Ihlara McIndoe

Ihlara McIndoe is a composer and musicologist from Ōtepoti Dunedin, currently based in Montreal, Canada. Her work has been performed and recorded in Aotearoa, Australia, Canada, France, Japan, and the USA, by artists including Mark Menzies, Gabriela Glapska, Dylan Lardelli, Jennifer Timmins, Johanna Vargas, Mayumi Miyata, Nanae Yoshimura, and ensembles including the Ensemble Court-Circuit, Duo Pro Quo, Ximenez Quartet, Sælvage Collective, Argonaut Ensemble, SMP Ensemble, NZSO, NZ National Youth Orchestra, and Dunedin Youth Orchestra. Her projects span across acoustic and electroacoustic concert settings from solo instrument to orchestral scores, as well as interdisciplinary projects incorporating movement, poetry, and storytelling, and give particular emphasis to timbre, texture, and form. Her collaborations with the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust (2020-2022) have led to a series of works which share the sounds of Antarctica and the spirit of exploration with New Zealand communities. Upcoming projects and performances include a collaboration with Ensemble Semblance as part of France Musique’s Création Mondiale series (2025/26 season), and a new work for solo clarinet and electronics in Montreal's Le Vivier 2024/25 season.

Ihlara’s musicological interests stem from her background as a former lawyer, with her research focusing on the interaction between public law and the arts sector, and potential for creative policy reform to foster greater sustainability and inclusion within the arts. She has also given various presentations with the support of the Antarctic Heritage Trust and via the Global Leaders Institute for Arts Innovation on the role of music in environment education and activism. Her musicological work on (re)imaginative archiving has been published in Glissando Magazine and she was awarded the Student Paper Prize at the American Musicological Society New York State / St Lawrence chapter meeting in 2023.

As an administrator, Ihlara has served as Co-Convenor of the Composers Association of New Zealand Nelson Composers Workshop, and has worked in student promotions for the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Music New Zealand.

Ihlara holds a MusB in Composition and Piano Performance from the University of Otago, where she studied with Professor Anthony Ritchie, Professor Peter Adams, and Professor Terence Dennis. She also holds an LLB and BA (1st class honours) in Gender Studies. She is a soon-to-be graduate of McGill University’s Schulich School of Music, with an MA in Musicology supervised by Professor Roe-Min Kok. She is also a member of the Global Leaders Institute MBA in Arts Innovation 2024 cohort. Ihlara will be beginning her DMA in Composition at Columbia University, NYC, in September 2024.

You can learn more about Ihlara's work and get in touch via her website: https://ihlaramcindoemusic.com/