Biography

Helen Bowater graduated Bmus (Hons) in music history and ethnomusicology from Victoria University of Wellington in 1982. She later studied composition with Jack Body and electroacoustic music with Ross Harris. She has been active in various choirs and ensembles as a singer, pianist and violinist, also in the Victoria University Gamelan Padhang Moncar and recently in the rock band pHonk and The Extra Virgin Orchestra.

Following residencies at the Nelson School of Music in 1992 and at Otago University as Mozart Fellow in 1993, she was appointed Composer-in-Residence with the Auckland Philharmonia in 1994. In 1998 she attended June in Buffalo composition summer school and the Festival of New Zealand music in Scotland where the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra played her gamelan influenced New Year Fanfare and the Hebrides Ensemble performed ‘Banshee’, commissioned by Edinburgh Contemporary Arts Trust (ECAT) for the occasion.

Many of Helen’s solo, ensemble and orchestral works have been performed in concert and on radio and several published. Recent work includes installation and collaboration with sculptor, Kazu Nakagawa and brother David Bowater; an orchestral piece River of Ocean performed by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (cond. Kenneth Young) at a New Zealand, New Music festival in Scotland 2001; Urwachst commissioned and performed by Auckland Philharmonia, (cond. Steven Smith) 2003; commissioned works from Stroma and 175 East in 2005; performance and recording of ‘New Year Fanfare’ performed by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (cond. Kenneth Young) during the Asia Pacific Music Festival 2006, and a string quartet and harp solo, commissioned for performance in 2007.

Selected Works

• Publications (2)
• Recordings (1)
• Works (46)
• Awards (7)
• Related Resources (2)