Trinity Cathedral in Auckland. In his eleven years in the choir he developed an interest in composing organ and choral music.
After graduating from the University of Auckland with a Master's Degree in composition he began a career as a music teacher. He was at the forefront of music education in New Zealand for almost 30 years having taught variously at Westlake Girls High School, St Paul's Collegiate School, Scots College, and Marsden School for Girls. He retired recently from the position of Director of Music at Mill Hill School in London (UK). Currently Nigel is musical director of the Tauranga Civic Choir for whom he is composing a large scale cantata style work for performance in 2019. He has always maintained an active life as a musician and composer in the community. In Hamilton NZ Nigel established a regional orchestra and jazz band festival for schools. Taking advantage of St Paul's Collegiate new Letourneau organ he established an international organ festival to further promote the playing of the organ in New Zealand. He was Director of Music at Hamilton's St Peter's Cathedral for several years and established choral scholarships to ensure a quality of choral singing at the Cathedral and establish an enduring link with Hamilton's Waikato University's Music Department. In Wellington NZ Nigel served as chair of the Wellington regional committee of the New Zealand Choral Federation. During his seven years as musical director of the Bach Choir of Wellington he enjoyed the opportunity of directing over twenty five concerts with an emphasis on the larger scale works of J.S. Bach. He was fortunate to forge a relationship with members of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra which lead to the formation of the Chiesa Ensemble. Nigel's last concert with the Bach Choir was a complete performance of J.S. Bach’s Mass in B minor. In this conversation, Nigel shares his insights about his love for twelve tone technique, modal music and of course, the polyphony. Enjoy and share your comments below. And don't forget to help spread the word about the SOP Podcast by sharing it with your organist friends. And if you like it, please head over to iTunes and leave a rating and review. This helps to get this podcast in front of more organists who would find it helpful. Thanks for caring. Listen to the conversation Related Links: http://www.nigelwilliamscomposernz.com Nigel's music on Sheet Music Plus: http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/search?Ntt=nigel+williams&aff_id=454957 |
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AuthorVidas Pinkevicius' conversations with internationally renown experts from the organ world - concert and church organists, improvisers, educators, composers, organ builders, musicologists and other people who help shape the future of our profession. Archives
November 2017
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