Anton Killin

Anton Killin studied musical composition, sonic art, music theory, and ethnomusicology at the New Zealand School of Music, Wellington. Anton’s MMus thesis and composition portfolio were supervised by Jack Body and Michael Norris. Anton then went on to complete a PhD thesis in philosophy at Victoria University of Wellington. Anton’s essays have been published in numerous journals including Biological Theory, Biology & Philosophy, Canadian Journal of Philosophy, Debates in Aesthetics, Ethnomusicology Forum, European Journal for Philosophy of Science, Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, New Zealand Journal of Asian Studies, and R. Joyce’s edited book, Routledge Handbook of Evolution & Philosophy.

Anton was a founding member of SMP Ensemble, and for many years a member of three Wellington-based gamelan ensembles, Gamelan Padhang Moncar (Javanese), Gamelan Taniwha Jaya (Balinese) and Gamelan First Smile (Cirebon). He has also played in numerous Wellington-based bands.

As composer, Anton has had works performed and workshopped by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, The New Zealand String Quartet, SMP Ensemble, Gamelan Padhang Moncar, Gamelan Taniwha Jaya (including at the 2007 and 2013 Yogyakarta Gamelan Festivals in Java, Indonesia), yangqin player, Wang Hui, guitarist, Dylan Lardelli, and Sounds of the Engine House Ensemble (at the International Anthony Burgess Foundation, Manchester, in 2015). Anton’s mixed chamber group piece, Two Moments was performed and recorded live under the baton of Dutch maestro, Lucas Vis in March 2010. Three of Anton's recent compositions for gamelan appear on Rattle Records' Naga (2014), and his electroacoustic work Podroze appears on SMP Ensemble's album Podroze - Journeys (2010). A number of Anton’s electroacoustic miniatures have received international playback via the Vox Novus 60x60 series. Anton co-convened the annual CANZ Nelson Composers Workshop with Carol Shortis in 2010 and 2011.

Anton was the recipient of the 2005 Indonesian Gamelan Prize (Victoria University of Wellington), the 2008 Max Julian Prize for Ethnomusicology (New Zealand School of Music), 2011 J. L. Stewart Postgraduate and Victoria Doctoral Scholarships (Victoria University of Wellington), and a 2014 PGSA Postgraduate Research Award (Victoria University of Wellington).

He is currently a postdoctoral researcher in the Philosophy Department at Florida International University, Miami, and the School of Philosophy and the Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language at the Australian National University, Canberra. Anton’s research spans philosophy of the arts and sciences, with a focus on music. Specifically, he has been looking into the connections between the evolution of music and the evolution of language. When in Canberra, Anton performs with blues ensemble, Ronnie P and the Free Riders.

Photo credit: Seth Lazar