Biography
Michael Norris is a Wellington-based composer. He holds composition degrees from Victoria University of Wellington and City University, London. He has held the positions of Composer-in-Residence with the Southern Sinfonia and the Mozart Fellowship, and currently lectures in composition at the New Zealand School of Music. In 2003, Michael won the Douglas Lilburn Prize, a nationwide competition for orchestral composers. He is also co-founder and co-director of Stroma New Music Ensemble. He has participated in composition courses featuring leading composers such as Peter Eötvös, Alvin Lucier, Christian Wolff and Kaija Saariaho.
Recent composition projects include Heavy Traffic, commissioned by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, featuring contrabassoonist Hamish McKeich, tesserae:interstices for members of the Luxembourg Philharmonic, and Icons & Artifice, for bass clarinet duo, ensemble and live electronics, premiered by Stroma with the Duo Stump-Linshalm (Austria). He spent the second half of 2007 living and working in Vienna, where he initiated a number of projects with European performers.
Future composition projects include a new work for the New Zealand String Quartet, a solo work for Richard Haynes, and a new work for the 2010 Donaueschinger Musiktage, to be performed by the Radio Chamber Orchestra Hilversum, under Peter Eötvös.
Recent Reviews
“Michael Norris’ Heavy Traffic is a concert opener to die for. The latest NZSO commission, this short piece for contrabassoon and orchestra promises road rage, tailgating and lane changing, and achieves all three, musically speaking, with the deftness of an Indy 600 champion.
There's some respite from the hyperenergy — a gentle passage introduced by a shiver on muted brass — but for the most part it’s a darting, pointillist frenzy, effortlessly revved into life by soloist Hamish McKeich and the NZSO.” — William Dart, New Zealand Herald, 29 May 2006
“The Sunday night concert opened with one of the best of the recent newly commissioned NZ works: Heavy Traffic for contrabassoon by Michael Norris. This is a quirky and thoroughly enjoyable piece. The orchestral writing is clever with strident and blaring brass and pulsing strings commanding attention… it was a great performance from McKeich” — Garth Wilshere, Capital Times, 24 May 2006
"It started in entertaining fashion. The Michael Norris work [Heavy Traffic] , composed for Hamish McKeich, was not for the bassoon, but for the contrabassoon, which signalled humour from bar one… Norris knew the game, and no more so than in a hilarious moment in which the soloist has an elephantine duet with the tuba. Magnificently droll, and all done with the straight face of a Buster Keaton." — John Button, Dominion Post, 23 May 2006
“Rays of the Sun, Shards of the Moon was a savvy slice of musical impressionism. Its 9m45s shimmered with promise and purpose, from the moment that mysterious scale edged out of the woodwind. The whole score is a cleverly contrived and immaculately crafted study in sonic emergence, particularly on the harmonic side, using chords that were often only a sliver away from Messiaen, whom we were to hear the following evening. After such vital music, Mendelssohn's Scottish Symphony was distinctly sluggish.” — William Dart, The New Zealand Herald, 27 October 2003
“Michael Norris’s Rays of the Sun, Shards of the Moon is a clever piece, shimmering textures in a single dynamic with subtle colours… a skilful piece of orchestral writing.’ —John Button, Dominion Post, 13 October 2003
‘'Perhaps most effective of all was Michael Norris’s Honk!. Witty and jazzy, its ideas evolved interestingly.’ — Lindis Taylor, Dominion Post, 14 July 2003
“It was a big occasion at the Dunedin Town Hall last night for Dunedin composer Michael Norris. The Southern Sinfonia, directed by dynamic conductor Marc Taddei, gave the first performance of his Symphony No. 1: the mountains ponder a silence as profound as stars (after a poem by Hone Tuwhare)…
At times, great columns of resonating sonorities evoke images of something awesome and menacing emerging from middle-earth accompanied by keening violins, tolling bells and jingling crotales from the percussion. Catatonic convulsions of sounds shimmer away into very tangible silences. You can hear the rhythm of the mountains and the sounds of the bush. Norris uses the full orchestral canvas, and sometimes a little more.
It is exciting, a trifle melancholy, but the highly charged
atmosphere it creates moves inexorably forward bursting into jaunty jazz rhythms
in the finale and ending with a stunning coda of stupendous chords. The orchestra
seemed to relish the challenge.” — Don Evans, Otago Daily Times,
15 June 2002
‘I am proud to review an orchestral concert where Michael
Norris received due recognition and prolonged applause for excellence in a
cultural achievement… His latest work, From the Lonely Margins of the
Sea, opens with haunting woodwind melody lines above a pool of calm ‘string’ waters… I
want to hear this beautiful piece again!’
