A composer set to present her new work for the first time ever in Wānaka next weekend has been awarded one of the country’s most prestigious music awards.

Victoria Kelly has received the SOUNZ Contemporary Award/Te Tohu Auaha, celebrating excellence in contemporary composition, for her composition Requiem.

Her newest work, Ensemble, will be performed at Rippon Hall next Sunday (October 15) as part of the Worlds Edge Music Festival (AWE) classic musical festival, which is taking place across Queenstown Lakes.

Victoria is AWE’s composer-in-residence and the award comes as no surprise to AWE artistic director Benjamin Baker.

“Victoria has been a leading light in Aotearoa’s music scene for a long while and we are absolutely thrilled that she has received this thoroughly well deserved award,” he said.

“Her CV reads like a who’s who of the music world - from classical musicians to contemporary artists such as Tami Neilson, Anika Moa and Shapeshifter - and we could not be happier to have her add AWE Composer-in-Residence to her accomplishments. 

“We’ll certainly be raising a glass or two in celebration of this fantastic recognition of her endless talents.” 

Ensemble will be performed as part of the final virtuoso programme of AWE.

The work looks at the multiple meanings of the word ensemble and the way in which any one thing can be looked at from infinite angles, Benjamin said. 

It was commissioned for AWE and is a celebration of the three instruments involved - the French horn, violin and cello - individually and how they come together. 

AWE begins on Saturday, with classical music programmes taking place across Queenstown Lakes over the next week. 

The programme also includes a range of free events. 

Learn more about AWE here.

PHOTO: Supplied