Nine world premieres to mark Douglas Lilburn centenary

STROMA

S T R O M A N E W M U S I C E N S E M B L E

Nine world premieres to mark Douglas Lilburn centenary

PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday 13 October 2015

Nine composers and fifteen musicians will mark Douglas Lilburn’s centenary next month with a unique world premiere, funded by music lovers.

Nine Echoes celebrates “the grandfather” of New Zealand music on what would have been the pioneering composer’s 100th birthday, Monday 2 November. It features new short works by nine composers performed by the acclaimed ensemble Stroma. The musicians will perform each piece in response to Lilburn’s own Nine Short Pieces for Piano, played by Emma Sayers.

Stroma co-director Michael Norris originated the idea for Nine Echoes. He says this conversation between today’s composers and Douglas Lilburn is a fresh way of celebrating Lilburn’s enduring legacy.

“As this country’s premiere contemporary music ensemble, we felt we had an obligation to mark what would have been Lilburn’s 100th birthday. It’s our way of honouring his influence on the musical landscape in New Zealand.”

Michael Norris says each of the new works is as unique as its composer. The commissions include pieces from major figures Eve de Castro-Robinson and John Elmsly, as well as younger composers such as 21-year-old Stephen Clothier.

In a unique twist, Nine Echoes is funded in large part by donations from music-lovers using the crowd-funding website Boosted. Other donors included the Lilburn Trust, Wellington City Council and philanthropist Dr. Jack C. Richards.

“Nine Echoes is, as far as we know, the only concert marking Lilburn’s centenary on his actual birthday,” says Michael Norris. “Anyone who loves Lilburn, or wants to experience new contemporary music in small, perfectly-formed bites, should join us.”

Douglas Lilburn (1915-2001) is considered New Zealand’s most important and influential twentieth century composer. His symphonies are core orchestral repertoire here, yet he was also at the forefront of electronic music, establishing the first dedicated electronic music studio in the southern hemisphere at Victoria University in 1966.

Stroma performs Nine Echoes at 7.30pm at Wellington’s Sacred Heart Cathedral on Monday 2 November. That evening the Lilburn Trust also presents the annual Lilburn Lecture, featuring 2015 Lilburn Research Fellow Chris Bourke, as a free pre-concert event at 5:30pm, followed by a reception. The Centre for New Zealand Music (SOUNZ) will partner with Stroma in presenting this concert, and is providing birthday cake.

ENDS

Nine Echoes

7.30-9pm, Monday 2 November

Sacred Heart Cathedral, Hill St, Wellington

Buy tickets online http://www.dashtickets.co.nz/event/fcv1n8ktd

Adults $30

Concession $20

More information:

Event: https://www.boosted.org.nz/projects/nine-echoes-celebrating-lilburn's-100th

Stroma: http://www.stroma.co.nz/

Lilburn: http://sounz.org.nz/contributor/composer/1063

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