SOUNZ student prizes awarded

The SOUNZ prizes for secondary student composers have both been awarded for 2008.

The prize for the NZCF-SOUNZ Secondary School Choral Composition   went to Arna Shaw from Christchurch Girls High School. Arna wrote her piece Laudate Dominum for SSAA choir a cappella. It has yet to be performed. She will receive her prize during the BIG SING Finale which will be held in the Wellington Town Hall this Saturday evening, 23 August.

"I really enjoy using a Latin text for my choral composition," she told us. "An English text can be too 'in your face' and make it more difficult to get across a more spiritual experience through the music."

A multi-talented musician, Arna is a choral singer as well as composer and will be in Wellington rehearsing with the NZSO National Youth Orchestra as a violinist for a second time. She is quickly notching up honours for her compositions too: she was awarded the 'best newcomer' award in the 2007 NZSO-Todd Foundation Young Composer's Award and another of her orchestral works will feature in this year's The Trust's Secondary Composer's Competition with the Auckland Philharmonia on Friday 5 September. "I intend to come up to NZSM next year to start a BMus in composition and violin performance," she said. "I love violin, but composing is my passion: choral, orchestral, chamber music..."

Anthony Ritchie was the judge of the NZCF-SOUNZ Secondary School Choral Composition this year. In addition to Arna's first place, he gave Highly Commended Awards to:

• Joshua Stewart of Waimea College, Nelson
• Megan Nelson of Chilton St. James, Wellington (the 2007 Award winner)
• Charlotte Davis of Queen Margaret College, Wellington.

 

As already reported, David Taylor of Macleans College, Auckland was awarded the SOUNZ Award for the Composition section of the New Zealand Community Trust Chamber Music Contest. His work Myrrh was performed by the Desideratum quartet of Emma Yang (flute), Stephen Wong (clarinet), Sasha Rasmussen (bassoon) and the composer (piano) at the National Final of the Chamber Music Competition in Auckland earlier this month.