| Anthony Ritchie | ||||||||||||||||||
| Anthony Ritchie (1960) is a freelance composer and teacher. Anthony Ritchie gained a MusB with first class honours at Canterbury University in 1982 and went on to do a PhD on the music of Bartók, studying at the Liszt Academy in Budapest. He had early success with his Concertino for Piano and Strings, which was recorded on Kiwi-Pacific Records in 1984. In 1987 he was Composer-in-Schools in Christchurch, before moving to Dunedin to become Mozart Fellow (1988-89) at Otago University. His work The Hanging Bulb was written at this time, and later recorded by the NZSO. Ritchie became Composer-in-Residence with the Dunedin Sinfonia in 1993-4, producing his Symphony No. 1, Boum, concertos for flute and viola, and Remember Parihaka. Since then he has worked as a freelance composer, writing for a wide variety of performers including Michael Houstoun and Wilma Smith, and choreographers such as Shona Dunlop and Dan Belton. He has composed several works for the Auckland Philharmonia, including a Guitar Concerto which was first performed in 1998 with soloist Matthew Marshall. Ritchie has also written two works to commissions by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, A Bugle will Do (1995) and Revelations (1998). A recent major work is the Symphony No.2, The Widening Gyre, premièred by the Auckland Philharmonia at the International Festival of the Arts in March 2000. Many of Ritchie's works have been performed overseas, and a growing number have been recorded and published. Anthony Ritchie is currently working on a score for a film by Natural History New Zealand (to be recorded by the Southern Sinfonia and released later in 2003) which is based on the landscape of Central Otago and incorporates artworks by Grahame Sydney. He has also started work on a commission by the Nevine String Quartet. |
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In January Terence Dennis gave the premiere of 7 of Anthony Ritchie's 24 Preludes for piano, and further performances are planned. Funding has been approved for Auckland's Sharon Vogan to record all 24 preludes onto CD. Anthony has also recently completed a commissioned work for the Nevine String Quartet. It is a full-length string quartet in four movements, and is intended for performance in 2004. |
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| Recent News October 2002 – Appointed Lecturer in Composition for 2003 at the University of Otago September 2002 – Completed a major cycle of 24 Preludes for Piano. The work is to be performed by Terrence Dennis during his tour of Japan in January 2003, and a recording of the work performed by Sharon Joy Vogan is planned for later in the year September 2002 – Blue Sonata for cello and piano premièred by Euan Murdoch and Terrence Dennis during their Chamber Music New Zealand tour of the North Island 30 August 2002 – Southern Journeys for orchestra & film performed by the Southern Sinfonia at the opening of the gallery 'Southern Lands, Southern People' at the Otago Museum. The video of Southern Journeys is a permanent fixture in the new gallery. |
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| Related Links www.anthonyritchie.co.nz |
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