13 Sep 2020

Compose Aotearoa offers the chance to write for a full choir

From Standing Room Only, 1:31 pm on 13 September 2020

Composing for a large choir and a maximum of three instruments - that's the challenge Choirs Aotearoa NZ is issuing to some adventurous Kiwi composers.

It's a perfect time for composers to try something new.   Concert plans are in disarray, thanks to the pandemic.  And they're likely to continue to face disruptions for the foreseeable future.

This is New Zealand's first national competition specifically for choral song-writing - Compose Aotearoa.

Trinity Roots' Warren Maxwell knows all about it.   Last year he composed "Taonga Moana", a stunning piece about the Antarctic for the Voices Adult Choir to perform. 

Lynn Freeman reunites Warren with Karen Grylls, who worked with him on the composition as the artistic director and conductor for Voices New Zealand, the country's nationally selected choir. Karen explains the brief given to composers interested in entering the competition.