2022 SOUNZ Commission for Orchestra and Sistema Youth Orchestra | Te Tono Mahinga a SOUNZ mā te Rāngi Puoro me te Rāngi Puoro Taiohi a Sistema – winner announced.
SOUNZ Centre for New Zealand Music, Orchestra Wellington and Arohanui Strings – Sistema Hutt Valley are delighted to announce that Wellington-based composer Glen Downie has been selected for the 2022 SOUNZ Commission for Orchestra and Sistema Youth Orchestra. Glen will be working with Orchestra Wellington and Arohanui Strings – Sistema Hutt Valley on a new work and is looking forward to writing a ‘children-led’ piece, enhanced by the Orchestra Wellington musicians.
Diana Marsh, SOUNZ’s Executive Director, said, “We are delighted to be able to work again with Orchestra Wellington and Arohanui Strings on this highly collaborative project. At SOUNZ we want to offer the opportunity for everyone to enjoy New Zealand music and what better way to do this than by engaging one of our composers to write for the combined forces of an orchestra with these young musicians. We are looking forward to working with Glen on the 2022 commission.”
Glen said, “I’m pleased to be awarded the commission to write for Arohanui Strings and Orchestra Wellington. It gives me a chance to revisit the things that excited me about music when I was younger and it will be a lot of fun to explore whilst writing a new piece that will be fun, energetic and inspire the tamariki to keep playing and exploring music further.”
The project, which is now in its fifth year, is a collaboration between SOUNZ Centre for New Zealand Music, Orchestra Wellington and Arohanui Strings – Sistema Hutt Valley. Orchestra Wellington and Arohanui Strings will perform the new commission as part of a concert at the Michael Fowler Centre in October 2022.
Last year, the commission was awarded to Wellington composer Sarah Ballard for her work Subduing Kaliya. The piece, inspired by the adventurous pastimes and the personality of Krishna, was performed by Orchestra Wellington and Arohanui Strings during the 2021 season at the Walter Nash Centre in Lower Hutt.
2022 SOUNZ Commission for Orchestra and Sistema Youth Orchestra Glen Downie
Kia ora, I am very glad to congratulate Glen Downie about winning this commission. You do not mention whether he has a libretto to work on. I have been hoping that a libretto of mine about Covid/the Black Death could be set to music but I failed to interest Creative NZ although they did say that “The libretto is phenomenal”. The score uses 2 choirs, 2 soloists, an orchestra and a group of amateur instrumentalists and lasts 27 minutes, when spoken aloud. Schools would have plenty of scope for performance of all the piece. I shall be pleased to discuss this further with you, of course.
Hi Elizabeth, thank you for your comments. This piece does not have words. Please contact us at info@sounz.org.nz so that we can assist you with opportunities that may be available.