Nathaniel Otley

Nathaniel Otley is a composer, violinist and conductor based in Ōtepoti, Dunedin. He completed his MusB(Hons) at Otago University in 2019 studying violin with Tessa Petersen and composition with Anthony Ritchie and Peter Adams.

His compositions have been performed or workshopped in both New Zealand and Australia by artists including the Argonaut Ensemble, Mark Menzies, the NZSO, NZ Trio, the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra and the Dunedin Youth Orchestra. In 2019 he was a featured young composer at the Bendigo International Festival for Exploratory Music (BIFEM) as part of their Reo Hou future voices New Zealand programme with his piece Impasto. His piece Recalibration for violin and electronics also won the 2019 University of Otago Lilburn Trust Composition Competition and he was among the winners of the 2019 NZ Trio Impetus composition competition. As an orchestral composer Nathaniel is a three time finalist in the NZSO TODD corporation young composers award and was the 2019 winner with his piece biosphere degradation.

As a violinist he is a current member of the Dunedin Symphony Orchestra and regularly performs in solo and chamber settings including performing a wide variety of New Zealand music. In the past he has been a member of the Dunedin Youth Orchestra, NZSO National Youth Orchestra, New Zealand Youth Choir, New Zealand Secondary Students Choir and the New Zealand Secondary Schools Symphony Orchestra. He is also an active conductor in Dunedin and has worked with many ensembles including the Otago Symphonic Band, Dunedin Youth Orchestra, and the Southern Youth Choir.