Making Trans-Tasman Music

Making Trans-Tasman Music

Composition of a new Trans-Tasman work has begun this week as NZTrio and Australian Stuart Greenbaum work together in Auckland.

Greenbaum is the recipient of the 2009 Trans-Tasman Composer Exchange, a joint project of the Australian Music Centre and SOUNZ, the Centre for New Zealand Music. Scilla Askew, Executive Director of SOUNZ explains: “In alternating years the AMC and SOUNZ facilitate a pairing of a composer from one country and a performing organisation or ensemble from the other. As a result performers and their audiences come to know music from across the Tasman and the composer works towards creating a piece particularly for them.”
 
Each morning this week Greenbaum is working with NZTrio (Sarah Watkins – piano; Justine Cormack – violin; Ashley Brown –cello). On Friday they will present a seminar together at the School of Music, NICAI, Auckland University in which they will workshop Greenbaum’s 800 Million Heartbeats and Book of Departures. The composer will also meet with students, colleagues and musicians while he is here.
 
As a result of this intensive week’s collaboration, Greenbaum intends to compose a new work for the ensemble to perform both in Australia and New Zealand early next year.  
“I’ve been following the Trans-Tasman Exchange project for some years with great interest," Greenbaum says. "In recent years I’ve started writing piano trios and the opportunity to work with NZTrio was too good to pass up. It’s great to have the opportunity this week to hear them play and talk with them ‘informally’ about the art of the piano trio in such a concentrated way.”
 
Lewis Eady, “the acoustic shop”, are supporting this residency by providing a rehearsal space for NZTrio this week.
 
In previous years the Trans-Tasman Composers Project have seen collaborations between Gareth Farr (NZ) and The Song Company (Aus), James Ledger (Aus) and the Christchurch Symphony (NZ), James Gardner (NZ) and ELISION (Aus), Colin Bright (Aus) and the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra (NZ), and Kenneth Young (NZ) and the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra.

ENDS

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