Composer

Biography

Peter Scholes was born in Auckland in 1957 and was educated at Auckland Grammar. He studied clarinet with the late George Hopkins, and then with Ken Wilson at the University of Auckland from 1976-9, graduating BMus in performance. He undertook further clarinet study from 1986-7 in Britain with Thea King and Alan Hacker. He is currently clarinet tutor at the Auckland University School of Music. He was Principal clarinetist for the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra 1980 -1994, clarinetist in the early music group ‘Digorie’ from 1976-80, and the Auckland Chamber Music Players from 1981-85. Scholes became interested in composition through playing in groups such as ‘Red Mole’, ‘From Scratch’, ‘Playback Theatre’ and other improvisation ensembles. He was assistant Musical Director of ‘Avant Garage’ from 1980-81. In 1987 he won 3rd prize in the International Gaudeamus Interpreters’ Competition, Rotterdam, for a performance of his own work, “Wireless for Clarinet”. From 1988-89 he was artist in Residence at the University of Auckland School of Music, where he founded ‘The Clarinet Collective’ and ‘The Big I’ improvisation ensemble. As a clarinetist Scholes has toured for the Music Federation of NZ with pianist David Guerin and with the Auckland Wind Quintet. He has appeared as clarinet soloist with the Auckland Philharmonia in concerti by Mozart, Copland and Nielsen, and in 1992 as soloist with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra performing the Mozart Clarinet Concerto. He was a member of the Auckland Philharmonia Administrative Council 1991.

Since 1994 Scholes has been working as a free-lance conductor and composer. He composed music for the Royal New Zealand Ballet production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and his Symphonic Legends, a work introducing children to orchestral music, was performed at the 1998 NZ International Festival of the Arts. he has recently founded the Auckland Chamber Orchestra of which he is principal conductor.