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Fifth New Zealand composer to win Asian competition
Wellington composer Samuel Holloway continued New Zealand's outstanding record when he won the 2007 Asian Composers League Young Composer's Competition in Hong Kong with his piano trio Stapes. New Zealand composers have won the competition five times since 1998.
Stapes was the work chosen to represent New Zealand in the competition and Holloway attended the Hong Kong International Society of Contemporary Music's Asian Composers League Festival in late November. A Creative New Zealand grant of $2160 to the Composers Association of New Zealand supported Holloway to participate in the festival.
In 1998, Jeroen Speak won the competition in Taipei with his string quartet Auxetos. Chris Watson won in 2002 with Derailleurs for mixed ensemble. Dylan Lardelli took the top prize in 2003 with Four Fragments for large chamber ensemble while Alison Grant won in Bangkok, Thailand with her octet Fission.
New Zealand composers have featured in the results of the competition a further five times. Gareth Farr was placed third in 1988 in Hong Kong; John Psathas was third in Bangkok in 1995; Michael Norris was placed second in the 2000 competition held in Yokohama; Chris Gendall was placed third in 2004 with Sweet Nothing for clarinet, violin, cello and piano; and at an earlier Asian Composers League event in February 2007, held in Wellington, Robin Toan's Le Marteau du Destin was highly commended.
This is the second Asian Composer's League award for Holloway this year. At the Wellington event, held in conjunction with the Asia Pacific Festival, he was awarded the Irino Prize for the best work presented at the festival by a composer from the host country.
