Eden Mulholland (born 1979) is a New Zealand composer, musician and dancer. He was a founder of the band Motocade and composes for dance and the World of Wearable Art show.
Early life and education
Mulholland was born in 1979.[1] He grew up in Christchurch and attended Shirley Boys' High School.[2] He came from a musical household: his father was in a band, his mother played the piano, all of the five children played and sang and he later played in bands with his older brothers Will and Jol.[3][4] As a child he learnt ballet, studying with Russell Kerr and then completing a performing arts degree at Unitec where he graduated in 1998.[3][4]
Career
In his career as a dancer Mulholland worked with choreographers Ann Dewey and Sean Durham, and dance companies Touch Compass and Black Grace.[3][4][5]
In 2003, when he spent time in London, Mulholland began to compose electronic music and decided to concentrate on music composition.[4][6] On returning to New Zealand he founded the indie–rock band Motocade with his brother Will.[6] He also played in the indie band the Mots with another brother Jol.[3][7]
As a composer of dance music Mulholland has worked with the companies Atamira Dance Company and Okareka Dance led by Taiaroa Royal and Taane Mete.[4] Choreographers Michael Parmenter, Sarah Foster-Sproull and Malia Johnston have commissioned him to write works[5][3][4] and he has composed three ballet scores for Foster-Sproull including To Hold and Autumn Ball.[5][8] His album Music for Dance includes sounds tracks from Johnston's dance works.[4] He composed the score of Meremere (2016) a dance piece performed by wheelchair dancer Rodney Bell and directed by Malia Johnston.[9][10] In 2018, he collaborated with Johnston and video artist Rowan Pierce to create Rushes a combination of live music and dance and video art performed in multiple spaces.[11][12]
Mulholland composed the music for the opening ceremony of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup held in New Zealand and Australia.[13] From 2022 to 2024, he has been the composer and music director for the World of Wearable Art show in Wellington.[5][14][15]
Mulholland has won two awards at the Wellington Theatre Awards: in 2018 he won the Sound Designer of the Year for Meremere and Rushes,[16] and in 2019 he won the Constance Scott Kirkcaldie Award for Outstanding Composer of Music for the dance work Orchids.[17]
Discography
Music for dance (2010) – music for dance and theatre[6]
