Alison Grant has continued a remarkably successful run of results for New Zealand composers in the Young Composers Competition at the annual Asian Composer's League Festival in Thailand. She has become the third Kiwi to win the event in the last four years following on from Chris Watson in 2002 and Dylan Lardelli in 2003. You can find more information about New Zealand composers on the SOUNZ, the Centre for NZ Music website, www.sounz.org.nz.
Alison Grant has continued a remarkably successful run of results for New Zealand composers in the Young Composers Competition at the annual Asian Composer's League Festival in Thailand. She has become the third Kiwi to win the event in the last four years following on from Chris Watson in 2002 and Dylan Lardelli in 2003. You can find more information about New Zealand composers on the SOUNZ, the Centre for NZ Music website, www.sounz.org.nz.
"I did feel a little pressure," Alison admitted. "After such good results I was a little worried that I might let the side down!"

She need not have worried. Dr. Anthony Ritchie, composer and President of CANZ, the Composer's Association of NZ, was also in Bangkok for the festival. "Alison's piece, Fission, is a colourful, well-scored and imaginative work", he reports. "To be honest, in Bangkok it received a mediocre performance by an under-prepared ensemble, but the judges' opinions were not coloured by the playing and they recognized the merit of the work from the score."

Fission is scored for eight players including flute and piccolo, clarinets, trombone, double bass, piano and two percussionists. "I wanted to investigate less orthodox combinations of instruments," Alison explained, "and experiment with the use of microtonality and techniques such as breath tones and playing inside the piano. The name of the work is drawn from the actions and reactions that characterise the way in which the instruments react together. It is based on the concept of organised chaos 'resolving' to a chaotic organisation!"

Travelling to Thailand was Alison's first experience outside of Australia and New Zealand. "It was fairly full-on. Bangkok is a city full of sound and noise and new experiences of food and sights - sometimes quite surreal! I was very glad to get back to horizons again."

Alison received her Bachelor's degree with Honours in composition from Auckland University studying with John Elmsly and Eve de Castro Robinson. She is currently working towards her Master's degree with Ross Harris at Victoria University. The NZ School of Music orchestra will premiere another of Alison's works at their September 22 concert in Wellington Town Hall.