Travelling Spirits

My friends Rowena Simpson (soprano) and Kamala Bain (recorders) are giving two concerts in Wellington next week. The programme is titled Travelling Spirits, and features old and new music for voice and recorder.

The new music includes pieces by Nicola LeFanu, John Rodgers, Karel van Steenhoven, Lyell Cresswell, Dorothy Ker, Helen Fisher, as well as the première of my new piece, Night Countdown, commissioned by Rowena and Kamala.

The concerts are:

Wednesday 29 October, 12.15-1.00pm at St Marks Church, 58 Woburn Rd, Lower Hutt

Sunday 2 November, 2.00-3.00pm at Futuna Chapel, Friend St, Karori, Wellington

New Zealand Music for Woodwind

Ben Hoadley’s annual New Zealand Music for Woodwind concert is coming up on 14 May.

This year it features music by Kenneth Young, Gillian Whitehead, Natalie Hunt, and the première of my new piece, Stolen Time, for recorder and dulcian, written for Ben and Kamala Bain.

The concert’s part of the St Andrew’s on the Terrace Lunchtime Concert Series:

Wednesday 14 May, 12:15 pm, St Andrews on the Terrace, Wellington.

And it’s free.

Tendril and Nebula, Q Theatre, Auckland

This coming weekend, Auckland ensemble 175 East will be performing Tendril \and Nebula, at Q Theatre in Auckland. Music by Dorothy Ker and James Saunders is also on the programme.

Details here; Sunday 8 December, 8pm, 305 Queen Street, Auckland.

Tendril and Nebula was commissioned by 175 East in 1999 (my first professional commission!), and I’m very much looking forward to revisiting it with them.

The Mirror of Time 2

Stroma’s next concert features the première of a new piece, Canzona per sonare: Degraded Echoes.

It’s a short piece for recorder and string quartet, featuring Kamala Bain, with Stroma’s regular string players.

The concert is a continuation of last year’s performances under the same title, made up of arrangements of early music, alongside music from the 20th and 21st centuries. The early music is drawn from the avant-garde of its own time, and should contain a few surprises for modern ears.

There are two performances, at St Mary’s of the Angels, in Wellington, on 26 April, at 6pm and 8pm.

More information can be found on Stroma’s website.

Hilary Hahn Encores Contest

The results of the Hilary Hahn Encores Contest have been announced. The full announcement is here.

Congratulations to the winner, Jeff Myers.

Also, my piece, Pariwhero, received an honourable mention, and the prospect of a performance by Hilary Hahn in the future.

There’s a nice write-up, and an interview with Hilary Hahn, at NewMusicBox.

My part in it is only small, but it’s really exciting to be involved in a project like this.