In this series, we introduce you to our newest SOUNZ composers. In this article we are proud to introduce the AWE Festival's 2024 Emerging Composer Estella Wallace.
Kia ora Estella, please tell us about yourself and what it is that you do.
I am currently studying composition at the New Zealand School of Music. I'm originally from Christchurch and was very fortunate to have such fantastic music teachers in high school that ignited my passion for composition.
The moment I realised that I wanted to persue composition at tertiary level was when I won the SOUNZ-NZCF Te Reo Choral Composition Competition with my piece Ka Mate Te Reo I Te Reaka Kotahi. Having it played in the Christchurch Town Hall was a dream of mine since I started really getting into composition at 14. I remember driving past there one day saying to myself "One day my music will be heard in there" and the fact that the dream came true is something that I will never forget.
It also made me realise how much I truely enjoy music. Composition is something that gives me so much joy and just want to share that joy to people through different styles whether it be more contemporary or melodic, I haven't found a specific composition style that I enjoy composing in just yet, but university is the time to experiment!
During my compositional journey, I have however been drawn to a few different concepts which have inspired a lot of my works. These include works that drawn on my whakapapa or Māori culture, painting Aotearoa's landscapes through music and using music to raise awareness around relevant issues in today's world. I am also starting to get into writing more film music. Music has such an incredible power over our emotions and is so cool to be able to explore this power through classical music but want to start exploring it through film music.
Aside from composition I also play the clarinet and really enjoy writing for ensembles that feature the clarinet and other wind instruments. However this year I have been writing a lot of string quartet works, these include a string quartet for the AWE Festival as the 2024 AWE Emerging Composer. It has been a challenge that I have found very rewarding and has helped me discover a whole world of other sounds. I also love writing for voice. Even though I am not a singer myself, I love how beautiful dissonance can be in choirs and have had successes with choral music.
When I'm not doing music you will find me out on the cricket field or going for morning swims (highly recommend you feel fantastic afterwards!)
Please tell us about a few of your works.
Ka Mate Te Reo I Te Reaka Kotahi as explained above was a big work for me. It translates to 'It takes a generation to lose a language' and talks about how if we don't speak a language, we may never get it back. Writing this piece also inspired me to start digging into my whakapapa as at the same time that this piece was being performed, my Nana passed away suddenly and her tangi was the day before it got performed in the town hall. It's something I reflect on a lot but as I was taking my bows I could feel Nana with me. This piece started my want to compose more music with Māori concepts and have also written music that are about stories from my hapū.
Lonely Peaks is another important work for me. A recording hasn't been produced yet as it is getting performed at the AWE Festival on Friday 11th October 2024. It's a piece that highlights Queenstown's landscapes in particular the Remarkables and the Shotover river. I wrote this piece as apart of my role as the 2024 AWE Emerging Composer where I received mentoring by Eve de Castro-Robinson to write a string quartet piece. It's something that I really enjoyed and am very proud of the piece. Anyone who knows my music knows that I love writing a good landscape piece so I was really in my element when composing this.
What are you working on at the moment? If you can’t talk about that yet, what have you completed recently and when will people be able to hear it?
I am currently working on a piece for mezzo-soprano, flute and string quartet. It's for my composition assignment which is based off a poem my friend Maya Field wrote especially for this piece. I don't have a performance facilitated for it just yet but will endeavour to have it performed next year once it is completed.
I've also just completed the first ever APRA Classical SongHubs where I collaborated with Oliver Bramah to create 2 new string quintet works. There were 6 of us composers at this and was an intense week of writing, collaborating and recording.
Other than that I am getting a head start on composition opportunities that will be offered next year. I've wrapped up most of my projects for the year so want to get a head start on the year to come!
How can people contact you?
You can reach me on instagram @estella_wallace
If you want to email to discuss any works you can reach me at [email protected]
Thank you Estella, read more about her and works on her SOUNZ biography page.