— Elizabeth Bouman, Otago Daily Times, 13 August 2001
‘Michael Norris’s Vitus made a vivid impression, with its
almost Dali-esque “melting time” clock-ticking setting a scene across
which violent dissonances occasionally rushed.’ — Peter Mechen,
online review, July 2001
‘Michael’s piece Momenta was one of the most colourful and
exciting scores I have heard yet from this talented young composer… Particularly
striking was the timbral richness and fullness of the wind writing; the score
simply throbbed with intensity and many of the audience commented on its expressive
intensity and individuality.’ — John Elmsly, Canzonetta, August/September
2000
Education
1997–8: City University,
London: MA in electroacoustic composition (distinction)
1993–6: Victoria University
of Wellington, New Zealand: BMus(Hons) (first-class)
Recent Commissions
Heavy Traffic: New
Zealand Symphony Orchestra, 2006
Machine Noise: Chamber
Music New Zealand (for Stephen de Pledge), 2005
dirty pixels: New Zealand
Trio, 2004
In Flexion: Arnold Marinissen, 2004
In tempo di guerra, in tempo di tristezza: Ananda
Sukarlan, 2003
Vorago: Dody Satya Ekagustdiman, 2003
traiga cuentos la guitarra: Michael McCartney, 2002
Zonam Solvere: Ensemble Multifoon,
2002
Three miniatures after the end of time: Southern Sinfonia chamber
group, 2002
...dans les débris du temps: 175
East, 2002
Badb: Bridget Douglas & Rachel Thomson,
2002
Symphony No. 1: the mountains ponder a silence
as profound as stars: Southern Sinfonia, 2002
From the lonely margins of the sea: Southern
Sinfonia, 2001
HONK!: Saxcess, Wellington, NZ, 2000
Silence lives in blue rooms: Adam
Art Gallery, Wellington, NZ, 2000
Wind Shear: Bridget Douglas, Wellington,
NZ, 1999
Recent Performances
tesserae:interstices: Members of the Luxembourg Philharmoic, July 2007
Machine Noises: Stephen de Pledge, June 2007, Donald Nicolson, November 2007
Icons & Artifice: Stroma and the Duo Stump-Linshalm, May 2007
Heavy Traffic: New
Zealand Symphony Orchestra with Hamish McKeich (cbn), New Zealand tour, May
2006
dirty pixels: New
Zealand Trio, Auckland, August 2004; New Zealand tour, April
2006
in:flection: Arnold Marinissen, Wellington, July
2004, Holland, December 2004
Symphony No. 1: the mountains ponder a silence
as profound as stars: Southern Sinfonia, Dunedin, June 2002; New
Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Wellington, May 2004
Rays of the sun, shards of the moon: New
Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Wellington/Napier/Auckland, October
2003
in tempo
di guerra, in tempo di tristezza: Ananda Sukarlan,
Wellington/Auckland/Hamilton, July/August 2003
Vorago: Dody Satya Ekagustdiman, Wellington, June
2003
Zonam Solvere: Ensemble Multifoon,
Amsterdam & The Hague, December 2002
Scintilla: Stroma, Dunedin,
November 2002
...dans les débris du temps: 175 East,Wellington/Christchurch/Auckland/Waikato,
September 2002
Badb: Bridget Douglas & Rachel Thomson,
Christchurch, July 2002
Chrysalis: Jackie Martelle,
Merkin Concert Hall, Manhattan, New York, April 2002. Justine Bristowe (Karlheinz
Company), Auckland, New Zealand, July 1996; Dana Parkhill, Wellington,
New Zealand, April 1996;
HONK!: Saxcess, New Zealand tour,
2001
Vitus: 175 East, Auckland/Wellington/Christchurch,
2001
From the lonely margins of the sea: Southern
Sinfonia, Dunedin, August 2001
Wind Shear: Bridget Douglas,
Wellington, August 2000
Chimaera: Bangor University,
Bangor, Wales, April 1999; City University Electroacoustic Music
Concert Series, London, March 1999; Australasian Computer Music Conference,
Wellington, July 1999; Florida Electroacoustic Music Festival, March
2001
Aquarelle: Rumours - BEAST Electroacoustic
Concert Series, Birmingham University, Birmingham, April 1999. ICMC2000,
Kulturforum, Berlin, August 2000. AustraLYSIS SOUNDVISION, Sydney,
November 2000
Alumina: EuCuE concert series, Montreal,
