Ihlara McIndoe Wins The 2025 SOUNZ Contemporary Award Te Tohu Auaha

29 October 2025

SOUNZ Centre for New Zealand Music Toi te Arapūoru, in partnership with APRA AMCOS Te Tautāwhinga is proud to announce Ihlara McIndoe as the winner of the 2025 SOUNZ Contemporary Award Te Tohu Auaha, for her striking and evocative composition of coral and foam - a work for string quartet with live and electronic vocalisations, incorporating texts by Katherine Mansfield.

A second-time finalist for the award, McIndoe’s work seamlessly weaves together acoustic and electronic elements - blending a string quartet with live and pre-recorded vocalisations - and draws on the poetry of iconic New Zealand writer Katherine Mansfield. of coral and foam was performed and recorded by the Rhythm Method Quartet in New York City, where McIndoe is currently based. The work explores themes of embrace and rejection, drawing upon a collection of Mansfield's poetry in which the sea takes on various complex, shifting characters. In McIndoe’s work, the tensions and instability inherent in the sea, and within the relationships it represents in Mansfield's work, are a key focus.

“It was a joy to write this work for the Rhythm Method,” McIndoe said. “Their approach of reimagining the string quartet from a contemporary feminist perspective is one that I really took to heart in writing this work, and one that aligns with my own goals as a composer.”

Originally from Ōtepoti Dunedin, McIndoe is currently a doctoral fellow in composition and teaching assistant at Columbia University in New York. Her music frequently explores the intersections of live performance, electronic media, and literature, and has been performed and commissioned internationally. On receiving this year’s SOUNZ Contemporary Award, McIndoe says:

“It's a huge honour to accept the SOUNZ Contemporary Award Te Tohu Auaha this year. The award is such a fantastic celebration of composition in Aotearoa, and so many of the composers I admire and look up to have been finalists and recipients. It's pretty surreal to be part of this list, and I'm thrilled that the work has been recognised in this way. It's particularly special to be nominated alongside Chris, Dylan, and Flo who I admire so much as composers and as people. There are so many people whose support has been a huge part of my wider musical journey, and I feel very fortunate and thankful to have a wonderful community of family, friends, and mentors.”

The 2025 SOUNZ Contemporary Award finalists were Chris Gendall (Wow Signal), Dylan Lardelli (Drift Aspect), Flo Wilson (In the Stars), and Ihlara McIndoe (of coral and foam). They were selected from a pool of 60 entries by a jury of independent industry professionals from both Aotearoa and overseas. Each work showcases the adventurous and diverse voices shaping Aotearoa’s contemporary classical landscape today.

SOUNZ Chief Executive Hannah Darroch also passed on her congratulations to McIndoe:

“A huge congratulations to Ihlara for winning the SOUNZ Contemporary Award Te Tohu Auaha, with her stunning and meaningful chamber work of coral and foam. This award provides an opportunity for our many talented composers to be seen and heard by the broader industry, and there is no doubt that we punch well above our weight here in Aotearoa when it comes to composition. We’re proud to be a part of this thriving and innovative music sector, where hard work and resilience often goes unseen by the wider public, and we wish Ihlara and all of our finalists all the best for their ongoing creative endeavours.”

The award was accepted on McIndoe’s behalf at the 2025 APRA Silver Scroll Awards, held at Ōtautahi Christchurch’s Isaac Theatre Royal on Wednesday 29 October. The awards celebrate outstanding achievements in songwriting and composition across all genres in Aotearoa.

The SOUNZ Contemporary Award Te Tohu Auaha recognises New Zealand compositions demonstrating outstanding levels of creativity and inspiration, and has been presented in collaboration with APRA AMCOS NZ since 1998. Read more about the award and its past winners and finalists, and explore their works.

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