 new zealand school of music
composer in residence
MEDIA RELEASE: 23 March 2005
new composer in residence announced
One of New Zealand's most highly-regarded composers, Gillian Karawe Whitehead, has been announced as the New Zealand School of Music Composer in Residence for the 2005-06 period.
Ms Whitehead is a prolific composer who has written works for solo, chamber, choral, orchestral and operatic forces, most of them direct commissions from performers and funding organisations. Ms Whitehead is of Ngāi te Rangi and Tuhoe descent and her heritage and the New Zealand landscape are strong influences on her work.
Interim Director of the New Zealand School of Music, Euan Murdoch, said Ms Whitehead was an excellent choice for the appointment.
"Gillian Whitehead is one of the most important composers in Australasia. Her music has been widely performed and broadcast, with many pieces published and released on disc. She has, over the years, keenly supported the development of composition students at Victoria and other music schools, and I'm sure she will make a superb mentor for students at all levels."
The Composer in Residence scheme was established in 2004 with the appointment of Aucklander Jim Gardner, with joint funding from Victoria University and Creative NZ. This year's residency is supported from various sources, among them a grant for three years by a private sponsor, Dr Jack Richards.
The scheme provides a stimulating environment for the resident composer, allowing them to attend workshops, to interact informally with both staff and student composers and to have active contact with the large number of musical organisations and performing groups in the city. Ms Whitehead will take up her position, based at Victoria University, in July 2005.
Born in Hamilton, Ms Whitehead studied at Auckland University before graduating from Victoria University with an Honours degree in Music in 1964. She then studied composition at the University of Sydney where she graduated with a Master of Music degree in 1966 before moving to Britain where she worked as a composer.
In 1981, she returned to Australasia to join the staff of the Composition School at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and was for four years Head of Composition before taking early retirement in 1996. She now divides her time as a free-lance composer between Sydney and Dunedin.
In 1999, her opera, Outrageous Fortune, won the SOUNZ Contemporary Award and she was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit. In 2000, she became one of the inaugural Artist Laureates of the New Zealand Arts Foundation. During 2000 and 2001 she was Composer in Residence at the Auckland Philharmonia. In 2001, her piece, The Improbable Ordered Dance, won the SOUNZ Contemporary Award.
Ms Whitehead was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Music degree from Victoria University, in 2003, in recognition of her contribution to music both in New Zealand and internationally. She is also a member of the Creative and Performing Arts assessment board for the Performance-based Research Fund.
For more information contact Associate Professor Jack Body on 04 463 5853 or Gillian Whitehead on (03) 478 0678, gillianwhitehead@xtra.co.nz or www.artsfoundation.org.nz/whitehead.html.
Since 1 January, Victoria University and Massey University have been operating a joint New Zealand School of Music (NZSM), a centre of musical excellence. The NZSM website is www.nzsm.ac.nz
Issued by Victoria University of Wellington Public Affairs
For further information please contact Communications Adviser Kate Fox by email Kate.Fox@vuw.ac.nz or phone 04 463 5105 or 021 243 5105
| 
