Nathaniel Otley

Nathaniel Otley (born 1996 or 1997) is a New Zealand composer, violinist and conductor.

Biography

Otley began playing the violin at the age of four.[1] He attended King's High School in Dunedin where he won an Otago Daily Times Class Act in 2015.[1][2] He graduated from the University of Otago with a MusB (Hons) in performance violin and music composition.[3][4] He played the violin in the Dunedin Symphony Orchestra, conducted the Dunedin Youth Orchestra and played and sang in several orchestras and choirs.[5][4]

In 2020 Otley won a Fulbright General Graduate Award to study for a Masters of Arts in Musical Composition at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester.[3]

Awards

Otley has won three prizes in the Lilburn Trust Student Composition Awards: in 2016 he won the performance prize with his piece Concert Piece and in 2019 the composition and performance prizes for Recalibration.[6][4] In 2019 Otley won the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra's Young Composers Award with his orchestral work Biosphere Degradation.[1]

In 2024 he won the SOUNZ Contemporary Award (Te Tohu Auaha) at the APRA awards for his composition the convergence of oceans.[7][8] The piece, which is a reflection on the oceans surrounding New Zealand, was composed during his tenure as the composer in residence with the National Youth Orchestra in 2023.[7][8][9]

Personal life

Otley is married to New Zealand composer Ihlara McIndoe.[9][10]

References

  1. ^ a b c Edwards, Jono (2019-09-30). "Student wins composers award". Otago Daily Times Online News. Retrieved 2024-10-09.
  2. ^ "Class Act celebrates excellence". Otago Daily Times Online News. 2015-08-28. Retrieved 2024-10-09.
  3. ^ a b "Fulbright opens door for music composition graduate". Otago.ac.nz. 22 September 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "Nathaniel Otley - SOUNZ". sounz.org.nz. Retrieved 2024-10-09.
  5. ^ "Musical multi-tasker Nathaniel Otley". RNZ. 2023-05-25. Archived from the original on 2024-10-08. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
  6. ^ "Lilburn Trust Student Composition Awards" (PDF). douglaslilburn.org. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Silver Scroll 2024: Anna Coddington wins top prize for bilingual waiata". RNZ. 2024-10-08. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
  8. ^ a b "Nathaniel Otley wins the 2024 SOUNZ Contemporary Award | Te Tohu Auaha | with the convergence of oceans for orchestra. - SOUNZ". sounz.org.nz. Archived from the original on 2024-10-09. Retrieved 2024-10-09.
  9. ^ a b Andrews, Ben (15 October 2024). "A convergence of success". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 3 December 2024 – via Press Reader.
  10. ^ "Interview with Ihlara McIndoe". SOUNZ. Retrieved 3 December 2024.