Biography
Anthony has composed over 200 compositions during a career that includes a decade of freelance composing, several composer residencies, and twenty years teaching composition at Otago University. His works include six symphonies, five operas, oratorios, numerous concertos (including popular concertos for piano, flute and viola), chamber music and songs. Many of his works have been published and recorded, and he has had works performed in many countries abroad, including the UK, Europe, Asia and the US. In 2014, his choral work Salaam was commissioned and premiered by Aquarius in Belgium, who have recently recorded a CD of his choral work. Anthony has had chamber music performed by The Takacs Quartet, The Eggner Trio, and The Yang Quartet, and The BBC Symphony Orchestra has recorded his A Bugle Will Do. His French Overture was performed by The Swedish Chamber Orchestra in 2012, while the CD A Bugle Will Do (Atoll, 2011) was named one of the “CDs of the year” by British reviewer Nick Barnard, on the Music Web International site. He has regularly had works performed overseas at ISCM and ACL festivals.
Anthony Ritchie completed a Ph.D. on the music of Bartok in 1987, studying at the Bartok Archives in Budapest. He also studied composition with Attila Bozay at the Liszt Academy, and completed his Mus.B (Honours) at the University of Canterbury. During this time his Concertino for Piano and Strings was recorded onto LP by Kiwi Pacific. In 1987 he was Composer-in-Schools in Christchurch, before moving to Dunedin as Mozart Fellow (1988-9) at the University of Otago. Anthony was Composer-in-Residence with the Dunedin Sinfonia in 1993-4, completing his Symphony No. 1 'Boum'. He free-lanced until 2002, writing commissioned works for performers as diverse as the NZSO, Class Act Opera, and Daniel Belton and Good Company. In 2000 his Symphony No.2 was premiered by the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra at the International Festival of the Arts, and was followed up by the comic opera Quartet at the 2004 Festival. Other operas include The God Boy (2004) and This Other Eden (2014), both premiered at Arts Festival Dunedin. Anthony has also composed film music in collaboration with Natural History NZ, including Southern Journeys (2000) and Timeless Land (2003).
Since 2005 he has had fourteen CDs of his composition released, including the critically acclaimed Piano Preludes (Atoll, 2005), NZ Poets in Song featuring Anna Leese (Ode/Manu 2008), and the CD Remember Parihaka (Atoll, 2009) which includes his widely performed Flute Concerto, written for Alexa Still. His two CDs of chamber music include Octopus featuring his String Quartet No.2. An album of his piano music, Expressions, was released by Ode/Manu in 2010, performed by Tom McGrath. Atoll and the NZ Symphony Orchestra released his CD A Bugle Will Do in 2012, which included his Symphony No.3. It was awarded classical album of the year by The Listener, and was a finalist at the NZ Music Awards. Atoll released his Stations CD in 2014 (Symphony No.4 performed by The Christchurch Symphony Orchestra), and it was declared a ‘Recording of the Month’ by Web Music International. Reviewer Nick Barnard wrote: “I have been listening to this music over the last month during which time I have found myself increasingly drawn into its profoundly moving sound-world. . . The structure of the work is hugely impressive – the listener is drawn forward inexorably with each station clearly defined yet clearly part of a greater scheme. . . Ritchie’s music speaks with a very individual yet accessible voice and his work – and certainly this symphony – deserves a wide audience.” Fjarren: In the Distance with Anthony’s Clarinet Quintet and Purakaunui at Dawn won ‘Best Classical Album’ in the 2016 NZ Music Awards. In the same year he was Composer-in-Residence at the Visby International Centre for Composition, in Sweden. His Gallipoli to the Somme was performed in London and Oxford, 2018, and voted Aotearoa’s most popular classical music recording in RNZ Concert’s ‘Settling the Score’ in 2020. His Symphony No.5 ‘Childhood’ was rated one of the recordings of the year by MusicWeb International, 2022. The NZ Symphony Orchestra has regularly played his work, including recent performances of Remember Parihaka, Piano Concerto No 3, and his overture A Bugle Will Do in their Jubilee concert, 2022. Anthony continues to compose for less experienced performers, with recent highlights including Kia Kaha Tamariki commissioned by The Sinfonia of Hope, and Whānau Overture, commissioned by The Manukau Concert Band.
Anthony is currently Professor of Music at The University of Otago in Dunedin, and Head of the School of Performing Arts. He combines his interest in composition with a passion for teaching and mentoring young composers. In 2012-13 he was the Composer Mentor for the Todd Young Composer Awards. He also engages with the community through his role as a conductor (Dunedin Youth Orchestra), pre-concert speaker and arranger. In 2011 he was chosen to arrange the music for the 20 national anthems at the Rugby World Cup. Anthony combines his interest in music with an interest in sport, and has represented New Zealand at two croquet world championships.
“What is not in any doubt is just how engaging and of real worth Ritchie’s music is. Certainly it deserves to be far more widely known than it currently is outside of his native country. By now it should be clear that this is music that appeals to both the head and the heart and speaks using a voice that will touch those who do not normally respond to the traditional Classical Music idiom.”
(Nick Barnard, Music Web International, 2013)
Composed (273)
for solo violin, solo cello, 7-part cello ensemble, taonga puoro, mbira, and percussion, 12m
Recordings (41)
Resources (33)
Performances (5)
This is our school Gala Concert and it is a particularly special occasion this year as we have th...
Dunedin-based Anthony Ritchie has been hailed as “one of the greatest composers of his time” and ...
Chris Adams Afternoon – Brian Turner Anthony Ritchie My father today – Sam Hunt S...
__Anna Leese__ | soprano __Maaike Beekman__ | mezzo __Manase Latu__ | tenor __Robert Tuc...