to 60 people), in a capella or accompanied by up to three instruments. The 2024 judges said they were impressed by the number and quality of the pieces entered this year and that so many had themes around grappling with topical issues and challenges. 

"We were also thrilled to see the diversity of entries this year and that two Pasifika composers were recognised in the 2024 winners: Opeloge Ah Sam with “Pie Jesu” (highly-commended in the Open category) and Denzel Panama with “Seek Him That Makes the Seven Stars” (commended in the Open category),” says Choirs Aotearoa New Zealand’s Outreach Manager, Lee Martelli-Wood. “With support from Creative New Zealand and its Pacific Arts Strategy, we are working hard to increase our engagement with Pasifika artists.”

See the full list of winners at www.choirs.nz/compose-aotearoa  

All three main winners take home $2000 each and become SOUNZ Composers. The pieces will be workshopped with Voices NZ in November. Compose Aotearoa! is supported by patrons Trevor and Carol Kempton. 

For more information: Rachel Healy, Publicist, E: rachel@rachelhealy.co.nz