Toronto-based composer Juliet Palmer is coming full-circle in returning to her homeland in late July to take up the Creative NZ/Jack C. Richards Composer-in-Residence at the New Zealand School of Music.

Following a Master’s degree in composition and clarinet from Auckland University Juliet Palmer went to New York City in 1990 to work with interdisciplinary performance pioneer Meredith Monk. She completed her PhD at Princeton University in 1999 and has since spent most of her time as a freelance composer, performer and teacher based in Toronto, Canada. Her works have been performed across Canada, Europe, the US, Australia and New Zealand.

“The New Zealand School of Music composer-in-residence position is a significant opportunity for me to rebuild creative connections with New Zealand, while offering my wealth of experience as a composer, collaborator and educator,” says Palmer.

“I also look forward to meeting New Zealand writers, choreographers, experimental filmmakers and other potential collaborators, to sow the seeds for the development of future large-scale international projects. As a curator and programmer, I aim to build bridges between New Zealand and Canadian communities through musical exchange.”

Her compositions range from works for solo instruments and chamber ensembles to symphonic works, and include many innovative compositions for voice. She co-directed and provided the soundtrack for Soaring, Roaring, Diving, winning ‘Best Experimental Film’ at Brooklyn International Film Festival in 2009. The film was also featured in the 2010 New Zealand International Film Festival.

“I was last in Wellington at the International Festival in 2002,” says Palmer. “It was the culmination of two years of collaboration with choreographer Douglas Wright on Inland. I have long admired the city’s rich musical life, and would treasure a year spent creating, teaching, listening and performing in New Zealand’s capital.”

New Zealand School of Music (NZSM) Director Professor Elizabeth Hudson, is delighted Palmer will be returning to the capital.

“One of the major advantages of the residency is the proximity of so many world-class performing organisations and ensembles,” she says, “both through the resources and staff of NZSM, and our colleagues in the wider Wellington performing arts community.

“Juliet Palmer has extensive international experience in collaboration between various performance art forms including chamber and orchestral music, world music and ethnic traditions, dance, opera, multimedia, film and theatre. She will be able both to share these experiences with us, and enjoy developing new ideas with the rich range of performers, students and fellow composers connected with the School.”

About the Residency:

The Creative New Zealand/Jack C. Richards Composer-in-Residence at the New Zealand School of Music scheme offers a New Zealand composer the opportunity to pursue creative activities, hosted by NZSM. The term of the residency is from 1 July to 30 June the following year.

The resident composer receives a stipend thanks to grants from Creative New Zealand and Victoria University of Wellington, and private sponsorship from Dr Jack Richards. In most cases, the Lilburn Residence Trust offers to rent Douglas Lilburn’s former home to the composer during his or her residency.

About Te Koki, New Zealand School of Music.

Te Koki, the New Zealand School of Music was formed in 2006 by the merger of Massey University’s Conservatorium of Music and Victoria University of Wellington’s School of Music bringing together more than 60 years’ experience in the fields of classical and jazz performance, composition, historical research and ethnomusicology. NZSM offers students unique study opportunities with the strengths and advantages of two of this country’s most outstanding universities.

NZSM fosters the individual development of students through the wide-ranging teaching expertise of the most prominent composers, musicologists and performers in New Zealand, many of whom have received international recognition and acclaim for achievements in their respective fields. More information at www.nzsm.ac.nz.