Auckland-based 27-year old gay composer and music teacher Samuel Holloway has won a prestigious developmental award worth $12,000. Hitting the right notes: Samuel Holloway The Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) gives out only three such awards in New Zealand, with Holloway impressing the judging committee with his creativity in his classical compositions. "He is a creative spark and a free thinker, who has an absolute commitment to classical music," APRA noted. Holloway's musical work has been performed by prominent artists and ensembles, including the NZ Trio, 175 East, the Luxembourg Sinfonietta and the NZ Symphony Orchestra. He has also received numerous other awards highlighting his outstanding work, most notably in Hong Kong where he was awarded first prize in the 2007 ACL Young Composer Competition for his work Stapes. With several works in the pipeline to premiere this year, Holloway says he intends to put his award money towards overseas trips, the first being the Asian Contemporary Music Festival in Korea. The second will include attendance at festivals and workshops such as Ostrava Days and Royaumont's Voix Nouvelles; collaborative work with performers in Luxemburg and Los Angeles and to Huddersfield to discuss the possibility of further study.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News Staff
First published: Monday, 27th April 2009 - 10:49pm