Orchestra Wellington and SOUNZ composer sessions

Earlier this month, Orchestra Wellington made the difficult decision to cancel the three remaining concerts in the 2021 season. While this was deeply disappointing, it has also opened the door to a new opportunity for composers. With the help of SOUNZ, we put out a very quick call to composers to submit applications for orchestral readings on Saturday 30 October – with quite strict requirements: scores and parts needed to be ready to go, and the instrumentation needed to align with available resources.

An amazing 42 submissions came in over the two days following the call. Orchestra Wellington’s Musical Director Marc Taddei and Composer-in Residence, John Psathas committed to selecting the pieces in a very short time, and librarian Erica Challis has heroically produced the scores and parts in record time. We’re also lucky to have the support of Radio New Zealand who allowed the use of their recording facilities for the sessions.

The 12 works selected:
Overture for an Unwritten Opera Keith Moss
Emperor Logan Kegganhoff
i am not made of mud or meat or music Ihlara McIndoe
We Yearn To Tell Stories Sai Natarajan
Short Work for Orchestra George Smith
Scherzo in La Maggiore Sebastian Black
24 Hours Francesca Wytenburg
Keratoconus Joshua Pearson
Bubbling Waters Pieta Hextall
Embers Glen Downie
Field Hospital Ming Shi
Drawing together/apart Nathaniel Otley