October 1999; City University Electroacoustic Music Concert Series,
City University, London, June 1998
Narcissus: Zenith Ensemble, Society for the Promotion of
New Music, London, May 1998
Mandala: Gamelan Padhang Moncar, Beat! International Festival
of Gamelan, Wellington, New Zealand, March 1999
DISCOGRAPHY
Badb appears on "Taurangi" by Bridget Douglas and
Rachel Thomsom (Trust CD MMT 2063-64)
Dirty Pixels appears on "Spark" by the New Zealand Trio (Trust CD
MMT 2006)
Seseh appears on "Arak (Balinese Intoxication)" (CD MAN 2033)
In flexion appears on "Percussionist Songs" (CD BVHaast 0904/1004)
Alumina appears on "4th Generation: Lilburn Electroacoustic
Music Studios" (Available from New Zealand School of Music)
Chimaera appears on "New Zealand Sonic Art 2000" (CD UWMD 1200)
Aquarelle appears on "New Zealand Sonic Art III" (CD UWMD 1202)
Awards
Finalist, SOUNZ Contemporary Award, 2004
Winner, Douglas Lilburn Prize, New Zealand, 2004 (Audience, Players and
Overall Prizes)
Finalist, Music 2000 Prize, New Zealand, 2000
New Zealand representative at the ACL Young Composers Competition, Yokohama,
Japan, 2000 (placed second overall)
Nomination for best sound designer, Chapmann Tripp Awards, Wellington,
1999
Cordwainer’s Award for best MA in Music, City University, 1998
Commonwealth Scholarship to City University, London, 1997
Special Mention, First International Sound Software Competition, Bourges,
1996
The Philip Neill Memorial Prize in Music, Otago University, 1996
Wellington City Council Music Prize, Victoria University of Wellington,
1996
Aotearoa Composers Prize, Otago University, 1992-4
Charles Begg Prize in Music, Otago University, 1993
Jenny MacAndrewes Prize, Otago University, 1992
Professional Experience
Lecturer, New Zealand School of Music, 2004–
Mozart Fellowship, Otago University, 2002 (press
release)
Composer in Residence, Southern Sinfonia, 2001
Editor of newsletter and yearbook, Composers Assoc. of NZ, 2001-2002
Orchestration tutor, Victoria University of Wellington, 2000
Third-year composition tutor, Victoria University of Wellington,
1999–2000
First-year composition tutor, Victoria University of Wellington,
1999–2000
IT Support analyst, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Victoria
University of Wellington, 2000
PC Analyst, National Mutual, Wellington, 1999
Year 2000 Auditor, TransAlta New Zealand, Wellington, 1998-9
Post-production foley assistant, Blue Bicycle Films, Wellington,
1995
Technician, Department of Education, Victoria University of Wellington,
2000
DSP Software developer, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington,
1995-6
Computer Aided Learning Consultant, Otago University, Dunedin, 1994
Papers, Articles, Lectures
Half-heard sounds in the summer air: electroacoustic music in Wellington
and the South Island. Organised Sound, Cambridge University Press,
Vol 6. No 1, April 2001
Timbre, Harmony, Structure: Five-week module for third-year composers,
Victoria University of Wellington, 2000
Colliding Worlds: the music of Juliet Kiri Palmer: Music in New Zealand,
Summer 1999/2000
Time, Motion and Memory: the music of John Yong: Music in New Zealand,
Spring 1999
Beyond the Lattice Conception: Five-week module for third year composers,
Victoria University of Wellington, 1999
Sounds, Symbols and Systems: problems of analysis of electroacoustic
music: New Zealand Musicological Society Conference, University of
Auckland, June 1999.
Reinstating Interpretation: the status of analysis in an electroacoustic
context: Australasian Computer Music Conference, Victoria University
of Wellington, July 1999. Revised and reprinted in Mikropolyphony
Recent Compositional Concerns: Composers Workshop, Victoria University
of Wellington, May 1999
Sound and Discourse: a critical inquiry into the analysis of electroacoustic
music: MA dissertation, City University of London, 1998.