Salina Fisher wins the 2016 SOUNZ Contemporary Award

Salina Fisher wins the 2016 SOUNZ Contemporary Award

SOUNZ Centre for New Zealand Music and APRA are delighted to announce that Salina Fisher has won the 2016 SOUNZ Contemporary Award with Rainphase.

Salina (b.1993) is the youngest ever winner of the SOUNZ Contemporary Award. She is also the youngest woman ever nominated for the prestigious composition award. Her orchestral work Rainphase is inspired by rain and draws on the characteristics of water as rain, flowing through various stages of this “phase” in the water cycle. This is the first time a work by the Wellington composer has been nominated.

Salina studied composition and violin at Te Kōkī New Zealand School of Music and in 2014 completed a Postgraduate Diploma with distinction. Her works have been performed both in NZ and internationally, including performances by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Stroma New Music Ensemble, Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra. The rising young composer was the 2015 NZSO National Youth Orchestra Composer in Residence and won the NZSO Todd Corporation Young Composers Award in 2013 and 2014.

SOUNZ Executive Director Diana Marsh said, “Salina’s ‘Rainphase’ is full of colour and innovation. Her achievement demonstrates the high quality of composition from New Zealand composers and I would like to personally congratulate Salina on her significant achievement. SOUNZ continues to be very impressed with the consistently high standard of work entered for the SOUNZ Contemporary Award.”

The winner, selected by an independent jury from anonymous submissions, was announced at the APRA Silver Scroll Awards event at Vector Arena in Auckland on 29 September. This year, for the first time, SOUNZ revealed the judges for the Award: the panel of industry representatives included an international composer representative Nicola LeFanu (UK) and New Zealanders Kate Mead, Anthony Ritchie, Marc Taddei and Sarah Watkins.

APRA also announced the winners of the APRA Silver Scroll Award, the Maioha Award and the awards for the Best Original Music in a Feature Film and in a Series, and inducted Moana Maniapoto into the New Zealand Music Hall Of Fame.

The SOUNZ Contemporary Award celebrates excellence in contemporary composition, recognising New Zealand compositions that demonstrate outstanding levels of creativity and inspiration. The Award has been presented in partnership with APRA since 1998.

ends.

© Scoop Media