Michael Norris
Lecturer, Composition & Sonic Arts
MA City, BMus(Hons) VUW
(On leave Trimester 2 2007)
Michael Norris is one of New Zealand's most active composers of the younger
generation. He studied instrumental and electroacoustic composition at Victoria
University and was awarded a Commonwealth Scholarship to City University, London,
where he completed an MA in Electroacoustic Composition with Denis Smalley.
In
2000, the NZSO toured his orchestral work Nightdances, a finalist
in the Music 2000 Prize, and in 2003, his work Rays of the Sun, Shards
of the Moon was performed
by the NZSO as part of the Douglas Lilburn Prize. Rays
of the Sun, Shards of the Moon was awarded the audience, player and overall
prizes for the Douglas Lilburn Prize 2003. In 2006, the New Zealand Symphony
Orchestra toured Heavy Traffic for
contrabassoon and orchestra, featuring solo contrabassoonist Hamish McKeich.
Michael has held the positions of Composer-in-Residence with the Southern
Sinfonia and the Mozart Fellow at the University of Otago, and is co-founder
and co-director of Stroma, one of New Zealand’s leading contemporary
chamber ensembles. Michael
is currently Programme Leader in Composition at the New Zealand School of Music.
Michael has had works performed and recorded by ensembles such as the New
Zealand Trio, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, the Southern Sinfonia, Stroma,
175 East, Ensemble SurPlus, Bridget Douglas and Rachel Thomson, Arnold Marinissen,
Michael Houstoun and Saxcess. His works have appeared at major international
festivals of contemporary music, such as the Asia-Pacific Music Festival, the
ISCM World Music Days, Bourges Electroacoustic Festival and the Slowind Festival.
Michael's current research interests include the application of biological
modelling systems (known as "Lindenmeyer Systems") to the precompositional
stage. A series of pieces to be completed over the next few years will develop
these ideas, including a new piano concerto, a new work for bass clarinet duo,
ensemble and live electronics, a new work for solo cello, a new work for string
quartet and electronics, and a new work for solo clarinet. Current compositional
influences include composers such as Wolfgang Rihm, Hanspeter Kyburz, Helmut
Lachenmann, Salvatore Sciarrino, as well as the spectralist school (Saariaho,
Murail, Grisey, etc).
Contact details
Room 201, Ken Scott House
Phone: +64 4 463-7456
Email: michael.norris@vuw.ac.nz
External links
Feedback | © 2007 NZSM |
Last Updated:
December 7, 2007
|
