Contributor

Claire Cowan

Composer, Performer

Born: 1983 Website

Biography Works 18 Recordings 5 Resources 9 Performances 23

Biography

Claire Cowan is hailed as one of New Zealand’s most exciting composers with an impressive array of scoring and composition credits spanning concert, film, television and theatre. Seven prime-time TV soundtracks, multiple "Best Original Score" national awards, several Composer Residencies, and two full length ballets commissioned from the Royal New Zealand Ballet are just a few of the many accolades to her name. In 2021 Claire was awarded “Best Classical Artist” at the Aotearoa Music Awards.

Her passion for collaboration, and her versatility as an orchestrator, has led her to work with the cream of the crop in NZ's pop-music scene; names like Benee, Marlon Williams, Leisure, Tami Neilson and Dave Dobbyn are but a handful of the talents she has joined forces with, reinventing their songs with fully orchestrated versions for New Zealand's most prestigious orchestras.

Notable recent projects include Cinderella for the Royal New Zealand Ballet, music for Under the Vines and One Lane Bridge TV series, Possum Magic for the Australian Ballet School, and eight short chamber commissions from the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra to accompany iconic Kiwi storybooks. In 2019 Claire created Lo | Co Arts with choreographer Loughlan Prior, with whom she collaborates on a regular basis.

As a performer, Cowan’s expertise lies in strings and keys, often incorporating percussive and folk techniques into her classical string scores. She directs the Blackbird Ensemble a vagabond chamber orchestra who create highly visual and theatrical musical experiences in non-traditional spaces.

In 2023 Claire was the grand prize winner of the Oticon Faculty International Film Music Contest, and the only woman in the Top 10.

Claire is represented by Native Tongue Publishing.

Information about Claire Cowan and her music for film and television can also be found on the NZ On Screen website.

I like to collaborate with other artists so that I may be musically inspired by their creative vision, and in turn they may become inspired by mine. In music and art I admire simplicity, emotion and originality.

Composed (18)

Bus Stop

for six percussionists, 6m

Hansel and Gretel

music for a ballet

Here at this quiet limit of the world

for orchestra, 10m

Incantations

for orchestra, 6m 30s

legend of the trojan bird

for orchestra

My Alphabet of Light

for orchestra, 6m

My Sister’s Country

for voice and piano, 4m 5s

Opito

for orchestra, 6m

Paper dragonfly

for piano, 2m 20s

Shadow Hands

for piano, 7m

Skip

for two percussionists, 5m

Stark

for violin and orchestra, 28m

Subtle Dances

for violin, cello and piano

Trains of Thinking

for orchestra, 8m

Ultra Violet

for violin, cello and piano

Whaler

for cello, 1m

Whetu-Rere - The Sea Lion and the Comet

for voice, mixed chamber sextet and taonga puoro, 22m

wood : strings : hammers : flesh

for violin, cello and piano, 10m

Recordings (5)

Helen Webby: Pluck - CD

Audio/visual

NZTrio | Lightbox - CD

Audio/visual

NZTrio | Lightbox - downloadable MP3 ALBUM

Audio/visual

NZTrio | Sway - CD

Audio/visual

NZTrio | Sway - downloadable MP3 ALBUM

Audio/visual

Resources (9)

Claire Cowan discusses composition with Gareth Watkins

Interview

Claire Cowan: Appointment interview with Kenneth Young - AUDIO

Interview

CMNZ Interviews with Karlo Margetic and Alex Taylor

Interview

Concert review - NZTrio's 'Old World : New World' (10 May 2013)

Review

Kenneth Young introduces 'My Alphabet of Light' by Claire Cowan - AUDIO

Commentary or analysis

Peter Mechen reviews Orchestra Wellington, 5 December 2016 - AUDIO

Review

Sugar and spice for a ballet (Five Lines, 15 Dec 2020) — CD REVIEW

Review

The Settling The Score 2023 Top 30 (RNZ Concert, Oct 2023)

Interview

Upbeat interview with Justine Cormack and Claire Cowan (RNZ Concert) - AUDIO

Interview

Performances (23)

NZTrio | Exotica

Enjoy a myriad of single movements, like a tasting platter full of vibrant, piquant music from Sp...

NZTrio: The Americas

Ashley welcomes back Andrew Beer (violin) and Stephen De Pledge (piano) for a ripper of a program...

NZTrio | The Americas

Ashley welcomes back __Andrew Beer (violin)__ and __Stephen De Pledge (piano)__ for one last 2019...

Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra | Sweet Strings

__Schubert__ | String Quartet No.12 ‘Quartettsatz’ __Claire Cowan__ | Hansel and Gretel: Short...

Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra | Sweet Strings

__Schubert__ | String Quartet No.12 ‘Quartettsatz’ __Claire Cowan__ | Hansel and Gretel: Short...

Cinderella | RNZB (Wellington, performance 1)