Contributor
Graham Parsons
Composer
Biography
Graham Parsons studied music composition under Douglas Lilburn and David Farquhar at Victoria University and Karlheinz Stockhausen in Cologne, Germany. He taught at various schools in England and, after completing post-graduate study in music education in London, he returned to lecture at Palmerston North College of Education. He has had considerable experience in conducting amateur choirs, operatic groups and orchestras, and was the founding conductor of the Renaissance Singers.
Graham considers himself to be essentially a community composer, and has written a variety of works over the years, which have been performed both locally and nationally. His Missa Brevis was premiered by the Renaissance Singers and has subsequently been performed by the Wellington Catholic Cathedral and the Auckland Holy Trinity Cathedral choirs. His setting of Psalm 97, Sing a New Song to the Lord, won the Auckland Choral Society competition to celebrate their 150 years and was performed by the Society as part of their July 2006 concert. Secondary School choirs have chosen his choral works for the “Big Sing” and he was recently commissioned by Massey University to compose ceremonial music, which is performed at the university graduations. He was commissioned to compose an Anniversary Mass which was first performed by the Renaissance Singers in 2015. Sounds from Home was premiered by the Palmerston North Choral Society in 2019. Other recent performances of his works include the Chamber Opera, The Help Desk workshopped by an Auckland group, The Opera Factory, in 2016 and an orchestral work, Dance Class, performed in Auckland by the St Matthew’s Orchestra in 2017.
Composed (61)
for SATB choir with optional piano and/or drum accompaniment, 3m 10s
for SSA or TTBar choir with optional accompaniment, 2m 20s
for SATB with optional piano accompaniment
for SSA with optional piano accompaniment
for TTB with optional piano accompaniment