Please tell us about yourself and what you do.
I am a Wellington-based guitarist, composer, and teacher. I studied classical guitar performance at the New Zealand School of Music with Dr. Jane Curry and Matthew Marshall, and I graduated in 2012. Since then, I have worked as a guitar teacher throughout Wellington. I have run a home studio in Khandallah since 2014, and I currently have a busy schedule teaching students of all ages, levels, and styles. Since university, I have also dedicated a lot of time to composing new music for solo classical guitar. I released a full-length album of my own compositions in 2017, and since then I have had a number of new pieces filmed for my YouTube channel. I competed in the New Zealand International Classical Guitar Competition in 2018, and I won the SOUNZ prize for the best performance of a New Zealand work, playing my piece 'Resurrecting the Dream'.
Tell us about your music.
My debut album 'Landscapes' was released on June 16, 2017. It consists entirely of original compositions for solo guitar, and it represents my work from late 2014 until late 2016. It is available on Bandcamp: https://michaelstoop.bandcamp.com/releases
All the tracks can be heard on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwyd1OLZUWU0TKFg9AxqNFw/featured
I also have hard copies available, featuring artwork by Chinese artist Cheng Xiang Jun.
Rather than recording a second album, I started working with the Wellington-based production company Riddell Productions, and had my next 10 compositions filmed. We filmed in a few different locations around Wellington, including the rugged South Coast, and the picturesque Oriental Bay. All of these new videos can be viewed on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwyd1OLZUWU0TKFg9AxqNFw/featured
What are you working on at the moment?
I have really enjoyed the process of making videos. My plan for the rest of 2019 and 2020 is to have the pieces from my album 'Landscapes' filmed. I've also been busy editing my scores for publishing. Only a small fraction of my works are currently available, and I hope to submit many more over the coming months. I couldn't resist making a start on the next set of compositions for solo guitar (which is well under way), but filming and publishing my existing works has to take priority this year and next!
How can people contact you?
My teaching information can be found here: https://wellingtonmusiclessons.com/
My YouTube channel has all of my currently available recordings and videos
Some of my scores are available at SOUNZ! https://www.sounz.org.nz/contributors/44
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