The winning project for this year’s SOUNZ Community Commission Commission | Te Tono Mahinga ā-Hapori a SOUNZ will see composer Sarah Ballard work alongside Virtuoso Strings create a new piece for performance in 2023.
The anonymous project donor selected the winning proposal by Sarah, who said:
"I will be working with Virtuoso Strings, a charity-funded community group offering string instrument tuition to socio-economic disadvantaged youth in the Wellington region. They have a community string orchestra in Porirua. The group is directed by the dynamic husband-and-wife team Elizabeth Sneyd and Craig Utting. I am working closely with Elizabeth from the outset of the project to understand what the students enjoy when it comes to music making. The project will be led by the students, beginning with collectively deciding on a title for the piece. Thereafter, rehearsals will be held at different stages of composition of the piece where the students will give their input as to how it should progress.
I feel very grateful to SOUNZ for this opportunity to work with Virtuoso Strings and hopefully create a piece of music that they can cherish."
The SOUNZ Community Commission | Te Tono Mahinga ā-Hapori a SOUNZ brings together New Zealand professional composers and community groups to create and perform a new work. It was established in 1999 and has resulted in works for diverse groups and ensembles such as a community group for young people with learning disabilities, community choirs, experimental sound artists, youth orchestras and children’s theatre.