Making Trans-Tasman Music

Composition of a new Trans-Tasman work began in September as NZTrio and Australian Stuart Greenbaum worked together in Auckland.
 
Stuart is the recipient of the 2009 Trans-Tasman Composer Exchange, a joint project of the Australian Music Centre and SOUNZ, the Centre for New Zealand Music. Scilla Askew, Executive Director of SOUNZ explains: “In alternating years the AMC and SOUNZ facilitate a pairing of a composer from one country and a performing organisation or ensemble from the other. As a result performers and their audiences come to know music from across the Tasman and the composer works towards creating a piece particularly for them.”
 
During the recent sessions in Auckland, Stuart worked each morning with NZTrio (Sarah Watkins – piano; Justine Cormack – violin; Ashley Brown ­– cello). At the end of the week they presented a seminar together at the School of Music, NICAI, Auckland University in which they workshopped Greenbaum’s 800 Million Heartbeats and Book of Departures. NZTrio has programmed these two works for performances in the near future. The composer also met with students, colleagues and musicians while he was here and also talked extensively with Eva Radich on Radio New Zealand Concert’s  ‘Upbeat’ programme on both his career as a composer and the importance of schemes such as the Trans Tasman Exchange.

As a result of this intensive week’s collaboration, Stuart intends to compose a new work for the ensemble to perform both in Australia and New Zealand early next year.  “I’ve been following the Trans-Tasman Exchange project for some years with great interest," he says. "In recent years I’ve started writing piano trios and the opportunity to work with NZTrio was too good to pass up. It was great to have the opportunity to hear them play and talk with them ‘informally’ about the art of the piano trio in such a concentrated way.”

NZTrio violinist Justine Cormack comments: "We had a wonderful time during our week with Stuart. The work-shopping of 800 Million Heartbeats and Book of Departures for upcoming performances was an excellent way for us to get to know Stuart in more depth as a composer - hearing more about his aims and desires within his music - both generally and specifically. Representing the music the way the composer intended is a high priority for us, so getting first hand feedback from the composer is always so valuable. Inevitably, this process backs up our interpretations and allows us to perform the works with even more conviction. Such sessions with composers are certainly to be treasured.

"The work-shopping of Stuart’s ideas for the new commission was also extremely productive and exciting," Justine continues. "The chance to be involved at the genesis of the compositional stage was a rare treat. We experimented with and discussed many different elements of the potential work - such as voicing, dynamics, structure...and also, simply as a result of getting to know each other, both personally and musically, the work will develop differently and in a unique direction. Through the residency we were given a real taste of what is to come and we are hugely excited to receive the final work for our performances in 2010. We are thrilled to announce that the new commission will be included in our CMNZ National Tour to the 10 main centres of NZ in April/May 2010."
 
Funding for the project is through (in alternating years) the Australia Council for the Arts and Creative New Zealand. Lewis Eady, “the acoustic shop”, supported this residency by providing a rehearsal space for NZTrio the week.

In previous years the Trans-Tasman Composers Project have seen collaborations between Gareth Farr (NZ) and The Song Company (Aus) , James Ledger (Aus) and the Christchurch Symphony (NZ), James Gardner (NZ) and ELISION (Aus), Colin Bright (Aus) and the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra (NZ), and Kenneth Young (NZ) and the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra .