SOUNZ Announces Selected Works for Aroha Quartet-RNZ Concert

SOUNZ Announces Selected Works for Aroha Quartet-RNZ Concert

A new collaborative project between SOUNZ Centre for New Zealand Music, the Aroha String Quartet and Radio New Zealand Concert (RNZ Concert), in association with the Composers Association of New Zealand (CANZ) and Chamber Music New Zealand (CMNZ) will produce 70 minutes of previously unrecorded string quartets by New Zealand composers.

The following works were selected for recording and will be broadcast and made available for free online streaming through partner websites:
Alex Taylor (Auckland) - refrain
Anthony Ritchie (Dunedin) - Whakatipua
Blas Gonzalez (Auckland) - SPASMS
Helen Bowater (Auckland) - this desperate edge of now
Jeroen Speak (London) - auxetos
Kirsten Strom (Auckland) - purity
Ross Carey (Malaysia) - Toccatina (Elegy)

"The large number of quartets submitted covered a wide range of musical approaches. They all exhibited a high degree of professionalism making the decision to select a handful of works varying in difficulty and accessibility very difficult."

A joint panel made up of representatives of partner organisations selected works from the 40 entries received in February this year.

“We’re thrilled that these selected works represent a wide range of musical voices from New Zealand’s composers, from well-established careers to exciting new artists both at home and abroad. -- It was important to reflect the diversity of today’s composers, and at the same time support the Aroha Quartet in identifying new repertoire for string quartets to perform in New Zealand and around the world.”

The Aroha String Quartet (2 violins, viola and cello) will rehearse and workshop the selected pieces prior to the recording sessions in October 2015, when RNZ Concert will record and edit the works for broadcast and online streaming. The recording sessions will also be filmed by SOUNZ.

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